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Va. appoints new DRPT director
Tiffany Robinson is the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation‘s new director, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Robinson succeeds Zach Trogdon, who has served as acting director since Jennifer DeBruhl retired July 1. Robinson has almost 15 years of experience in state and local government, according to a DRPT news release issued Tuesday. She […]
Raleigh-to-Richmond rail project gains steam
Preliminary construction is underway for the Richmond-to-Raleigh passenger rail project, an estimated 162-mile route along the defunct CSX Transportation S-Line corridor that will speed up travel between the capitals of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., and the Northeast U.S. “We have basically funded work to advance all of the preliminary engineering […]
Metro passes $4.8B budget for FY25
Metro’s board of directors on Thursday passed a $4.8 billion capital and operations budget for fiscal year 2025, which avoids massive service cuts, although fares will increase by 12.5% beginning July 1. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which oversees the Metrorail and Metrobus public transportation systems, had warned of “catastrophic” cuts to service because [...]
Metro opens $3B Silver Line extension
As a cold rain fell around noon Tuesday, leaders from Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority cut the ribbon on the $3 billion second phase of Metro’s Silver Line, extending rail service 11.4 miles to six stations and stretching into Loudoun County. Minutes later, they crowded onto a 7000-series train […]
Cabbies cry foul over Va. Beach’s free ride service
Lynne Johnston’s business, All City Cab Co., took a hit from the pandemic. But when the city of Virginia Beach started offering free door-to-door rides in one of her busiest zones — the Oceanfront — during tourist season, it was like another punch to the gut. This year, Virginia Beach contracted with Miami-based microtransit service […]
Metro announces next general manager, CEO
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s new general manager and CEO is Randy Clarke, the current president and CEO of Austin, Texas’ Capital Metro. The board of the authority, which runs Metrorail and Metrobus, announced Tuesday that Clarke will assume the position in late summer. Metro’s current general manager and CEO, Paul J. Wiedefeld, announced in […]
Laying tracks for The Tide
Commuters are on board with Hampton Roads Transit’s plans to extend The Tide, its 7.4-mile light rail system, according to recent public discussions about proposed new routes. This fall, HRT held one virtual discussion and three pop-up sessions at transit stations in Norfolk to gather public input about expanding the light rail to Sentara Leigh […]
Metro to keep reduced service levels through end of year
Metro customers will see reduced rail service through the end of the year, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Monday. The transit system authority attributed the disruption to its 7000-series fleet, the newest rail cars, still being out of service. These trains make up much of Metro’s fleet but have been sidelined since October. […]
Silver Line will miss Labor Day target
Problems plugging Silver Line Phase 2 into the rest of the Washington transit system are delaying the project’s transfer from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The transfer’s target date was Labor Day, but it’s not clear how long the transfer will be delayed, according to Marcia McAllister, […]
Raytheon Intelligence & Space receives $318M TSA contract
Arlington-based Raytheon Intelligence & Space will expand its deployment of checked baggage screening equipment to all federally managed airports nationwide under a five-year, $318 million contract with the Transportation Security Administration. A subsidiary of Massachusetts-based Raytheon Technologies Corp., Raytheon Intelligence & Space previously had a contract to install and/or upgra[...]
Virginia public transit grapples with reduced ridership, zero fare
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia public transit systems from Northern Virginia to Hampton Roads are looking for a path forward after losing riders and revenue during the pandemic. Some transit systems have been harder hit than others. “We are serving a market of essential workers that can’t stay home; they have to use our service,” said […]
Roanoke clears path for more downtown development
Roanoke developer Lucas Thornton hopes to break ground this summer on a multimillion-dollar renovation project that will transform what is now Campbell Court Transportation Center, the city’s rundown bus station, into an office tower and another building with apartments and retail space. Thornton’s $35 million development, tentatively named Randolph Street, inched closer to becoming re[...]
