Transportation 2023: RANDY CLARKE
In July 2022, Clarke joined WMATA, the Washington, D.C., regional public transit system, which manages the Metro subway system and Metrobus. He took leadership of WMATA when it was struggling with lingering low ridership from the pandemic and the removal of 60% of its railcars due to a wheel defect. Things have picked up somewhat. […]
Potomac Yard Metro station opening May 19
Potomac Yard Metro station will open May 19, Alexandria‘s mayor and Metro’s CEO announced Wednesday. Metro’s 98th station, it will be located near Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus and Amazon.com Inc.’s Arlington HQ2 East Coast headquarters. “Our team is working hard to put the finishing touches on the station, and we look forward to welcoming customers [&hellip[...]
Potomac Yard Metro station set to open in May 2023
After more than two decades of planning, Alexandria‘s Potomac Yard Metro station has a finalized opening date — May 2023 — according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which announced its plans Tuesday. The station, Metrorail’s 98th in the Washington, D.C., region, was originally set to open in spring 2022. It will serve the […]
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 […]
Metro bringing back first group of 7000-series trains
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Wednesday that it will return eight 7000-series trains to service on Thursday, months after all 748 railcars were taken off track due to a wheel malfunction that caused a derailment near Arlington National Cemetery. The return of eight trains — with eight railcars each — to service comes […]
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 […]
Metro releases 10-year strategic plan for development
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which runs Metrorail and Metrobus, released its first-ever strategic plan for joint development on Thursday, announcing an ambitious initiative to bring in 26,000 new housing units in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The document says that 40 Metro stations — including six in Northern Virginia — have more than […]
Metro delays create hassles for businesses, workers
Metrorail delays played a factor in Danielle Romanetti’s decision at the beginning of the year to close fibre space, her Old Town Alexandria yarn and knitting supplies shop, an hour earlier each day. “We now close at [7 p.m.] instead of [8 p.m.], just so staff can get home in time to eat a proper […]
Wiedefeld announces retirement as Metro CEO
Paul J. Wiedefeld, the general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, plans to retire in six months, the transit authority board chairman announced Tuesday. Wiedefeld was hired in November 2015 to lead the authority, which manages the Metrorail and Metrobus transportation systems in the Washington, D.C., region. In a statement, Wiedefeld […]
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. […]
Metro unveils major Falls Church redevelopment agreement
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has signed an agreement to redevelop the West Falls Church Metro Station site as a more than 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development. Construction is expected to begin in 2023. The agreement was reached with FGCP-Metro LLC, a joint real estate development partnership involving Bethesda, Maryland-based EYA LLC, Washington, D.C.-based Hoffman [&[...]
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, […]