Tell me about the Orange Line (Arlington, Falls Church: maintenance, living in, dangerous)

[JavaJunkieDC]

I finally settled on an apt. I wanted to live on Columbia Pike but it just wasn't to be. So....I found a place on S. Glebe Rd. less than a mile from the Ballston stop. Is there anything I should be weary/aware of? I'll be commuting to Metro Center each day (no car).

I used to work part time at Pentagon City and it always infuriated me that they would run THREE Orange line trains for every ONE blue line. What gives? Will I be standing all the way from Metro Center to Ballston each evening?

Sorry, this might have been more appropriate for the DC board.

[Grsz11]

Once the Silver Line opens, all three lines are forced to share the tunnel under the Potomac, and the Blue Line is expected to bear most of that burden. But at that time, you'd also have the Silver Line available to use. I'm not sure how the opening of the Silver Line will ease congestion, if at all.

[ICS67]

Originally Posted by JavaJunkieDC

I finally settled on an apt. I wanted to live on Columbia Pike but it just wasn't to be. So....I found a place on S. Glebe Rd. less than a mile from the Ballston stop. Is there anything I should be weary/aware of? I'll be commuting to Metro Center each day (no car).

I used to work part time at Pentagon City and it always infuriated me that they would run THREE Orange line trains for every ONE blue line. What gives? Will I be standing all the way from Metro Center to Ballston each evening?

Sorry, this might have been more appropriate for the DC board.

Riding Metro every day in rush hour will be enough to make anyone weary.

Seriously, unless things have changed drastically since I stopped commuting on the Orange Line three years ago (thank you Jesus!), you should at least have no problem boarding an inbound Orange Line train at Ballston in the AM rush -- unlike your fellow Arlingtonians at Virginia Square, Clarendon, etc. who frequently have to let one or two jammed trains go by before they can board. Your odds of getting a seat, though, are about 1 in 20. Even boarding at West Falls Church, I had less than a 50 percent chance of grabbing a seat.

In the PM rush, you will have no problem boarding at Metro Center unless Metro is having one of its periodic but ever more frequent meltdowns. I'd give you a one in four chance of getting a seat, but only if you've positioned yourself on the platform precisely where a train door will open.

I don't think the opening of the Silver Line will affect your commute one way or the other since, unlike the poor folk who use the Blue Line, you can take either an Orange or Silver Line train for your entire trip.

Welcome to the Orange Crush! Or maybe you'll be the Silver Surfer?

[Forehead]

Well if nothing else, there's generally less delays and track maintenance on the Orange line than the Red. If that makes you feel better.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by Forehead

Well if nothing else, there's generally less delays and track maintenance on the Orange line than the Red. If that makes you feel better.

Not on the weekends there arent. Still waiting on WMATA to provide their schedule for completion of the "track improvements" aka the spend $400 million per year infinitum project

[Forehead]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

Not on the weekends there arent. Still waiting on WMATA to provide their schedule for completion of the "track improvements" aka the spend $400 million per year infinitum project

Well yeah, it seems like every line has issues on weekends. I read the OP as asking for advice about their work commute.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by Forehead

Well yeah, it seems like every line has issues on weekends. I read the OP as asking for advice about their work commute.

Red line during the week does seem the middle child of the network. Seems like every week theres another issue with it. My fiancee was riding it to work one day and the doors remained open for the first 6 seconds the train pulled away from the station.

Just another reason why WMATA needs to be removed from control by the current board and the entire leadership turned into a voted board with obligations to the public and provided with a designated federal auditor for both safety and management.

[JavaJunkieDC]

I've been completely spoiled for the last decade. Living in Logan Circle and WALKING to work each day. The party is over. My first *commute* day will be the 5th of July. I think everyone except me will have that day OFF so it should be a pretty light day.

[Carlingtonian]

You say your place is on South Glebe--meaning south of Route 50. That means you'll definitely need to take the bus to the station, because it would be a long and dangerous walk, in terms of traffic/intersections. Nothing otherwise to be wary of, really; I think Buckingham (across from the post office, just west of Glebe) is more dangerous crime-wise than that stretch of Glebe by the Goodwill.

[GustavoFring]

Originally Posted by ICS67

Riding Metro every day in rush hour will be enough to make anyone weary.

Seriously, unless things have changed drastically since I stopped commuting on the Orange Line three years ago (thank you Jesus!), you should at least have no problem boarding an inbound Orange Line train at Ballston in the AM rush -- unlike your fellow Arlingtonians at Virginia Square, Clarendon, etc. who frequently have to let one or two jammed trains go by before they can board. Your odds of getting a seat, though, are about 1 in 20. Even boarding at West Falls Church, I had less than a 50 percent chance of grabbing a seat.

In the PM rush, you will have no problem boarding at Metro Center unless Metro is having one of its periodic but ever more frequent meltdowns. I'd give you a one in four chance of getting a seat, but only if you've positioned yourself on the platform precisely where a train door will open.

I don't think the opening of the Silver Line will affect your commute one way or the other since, unlike the poor folk who use the Blue Line, you can take either an Orange or Silver Line train for your entire trip.

Welcome to the Orange Crush! Or maybe you'll be the Silver Surfer?

Wow, I knew it was bad on the OL, but not that bad. I get on Yellow at King Street and get upset if there are no completely open benches. If I was guaranteed to have to stand the entire way.. man that would suck. I agree that the OL Crush will get even worse with the Silver Line. I imagine eventually the Blue will simply stop serving Arlington and you'll only have two legs of Yellow going downtown.