Orange Crush is now Blue Crush (Franconia, Springfield: train, cars, station)

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by AnalyzeThis

I completely agree! The Silver line addition I believe added premature and unnecessary stress to an already stressed system. Imagine a ride to the end of the silver line now is publshed at 40 minutes, which in reality is probably more like 45-50, imagine when it extends into Ashburn, they will have to run more silver trains to keep up with the demand of ~6 minute intervals during rush hour; that means someone is going to have to pay, either blue or orange riders. Why is metro being used as a commuter train?

I don't understand why metro doesn't run express trains like in NY. They know their ridership by station, so why not have every other train service say the highest 4-6 stations on each line??? There has got to be a way to get this defunct failure back on track.

You need a third set of tracks to do that.

[AnalyzeThis]

Why would you need a third set of tracks?? Many times I have been on the blue line and they have bypassed stations (mostly Arlington Cemetary and Van Dorn), I don't see any difference.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by AnalyzeThis

Why would you need a third set of tracks?? Many times I have been on the blue line and they have bypassed stations (mostly Arlington Cemetary and Van Dorn), I don't see any difference.

Because it would eventually get stuck behind a "local" blue line train that was moving slower because it was servicing all stations.

[airjay75]

Yeah, Metro was not designed to have express trains. You either need a third rail or you need to have so much time elapse between trains that the express train will never catch up to the local train ahead of it. Occasional bypassing of stations occurs in my experience when there are delays or problems that cause trains to become packed to capacity.

One thing they could do is something the subway lines in Philadelphia do. You could run alternate "A" and "B" trains that each make every other stop. Each station has an "A" or "B" designation so you know which train to take for your station - you can also make some of the busier stations and the end of the line stations both A and B. But, even with that setup, you're going to run into capacity problems at the Rosslyn tunnel.

[capitol]

Why couldn't they build new cars that have no seats solely for Rush Hour. The seats take up too much space. Without seats, you could fit more people on trains.

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by airjay75

I tend to think the Silver Line really should not have even been built until capacity at the core of the Metro system was expanded. I think the Silver Line is going to put more and more pressure on the system, and our elected leaders are only going to start seriously considering a solution long after the problem is a very bad one. But, that's our political system these days - only react to problems once they've skyrocketed out of control. But, I digress.

I completely agree with you.

I can accept that when Metro was originally designed, planners had no idea how this region would grow -- especially out in northern Virginia. So, the idea of two tracks on each line or shared line made sense.

Not anymore. Not when the metropolitan area has grown to near 6 million people with a mostly revitalized and bustling urban core.

I know others will disagree; that's fine. But I don't believe the Silver Line should have been constructed before capacity enhancements were made to the Metro's core. Those enhancements could have taken many different forms, such as a third track between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory, or a new Blue Line alignment between Georgetown and Union Station. Regardless, I would argue that Metro has blindly prioritized stuffing more people into its system instead of investing in the infrastructure and technology necessary for smartly sustaining and growing its system for decades to come. The current state of the Rosslyn tunnel (and the related cuts to Blue Line service) is one clear example of this.

Going forward...

In the near term, I like the idea of running 8-car trains, and I know Metro is working to enhance its electrical capacity to achieve this at certain times of day.

In the long term, I am in strong support of building a second Rosslyn station (connected to the current station) that would serve the Blue Line exclusively, and then constructing a new Blue Line alignment from Rosslyn to Union Station via Georgetown. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of politics. And there's ample pessimism out there about Metro or any other government-funded agency getting large-scale transportation projects done these days. However, these are the types of ideas/proposals that are sorely needed if we are to continue functioning as a viable metropolitan region, and avoid stagnating in gridlock or broken-down trains.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by capitol

Why couldn't they build new cars that have no seats solely for Rush Hour. The seats take up too much space. Without seats, you could fit more people on trains.

That would be way too expensive. They can barely afford to buy enough cars as it is. I wish they would rearrange the seats to be like the NYC subway though. I hate the current setup.

[capitol]

Originally Posted by gomason

That would be way too expensive. They can barely afford to buy enough cars as it is. I wish they would rearrange the seats to be like the NYC subway though. I hate the current setup.

How much could it cost to rip off seats in some existing cars? It can't be too much by WMATA standards.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Ferries are a romantic notion, but they're hardly practical.

I live right on the waterfront, and it's news to me that buses go from here to anywhere. There are some that head EOTR, one that goes to Chinatown, and a bunch that just go up around L'Enfant Plaza. The actual Metro stations are several blocks inland, the better to keep them from flooding during storms.

Exactly--you have buses that go to Metro stations--which have employers situated all around them and which have trains and more buses people can transfer to. Will people accept the additional step of a transfer or a short walk?

I think many would. I've walked from Ft. McNair to the Metro, and as I recall, it was a pleasant, easy walk--at least in good weather. But that's just one station and one point on the river. I also used to park at the Kennedy Center ('cause it was cheap) and then walk to my job near Farragut North. Am I that unique for being willing to go to that much trouble? I don't think so.

Originally Posted by paytonc

This is the biggest problem with river transit: our job centers and transportation hubs aren't right on the water. You'd have to get large numbers of people down to them, and places like Old Town Alexandria just aren't cut out for that.

I agree about Old Town--but there could be, say, a port on the river next to Quantico (or even on the base if the local area could get the USMC to donate some land--given that many Quantico employees might use the ferry). Same for Belvoir--which has a huge area on the river that is currently just a small boat dock and a tiny dog park. On the DC end, there could be another port at Haines Point or elsewhere on the DC shore. There are many, many federal agencies near there--but again, for those who work further inside the District, there are buses, bikeshare, and several rail stations.

Originally Posted by paytonc

Even if the land-side geometries were better, even "fast ferries" typically travel around 30 MPH, and get some pretty awful fuel economy. You could run ships at higher speeds by lifting the boat up out of the water to minimize displacement, but that makes for a super choppy ride and seriously stresses the hull. A friend of mine's a sailor, lives blocks from SF bay, and takes trans-bay ferries on occasion, and even he can't see the business case for vastly expanding that system.

Even if the boats are slow, is sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic that much better than going 30 mph consistently, without having to be driving? Even though some will still drive into DC on 395, if some people get off the road and onto the ferry, that's more room on the highway.

People around here go to the trouble of riding with complete strangers (slugging) or leaving their homes in the wee hours of the morning, just to beat the rush. I think it's likely a fair number would be willing to park and ride a ferry.

[BarqCider]

am I the only one who read the title and thought of crush the soda? and had a confused huh?

then reading it im still huh? (but about title)