News
Regional transportation news stories compiled by CommuterPage.com. Subscribe to a daily email with the most recent news, recent ACCS blog posts, and upcoming events. Every CommuterPage.com News email includes an "unsubscribe" link.
Study finds 70% of DC bus riders evade fees
Although WMATA has recently installed new fare gates in Metro stations, renovated buses with more efficient fareboxes and expanded police efforts to enforce fares, the study has prompted the agency to consider changing its funding model to incentivize local governments to crack down on fare evasion.
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Arianna Bishop, October 27, 2024, The Hoya
OmniRide talks new commuter routes from Warrenton and Front Royal to DC
The routes would transport commuters into Washington with no financial burden on the towns, as the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is expected to fund the project through grants.
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Grace Schumacher, October 26, 2024, Inside NoVa
Metro advises customers of MTA's Purple Line construction impacts to bus bay, parking lot, and Kiss & Ride on Ellin Road at New Carrollton Station
Effective Sunday, October 27, 2024, Metro will implement changes to the bus bay, parking lot, and Kiss & Ride on the Ellin Road side of New Carrollton Station.
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October 25, 2024, WMATA
Making mobility-as-a-service a reality: Challenges and opportunities
The concept envisions a system where users can plan, pay for and be guided through multimodal trips with contextual and real-time notifications. This ambitious vision promises to streamline urban transportation to reduce congestion and enhance mobility.
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Paulo Ferreira dos Santos, October 25, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine
Over and over, studies show bike lanes don't cause congestion
According to studies, dedicated bike lanes increase the number of people biking and reduce the number of cars on the street.
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Diana Ionescu, October 25, 2024, Planetizen
USDOT announces $96.5 million in transportation technology grants Oct. 25, 2024
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to advance projects that are modernizing the transportation sector and improving access, efficiency, and safety for all travelers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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October 25, 2024, Roads and Bridges
'Frustrated and disappointed': Metro ends late-night service worker discounts
Metro will end its After-Hours Commuter Service Program, which gives late-night workers discounts on Lyft as of Oct. 31.
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Joseph Olmo, October 24, 2024, NBC4 Washington
Evaluating transportation affordability: How planners can better respond to demands for lower cost travel
Affordability is an important but often overlooked transportation planning issue. A new report provides practical guidance for evaluating transportation affordability and achieving affordability goals.
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Todd Litman, October 24, 2024, Planetizen
Transit measures are on the November ballot in these city, county and state elections
Transportation policy has barely gotten a mention by the front-runners in this year’s presidential race, but that doesn’t mean it is being overlooked at the local level.
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Dan Zukowski, October 24, 2024, Smart Cities Dive
Maryland transportation officials to strengthen Bay Bridge safety amid growing risks
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is currently in the planning stages of a $145 million pier protection project aimed at safeguarding the 70-year-old Bay Bridge from modern ship strikes.
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Mitch Blacher, October 24, 2024, ABC7 News
4 new speeding cameras installed in DC as city reaches $60M in traffic enforcement revenu
For now, the penalty for running these red lights will begin as a warning citation sent to drivers by mail. But starting Nov. 22, drivers can expect a $150 fine.
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John Gonzalez, October 24, 2024, ABC7 News
Lawmakers voice concerns about future of Red Line project amid MDOT spending cuts
The Red Line is a planned 14-mile Light Rail line connecting Baltimore’s east-west corridor between Highlandtown and Woodlawn, running through downtown Baltimore.
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Jessica Babb, October 22, 2024, Fox Baltimore
New real-time parking pricing signs appear in Courthouse
The goal of the initiative is to make it easier to park in areas that currently have high parking demand, encouraging drivers to go to less popular areas.This is meant to reduce the time drivers spend looking for spots and drive down issues like double parking and erratic driving.
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Dan Egitto, October 22, 2024, ARLNow
How AI can improve public transit
Using AI, agencies can perform more accurate passenger counting so they can effectively manage their fleet and staffing. AI can also help detect anomalies in system operations more quickly.
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Diana Ionescu, October 23, 2024, Planetizen
MDOT, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development sign MOU to advance state's transit, economic development, housing and climate goals
“This partnership is a win-win for Maryland families, as transit-oriented development will help lower the costs of housing while increasing access and ridership to transit,” Secretary Wiedefeld said.
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October 22, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine
USDOT awards more than $4.2B for national infrastructure projects
The US DOT said 44 projects were selected to receive grants in the latest round of funding, including projects that improve safety and economic competitiveness, construct major bridges, expand port capacity, and redesign interchanges.
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Liz Carey, October 22, 2024, Transportation Today
What do you want for Arlington's transportation future?
This is the question that Arlington County will tackle over the next 18 months as we rewrite our Master Transportation Plan.
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Jane Green, October 22, 2024, Greater Greater Washington
Transportation costs soared in major US cities over the past 10 years
Transportation is the second largest household expense nationally, consuming 17% of average household spending and creating a cost burden for many low-income households in New York City and elsewhere, the report states.
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Dan Zukowski, October 21, 2024, Smart Cities Dive
VRE ridership increases slightly as system adjusts to the 'new normal'
As the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) heads into 2025, its proposed budget reflects its challenges and opportunities in a post-COVID world. The budget discussed at the October 18, 2024,
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Uriah Kiser, October 22, 2024, Potomac Local News
Metro considers running trains earlier on weekends
In the long term, there’s a lot of funding that’s going to be needed, and running trains an hour earlier on weekends would cost about $3 million per year. It’s unclear how that cost would translate to riders or taxpayers.
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Adam Tuss, October 21, 2024, NBC4 Washington
For the fifth straight month, CaBi breaks ridership record
Capital Bikeshare is also undergoing a series of station renovations to enable docked e-bikes to be charged at solar-powered stations. This investment is funded by a $375,000 grant from the District Department of Energy & Environment, awarded this Spring.
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Samuel Littauer, October 21, 2024, Greater Greater Washington
Biden-Harris Administration announces more than $4.2 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for transformational, national infrastructure projects
A total of 44 projects were selected in this round of funding, including projects that improve safety, mobility, and economic competitiveness, constructing major bridges, expanding port capacity, redesigning interchanges, and more.
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October 21, 2024, Transportation.gov
FTA updates rules regarding safety oversight of rail transit
“Today, we are making rail transit even safer for both transit workers and riders,” FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said in a press release.
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Transit Staff, October 21, 2024, Trains.com
The Greater Washington Partnership refreshes its transportation blueprint
“It lays out an agenda to transform our transportation system into an asset that boosts our global competitiveness,” said Bob Blue, CEO of Dominion Energy and co-chair of the Partnership’s regional mobility and infrastructure initiative.
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October 16, 2024, WTOP
APTA Seeks Information on Unmet Public Transit Emergency Relief Needs
This fall, Congress is expected to consider an Emergency Relief Appropriations package to address the widespread damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) said in an Oct. 17 release.
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Carolina Worrell, October 18, 2024, Railway Age
Catch a bus from Warrenton, Front Royal to DC? Transit agency considering new routes
Two new OmniRide commuter bus routes serving Warrenton and Front Royal and traveling into Washington, D.C., will be considered in a series of upcoming public hearings that will also involve discussion around the proposed elimination of the Gainesville-to-Reston route.
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Sebastien Kraft, October 17, 2024, Rappahannock News
Is cracking down on fare evasion the answer to lagging transit ridership?
Transit agencies hope to reassure riders concerned about crime by boosting security at transit stations.
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Diana Ionescu, October 17, 2024, Planetizen
Maryland DOT plans transit-oriented development along commuter rail line
The plan offers recommendations on developing 170 acres of undeveloped state-owned land around these train stations, creating at least 2,600 new housing units to help address the state’s housing shortage.
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Dan Zukowski, October 17, 2024, Smart Cities Dive
Nearly one million tickets issued to drivers over six month period in DC
According to the report, 973,431 tickets were mailed out to drivers between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. A majority of those tickets – 739,876 – were for speeding.
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Mariel Carbone, October 17, 2024, DC News Now
OmniRide weighing commuter routes for Warrenton, Front Royal to DC; Gainesville-to-Reston route nixed
A proposal to cut the bus route that runs from Gainesville to Reston is also on the table due to low ridership, though OmniRide is considering alternatives such as carpools or van rides to accommodate riders along that route.
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October 17, 2024, WTOP
Virginia goes all-in on passenger rail
The $2.3 billion project would double the number of train tracks crossing the Potomac River from two to four, alleviating a major chokepoint for freight and passenger rail traveling along the East Coast.
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Daniel C. Vock, October 16, 2024, Route Fifty
How Arlington's major Long Bridge project will improve travel to D.C.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Virginia and local officials in Arlington on Tuesday to break ground on the $2 billion project, which will create more rail bridges connecting D.C. and Virginia and update the Long Bridge.
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Mimi Montgomery, October 16, 2024, Axios
E-bikes fueling record-setting local ridership numbers for Capital Bikeshare
The e-bike ridership spike comes even though it is more expensive to rent e-bikes, which cost 10 cents to 15 cents per minute of use compared to 5 cents per minute for pedal bikes — with some riders getting the first 45 minutes free for those pedal bikes.
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Scott McCaffrey, October 15, 2024, ARLNow
Scorching bus stops, underwater roads, buckling pavement, and slow trains – the region's transportation future?
As the region contemplates major rehabilitation and expansions of rail, buses, streets, trails and highways, we need to ensure that those decisions account for and prioritize resilience needs.
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Bill Pugh, October 16, 2024, Greater Greater Washington
Proposed concept for future Wiehle Avenue has fewer travel lanes
The study takes a more holistic look at the roadway from Sunrise Valley Drive to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, aiming to make it less auto-centric and more accommodating for pedestrians and bicyclists.
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Fatimah Waseem, October 15, 2024, FFXNow
FRA awards more than $108M for rural rail safety projects
The funding, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, would support nine projects in three states through the Special Transportation Circumstances (STC) Grant Program.
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Liz Carey, October 15, 2024, Transportation Today
Maryland eyes large-scale transit-oriented developments on MARC line
A plan to add large-scale developments to state-owned properties near MARC stations could bring thousands of new residents to Maryland's suburbs and add up to $800 million in tax revenue over the next three decades.
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Melody Simmons, October 14, 2024, Washington Business Journal