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.

Do Something #78: The bus is good, actually

Most transit riders in the DC area are riding the bus, meaning that a project like the Georgia Avenue bus lanes in Maryland–made permanent after a test run last year–can benefit thousands of riders each day while not really inconveniencing drivers on that same road. Read more...
Dan Reed/Alex Baca, May 9, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

It's not too late to register for Arlington's free Bike to Work Day Celebration on Thursday, May 15!

Register for Bike to Work Day 2025 right up to the morning of Thursday, May 15! All are welcome to join this fun, FREE celebration of biking, sustainable commuting, and Arlington’s Gold-Level Bicycle Friendly Community! Read more...
May 8, 2025, ARLNow

The local bus should be like a sidewalk with a motor

That’s the framing we need for local bus service. A well-run bus system is an express sidewalk—a piece of infrastructure that dramatically expands the number of destinations within walking distance. Read more...
Andy Boenau, May 9, 2025, Fast Company

Congestion pricing and transit are a necessary alliance

A recent report by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University in California concluded roadway tolling — a form of congestion pricing — can serve the dual purpose of reducing traffic congestion and supporting transit options, if the programs are structured properly. Read more...
Skip Descant, May 8, 2025, Government Technology

NVTA implements a Bus Rapid Transit action plan

Of the five BRT routes currently under various stages of development, two are fully or partially in Fairfax County. These two routes are Richmond Highway BRT (The One) and the Route 7 BRT, which will run from Tysons to Mark Center.  Read more...
Samir Ali Nomani, May 9, 2025, Fairfax Times

The rippling effects of bike-to-work subsidies

In North America, incentives for purchasing e-bikes are becoming more common, but most programs are woefully underfunded and vouchers are snapped up almost as soon as the application window opens.  Read more...
Diana Ionescu, May 7, 2025, Planetizen

USDOT awards $3.2 billion in infrastructure grant funding

“America is building again,” said USDOT Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “At the Department of Transportation, that means getting back to basics: building more, building efficiently and building quickly.”  Read more...
May 7, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine

Purple Line construction continues 3 years after it was supposed to be finished as businesses suffer

Callis planned for several years of disruption, but now the Purple Line isn’t slated to be finished for another two years. Read more...
Matt Gregory, May 7, 2025, WUSA9

This weekend: Buses replace trains between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton

On Saturday May 10 and Sunday May 11, free shuttle buses will replace trains between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton on the Orange Line. New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly, Deanwood, and Minnesota Ave. stations will be closed as crews replace crossties. Read more...
May 7, 2025, WMATA

Amtrak could modernize Northeast Corridor for less: NYU study

Researchers believe that an investment of about $12.5 billion in infrastructure and $4.5 billion in high-speed train sets could enable travel between New York and Boston or Washington in under two hours. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, May 6, 2025, Smart Cities Dive

Montgomery, Howard counties reach partnership to extend transit service along US-29

Four new bus stops in Howard County will become part of Montgomery County’s Flash Bus Rapid Transit Service. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said this will help reduce traffic on U.S. Route 29 and create new opportunities for people living in both counties. Read more...
Kevon DuPree, May 6, 2025, DC News Now

Governments should start paying people to bike to work

Financially rewarding bike commuters will not only decrease emissions but also reduce the strain on healthcare systems, boost productivity, and promote a higher quality of life for urban dwellers. In a world increasingly aware of the urgent need for sustainable solutions, paying people to bike to work is a no-brainer. Read more...
Ron Johnson, May 5, 2025, Momentum Mag

Kids have the right to be healthy. Safe bike routes can help

As schools around the country prepare for Bike and Roll to School Day this Wednesday, May 7, cities can reverse decades of health inequities by making it safe for more kids to bike. Read more...
Caitlin Rogger, May 6, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

Richmond Highway BRT, other bus lines set to receive regional transit funding

In June, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is expected to support an additional $10 million in funding for the project. It would be the second installment in a $20 million promise to help the county finance the new bus system. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, May 5, 2025, FFXNow

Fairfax Connector service changes coming May 17, 2025

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will implement changes to select Fairfax Connector bus routes, effective May 17, 2025. These updates are part of FCDOT’s ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability, respond to rider feedback, and align with evolving travel patterns across the region. Read more...
May 5, 2025, Fairfax County

What one bike can do

Here in Fairfax County, Capital Bikeshare offers a similar promise: a way to reduce congestion, connect to transit, promote active lifestyles, and give more people more choices in how they get around.  Read more...
May 5, 2025, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

The future of Metro is the bus

There are a couple reasons for the shift. One is money. New rail is remarkably expensive and difficult to build — the Purple Line is five years and $5 billion dollars over its original budget — and the Trump administration is expected to cut funds for transit projects. Read more...
Rachel Weiner, May 6, 2025, The Washington Post

Montgomery County celebrates 50 years of Ride On bus service

The event showcased wrapped, decorated buses, historical photos of Ride On buses and the artwork from a middle school art contest. The contest received 96 student submissions, with 24 students from Herbert Hoover Middle School contributing 25% of the total entries. Read more...
Patrick Herron, May 4, 2025, The MoCo Show

Baltimore deserves DC-level transit

Since then, the District of Columbia has overwhelmingly surpassed Baltimore as a big league city by any conceivable measurement. Today, this metro system accommodates over 200,000 riders a day.  Read more...
May 4, 2025, The Baltimore Sun

Back to the future of transit

As the costs and limitations of this car-centric transportation infrastructure have grown increasingly apparent, bygone visions of transit — long-destroyed streetcar systems and railroads — serve as reminders of what was once possible.  Read more...
Rose Marie Cromwell, May 1, 2025, The New York Times

Fare hikes and service cuts loom as US transit systems confront $6-billion funding shortfall

That’s a big problem for services that rely on the fares paid by riders to fund their operations. To close the gap, many mass-transit authorities are preparing to increase fares, cut service, or both — steps that transit advocates fear could lead to a “death spiral.”  Read more...
Sri Taylor/Aaron Gordon, May 4, 2025, Business Mirror

Planned Metro work means slower service to DCA this weekend

Trains between Pentagon City and Reagan National Airport will run every 18 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, the Silver line’s eastern terminus will be in New Carrollton instead of Largo. Read more...
Dan Egitto, May 2, 2025, ARLNow

Metro launches Better Bus Partner Program in support of upcoming Better Bus network service changes

Better Bus Partners will help prepare their communities for launch day, distribute materials about the new bus network (route maps, schedules), and monitor and report missing or outdated bus stop signage. Read more...
May 1, 2025, WMATA

Union bus drivers in Md. get new contract, ending 6-day strike

The routes that were affected were Maryland Transit Administration commuter bus routes operated by Pennsylvania-based Martz Bus. Read more...
Thomas Robertson, May 1, 2025, WTOP

Metro service changes for Cinco de Mayo weekend

Starting on Saturday, May 3, Silver Line trains will run in service frequencies between Ashburn and New Carrollton. Blue Line and Yellow Line trains will also single- track between certain stations. Read more...
May 1, 2025, DC News Now

New bus network added to Metro's Trip Planner so customers can plan ahead, explore changes

Customers will notice that all bus route names are different and that some routes are adjusted. While most trips can already be planned, Montgomery County’s updated Ride On schedule will be incorporated into the Trip Planner in mid-June. So, if your trip involves a Ride On transfer check back later.  Read more...
April 30, 2025, WMATA

From here to there: Montgomery County's big shift in transportation planning

Today, Montgomery Planning’s recommendations emphasize a multi-modal future where residents have a meaningful range of safe, convenient, and efficient transportation choices. Read more...
David Anspacher, April 30, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

Music by the Metro returns to Clarendon for spring 2025

This free outdoor concert series takes place every Thursday evening in May at 6:00 p.m. at Clarendon Metro Park, located at 3100 Wilson Blvd. Presented by the Clarendon Alliance, the series is co-sponsored by Comcast and Arlington Arts. Read more...
April 30, 2025, ARLNow

Select D.C. area transit nearing pre-pandemic numbers

Metrorail ridership is reporting that service has returned to about 89% of where it was in March 2019; however, Metrobus ridership was about 2% higher in March of this year than March 2019. Read more...
Sarah Roderick-Fitch, April 29, 2025, The Rogersville Review

Two Alexandria transit services receive funding boost in proposed I-395/95 program

For Alexandria, the program proposes continued funding for two DASH routes: Line 35, connecting the city’s West End to the Pentagon, and Line 36, running between the Mark Center and Potomac Yard. Read more...
Ryan Belmore, April 30, 2025, ALXNow

VDOT begins work on shared-use paths for new Fair Oaks transit hub

The new path will extend along Post Forest Drive from west of Black Ironwood Drive to Random Hills Road before turning north along Random Hills up to the Monument Drive Transit Center — a transit hub for Fairfax Connector riders and other commuters that opened last year. Read more...
Vernon Miles, April 29, 2025, FFXNow

Are you ready for Bike Month 2025?

May is National Bike Month, so dust off your bikes, join in the celebrations, and embrace the joy of cycling! Whether you’re just getting started or a long-time rider, there are plenty of ways to get involved and show your support for a safer, more bike-friendly community. Read more...
April 29, 2025, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Metro says it may launch civilian fare enforcement program

Clarke reported that crime was down by 65% across the metro system, which is the lowest it's been in the past seven years, and said fare evasion is also down by 80%. Read more...
Leslie Moreno, April 29, 2025, WUSA9

MARC can probably be electrified. It's easier than you think

With MARC’s shortest routes, this is even easier. Both the MARC Penn Line and Camden Line span about forty miles between Washington and Baltimore. While the Penn Line has existing Amtrak catenary wire, the Camden Line lacks any source of electric power.  Read more...
Michael Starnes, April 29, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

First responders share ideas at first Metro safety summit

Metro has invested in technology to constantly monitor the system and has been prioritizing enforcement efforts for issues like fare evasion. Soon, additional fare enforcement efforts could be coming with Metro civilian employees monitoring its stations. Read more...
Adam Tuss, April 29, 2025, NBC4 Washington

'What is absolutely needed?': RFK Stadium transportation options remain open

In an interview with WTOP, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the current metro station served the original RFK Stadium in a more “car-centric” era. She noted that now, Washingtonians and visitors use light rail, bikeshare, scooters and more methods to get around. Read more...
Kate Ryan, April 29, 2025, WTOP

At least 19 Arlington bus stops are getting the ax this summer

About one-third of Metrobus routes “are really changing in name only,” Davis said. These are mostly routes with high-frequency service and significant ridership, like the 16A route along Columbia Pike. Read more...
Katie Taranto, April 29, 2025, ARLNow

Virginia begins construction on passenger rail extension

“Passenger rail creates greater potential for sustained economic growth, facilitates job creation and provides an efficient, affordable travel alternative to riding on the crowded interstate highway system,” said Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Republican, in a statement. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, April 28, 2025, Smart Cities Dive

More funding accepted to support Richmond Highway bus rapid transit

A study conducted by state transportation planners from 2013 to 2015 determined that BRT was the best option for the corridor. The Fairfax County board endorsed the concept in 2015. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, April 28, 2025, FFXNow

USDOT guidance puts future road diet projects at risk

Some advocates fear that means the US DOT is essentially dropping all road diets from its signature safety program — and forfeiting one of its most important tools to slow down drivers and save lives in and out of automobiles. Read more...
Kea Wilson, April 28, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

Upgrades to ART bus safety and Arlington Blvd interchange included in funding proposal

Funding for better safety on Arlington buses, a new “microtransit” project and upgrades to a crash-prone intersection is included in a new state funding proposal. Read more...
Dan Egitto, April 28, 2025, ARLNow

WMATA officials reconsider second entrance for Foggy Bottom station

As the cherry blossoms were in an early stage of bloom on March 27, the station saw 20,527 riders — the highest weekday ridership since January 2020. Metro said the bus and rail system counted more than 1 million riders on March 28 for the first time since 2020.  Read more...
Bryson Kloesel, April 28, 2025, The GW Hatchet

Building a connected Fairfax and capital region

These projects bring us closer to realizing the full vision of a connected, safe, and accessible trail network. But we’re not done yet. Roughly 35 miles of planned trails in Fairfax County are still waiting for funding and implementation. Read more...
April 27, 2025, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Why bike lanes are good: An explainer for the US Transportation Secretary

Data also shows that a sufficiently robust and safe bike lane network does encourage more people to ditch cars and use bikes instead. According to the article, “study after study shows that bike lanes do not make car congestion worse— and in some cases, especially in urban areas that place them strategically, they can actually make it better.” Read more...
Diana Ionescu, April 27, 2025, Planetizen

DASH unveils new look with updated logos and mascot

The redesigned logos aim to make DASH more approachable while showcasing the “DASH Difference” – the company’s ongoing commitment to improvement. Read more...
April 18, 2025, ALXNow