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.
WMATA to begin automatic train operations on Green, Yellow lines
Train operators will continue to work in the cab and will still be responsible for the safety of the customers. With ATO taking over some tasks, operators can better observe safety concerns and the environment around the train, monitor track conditions and close the doors when passengers are safely onboard.
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May 22, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
Amtrak state-sponsored services set ridership records in April
The Borealis train saw ridership increase by 227 percent from May 2024 to April 2025 while Amtrak Virginia saw its highest ridership recorded for the month of April.
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Brandon Lewis, May 22, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
Alexandria secures $160,000 for safer streets: Beauregard Trail & Braddock Road projects funded
The Beauregard Trail project will receive funding from the TLC and will create conceptual designs and cost estimates for a trail on North Beauregard Street. Potential upgrades include a shared-use path, improved crosswalks, median islands, concrete work, signs, signals, and landscaping.
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Ryan Belmore, May 22, 2025, ALXNow
D.C. Circulator buses find new homes far from the city
A traveler found one operating as a shuttle in Boston. Others spotted the blazing red buses in Indio, California, transporting attendees of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals.
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Hau Chu, May 23, 2025, The Washington Post
Va. transportation board approves nearly $1 billion in funding for SMART SCALE projects
Localities and planning districts submit their project applications every two and half years in the SMART SCALE process, and the state scores them using a funding formula to identify their transportation needs compared to other applications.
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Nathaniel Cline, May 22, 2025, ALXNow
Free shuttle buses to replace trains on Blue, Orange, Silver lines over Memorial Day weekend
Over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, Metro is implementing temporary service adjustments that will impact portions of the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. Riders are encouraged to review the schedule changes and plan their trips accordingly to avoid disruptions.
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Samantha Gilstrap, May 22, 2025, WUSA9
Opinion: Make buses more like sidewalks
A well-run bus system is an express sidewalk—a piece of infrastructure that dramatically expands the number of destinations within walking distance.
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Diana Ionescu, May 21, 2025, Planetizen
D.C.-area leaders support more bus-system collaboration, but remain uneasy over specifics
At its most recent meeting on May 16, the task force considered a proposed regional bus priority fund that would centralize funding for use in developing and maintaining high-frequency bus lines that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
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Scott McCaffrey, May 21, 2025, FFXNow
For Memorial Day weekend buses replace trains on portions of Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight. Metrobus will operate on a Sunday schedule. MetroAccess customers may make a reservation to travel on the holiday; however, subscription trips will be canceled.
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May 21, 2025, WMATA
Ongoing Purple Line construction leaves businesses struggling in DC
Crews have shut down this entire area for the Purple Line construction project. Hardly any pedestrians passing, one-way traffic. Certainly no parking and sadly, there are a lot of empty storefronts due to businesses simply not lasting.
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Shirin Rajaee, May 21, 2025, Fox 5 News
Automatic train operation returning to Metro's Green, Yellow lines
Computer-controlled automated train operations will resume on the Green and Yellow lines, as they have on the Red Line.
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Adam Tuss, May 22, 2025, NBC4 Washington
How much can renters save by switching from a car commute to using public transit?
Alternatively, the annual costs associated with commuting by public transportation are significantly lower. On average, whereas a car commute might equate to a little more than $8,000, taking the bus costs just $972 per year.
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Andra Hopulele, May 20, 2025, Bristow Beat
More say Metro is safe from crime, especially higher-income riders
Overall, 80 percent of riders rate Metro positively, similar to last year but up from 75 percent in 2023 and 73 percent in 2019. The share that calls it “excellent,” as opposed to merely “good,” went up from 15 percent to 22 percent since last spring.
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Rachel Weiner/Emily Guskin/Scott Clement, May 20, 2025, The Washington Post
Public transit ridership hits post-pandemic high: APTA report
Ridership on U.S. public transit systems for the first four months of this year reached 85% of 2019 levels for the same period, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association released May 14.
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Dan Zukowski, May 20, 2025, Smart Cities Dive
WMATA launches MetroPulse mobile app
According to the agency, a new chat feature brings a live chat experience where customers can send photos and videos directly to customer service to have safety and security concerns addressed. MetroPulse also includes transparent data about how the WMATA system is performing.
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May 20, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
Fairfax leaders desire local autonomy, not regional sales tax, for boosting Metro funding
A collaborative effort between the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the DMV Moves task force has been working for a year on developing funding alternatives.
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Scott McCaffrey, May 20, 2025, FFXNow
Metro welcomes the world, invites visitors to ride America's Metro system to World Pride events
Metro is also launching special wrapped train and buses, which will be out on the streets and rail on May 24. You can track their real-time location at wmata.com/live and clicking on “special edition.” The MetroAccess vehicle will be out in the coming days.
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May 20, 2025, WMATA
The District's transportation system taxes everyone's time
District leaders and employees should view reducing the transportation time tax on all road users as a north star when making decisions that affect our transportation systems.
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Karthik Balasubramanian/Kai Hall, May 20, 2025, Greater Greater Washington
Prince George's creates plan to make public transit more reliable and accessible
Prince George’s County listened to commuters’ calls for a more reliable transit network and responded with a “transit vision plan” to streamline public transportation.
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Adam Tuss, May 20, 2025, NBC4 Washington
Metro gets approval to expand automation to Green and Yellow Lines
The transit agency first reintroduced automatic train operation on the Red Line in December with plans to expand it to the rest of the system over the course of the year.
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Jacob Kerr, May 20, 2025, WTOP
Should we treat the local bus as a basic right?
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.
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Andy Boenau, May 20, 2025, Streetsblog USA
Metro to roll out direct tap payment for riders
WMATA has been working on this upgrade for some time, following similar systems in New York City and Chicago. Officials have indicated that the existing fare card system will remain in place for those who prefer it.
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David Kaplan, May 19, 2025, FOX 5 News
FTA to award $1.5B in grants for bus infrastructure, commuter transit
Strengthening U.S. bus manufacturing can “stabilize the cost of new buses and accelerate delivery to the transit agencies that need them,” the U.S. Department of Transportation said.
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Melina Druga, May 19, 2025, Transportation Today
Maryland to hold open houses on new rapid transit service study
The study assesses how a new transit service could enhance access and economic development in southern Maryland. It considers multiple rapid transit modes including bus rapid transit, light rail transit, transit-only right-of-way and mixed-traffic operations.
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Melina Druga, May 19, 2025, Transportation Today
Metro is known for its park & ride capability. How can we better utilize its parking facilities?
As Metrorail seeks to encourage suburban residents back onto the system post-pandemic, better use of existing Metro parking facilities could be a critical tool to boost ridership.
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Porter Crumpton, May 19, 2025, Greater Greater Washington
Paving for bike lane project brings Crystal City road closures this week
The project, which is part of the Crystal City Bike Network plan, will add a new bike segment on S. Clark Street between 20th Street S. and 23rd Street S., widening the current lane into a two-cycle track.
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Katie Taranto, May 19, 2025, ARLNow
US DOT opens $1.5B funding round for transit buses and bus facilities
The maximum federal share for these grants is 80% but increases to 85% for transit buses that are compliant with the Clean Air Act or are accessible to people with disabilities.
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Dan Zukowski, May 16, 2025, Smart Cities Dive
Metro tests new system to make train travel more convenient
The card information is linked to the passenger’s cell phone by way of Metro’s app. The customer swipes it at the gate, and they’re on their way.
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Dave Leval, May 18, 2025, DC News Now
Big changes coming to Spotsylvania bus routes starting May 19
As part of the update, FXBGo! will retire letter-based route names, switching to a number-only naming system designed to make navigating the system easier for riders. New maps and updated schedules reflecting the changes will be available at Central Station and online at rideFXBGO.com.
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May 17, 2025, Potomac Local News
Paying for Metro will soon be easier and faster with just a tap of your credit card
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said testing has started at a variety of stations, and is scheduled to be available systemwide by the end of the month. Currently, 130 employees and volunteers are taking part in the test.
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Jimmy Alexander, May 17, 2025, WTOP
Local leaders say they'll pay $5.6 billion to automate Metro
The biggest challenge might be Maryland. State Rep. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), who said he and his colleagues already struggled to maintain current Metro funding in the face of a huge deficit and that Baltimore’s transit system is in such bad shape it “would kill for the problems WMATA has.”
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Rachel Weiner, May 18, 2025, The Washington Post
Dive Brief US DOT opens $1.5B funding round for transit buses and bus facilities
The fiscal year 2025 grants focus on strengthening domestic bus manufacturing, according to the DOT’s press release.
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Dan Zukowski, May 16, 2025, Smart Cities Dive
Metro launches MetroPulse mobile app to give customers easy access to real-time information, customer service chat
MetroPulse initially launched as a website back in June 2023 and the app brings many of the features to customers in a more accessible way. A new chat feature brings a transit-industry-leading live chat experience where customers can send photos and videos directly to customer service to have safety and security concerns addressed.
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May 16, 2025, WMATA
APTA's new report reveals U.S. transit ridership increasing to 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels
APTA found that bus ridership has shown a particularly strong resurgence since bus riders tend to be younger and work in service industry jobs that require in-person attendance. APTA also found that ridership patterns vary based on city size.
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May 15, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
Maryland Transit Administration modernizes fare collection system with upgraded bus fareboxes
The new fareboxes have a larger, color display that is easier to read. MTA notes they are also more durable devices with fewer moving parts, making for less maintenance and repairs.
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May 15, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
FCDOT credits Monument Drive transit center with jump in I-66 bus ridership
The $43 million facility launched at 12113 Government Center Parkway near Fairfax Corner last June with 820 free parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations, a secure bike room and bike racks. It connects to a large roundabout for buses that serve 13 Fairfax Connector routes and two Metrobus routes.
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Vernon Miles, May 15, 2025, FFXNow
Metro workers testing credit card payments for riders, plans to expand to all by end of May
During a Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke gave an update on 'Tap. Ride. Go.' The feature would allow Metro riders to tap their debit or credit cards to board Metro, instead of having to put money a preloaded card or app.
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Alanea Cremen, May 16, 2025, WUSA9
Metro GM says they're ready for automatic train operations on Green, Yellow lines
Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke says the system is ready to launch automatic train operations (ATO) on the Green and Yellow lines. ATO is designed to make for a smoother and safer ride with fewer delays.
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Joseph Olmo, May 16, 2025, NBC4 Washington
Bikeshare Beat: Ridership spiked in April, while Columbia Road trips soar
CaBi has now recorded 40 consecutive months of year-over-year monthly ridership growth and, if trends continue, will likely break all-time ridership records in the months ahead as the weather warms and summer activities commence.
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Samuel Littauer, May 14, 2025, Greater Greater Washington
DC Metro is betting on buses
With federal funding for proposed rail projects in jeopardy, transit leaders are betting on buses as a more affordable way to build a more robust transit network. Today, Metro bus ridership is above pre-pandemic levels, unlike rail ridership.
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Diana Ionescu, May 13, 2025, Planetizen
WMATA, Valley Metro adding security personnel to transit systems
During the eight-month training, WMATA says the recruits have studied laws of the District of Columbia, commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Maryland to ensure comprehension and compliance for the areas the authority serves.
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Brandon Lewis, May 13, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine
Metro's automated train expansion delayed over safety concerns, says oversight commission
Officials with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) said they still have too many safety concerns to allow Metro to increase its use of train autopilot features. But they added that they are working with Metro to get to a point where the transit agency will be allowed to use more automation.
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Tom Roussey, May 13, 2025, ABC7 News
Better over bigger: The region's railroads must pivot from expansion to upgrades
WMATA’s upgrades will leave MARC and VRE even further behind, shining a brighter light on the gaps in our system. A world-class transit system is holistic, encompassing buses and subways, yes, but also regional and national rail.
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David Edmondson, May 13, 2025, Greater Greater Washington
Metro is launching a full redesign of its bus network. Here's what commuters should know
You'll notice the different route names on the bus flags, with the first character being one of the above routes, the second character listing the corridor or neighborhood the route operates in, and the third character identifying the specific route.
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Jess Arnold, May 13, 2025, WUSA9
Clearing up the confusion around Metro's 'Better Bus' systemwide overhaul
According to the Better Bus website, Metrobus focused on stops that were bunched close together, had low ridership or posed safety issues given traffic and roadway conditions. In cases where stops were eliminated, officials are highlighting nearby alternative stops and routes.
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Kate Ryan, May 12, 2025, WTOP
How Complete Streets stands to lose in the FY26 'Skinny Budget'
The President’s proposed budget could cut key resources for active transportation, public transit, and road safety programs.
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Diana Ionescu, May 12, 2025, Planetizen
Memorial Day travel expected to set new records. Here's how to beat holiday traffic
Of the 45.1 million people expected to travel this year, 39.4 million are projected to do so by car, 3.61 million by air travel and 2.08 million by other modes of transportation, according to AAA.
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Max Molski, May 12, 2025, NBC4 Washington
Roosevelt Bridge rehab starts Monday: What you need to know
Starting Monday, the District Department of Transportation will shut down the movable rush hour (zipper) lane that helps keep traffic flowing during peak hours.That’s gone until 2027, when the bridge’s full rehab is expected to wrap up.
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Will Vitka, May 12, 2025, WTOP