Transit on Thursday: Fare Hike Proposal Edition
WTOP's Adam Tuss is the first to the gate with news of Metro's Board of Directors having agreed today to a fare hike proposal to put forward to the public. Here's the details:
>> Peak Metrorail base fares would increase 30 cents, from $1.35 to $1.65
>> Off-peak rail service would remain at $1.35
>> The maximum rail fare would jump 80 cents, to $4.70
>> If you use SmarTrip, bus fares will remain at $1.25. If you pay with cash, it'll cost you $1.35.
>> Parking fees at Metro lots would be increased $1.15 across the board.
Now that they've agreed on a proposal, Metro's Board must schedule meetings to allow for public comments. Those meetings are expected to be as soon as mid-November.
So what do you think of the proposal? If anything, it strikes us as being modest enough that it could likely fall short of actually meeting the budget needs of Metro, which is facing a significant shortfall. But, as long as it's coupled with Catoe's earlier proposal to start giving away SmartTrip cards for free and providing them in grocery stores, it has the benefit of being unlikely to be seriously challenged on the grounds that it unfairly targets low income residents -- something the Board was clearly keen to avoid.
After the jump, Metro mourns the loss of a bus driver, and will have special early morning service on Sunday to accommodate the Marine Corps Marathon.
Photo by Samer Farha
An Empty Seat:
Metro is mourning the loss of one of its bus drivers today, who died this morning in a traffic accident. The 39-year-old driver, whose name has not yet been released while his next of kin are notified, was a five-year Metrobus veteran. NBC4 reports that the driver died after his bus broke down on southbound I-395 near the Shirlington exit shortly before 6 a.m. No passengers were aboard.
The Post is reporting that a woman driving a Nissan Sentra tried to pull around the stalled bus on the left, but got into a fender bender with a tractor-trailer. The truck driver then hit the bus driver, who was standing at the back of the stalled bus, while attempting to go around the incident on the right shoulder. Authorities are investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed.
Metro to Open Early, Add Trains for Marathon:
Metro will open two hours early, at 5 a.m., and run additional Blue Line trains on Sunday, October 28 to meet demand for the Marine Corp Marathon. Rosslyn, Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon are expected to be the busiest stations on the morning of the race, which starts at 8:15 a.m., so if you can avoid them in the early morning, you should.
Weekend Track Work to Affect Red, Blue, Green and Orange Lines:
Track maintenance and rail car testing on the Red, Blue, Orange and Green lines this weekend (October 26-28) will cause inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, October 27, and from 9 a.m., to 7 p.m., Sunday, October 28.
Red Line: Add up to 20 minutes of travel time between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metro stations because of track maintenance.
Orange Line: Add up to 30 minutes of travel time between the New Carrollton and Cheverly Metrorail because of track maintenance. Every other Orange Line train will terminate at the Cheverly Metrorail station and return to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station.
Blue Line: Add up to 15 minutes of travel time between the Stadium-Armory and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant stations because Metro is providing Verizon Wireless track access to conduct maintenance and emergency work on its cables from 10 p.m. to closing (3 a.m.) Saturday, October 27.
Green Line: A dd up to 15 minutes of travel time between the Navy Yard and Congress Heights stations should due to Verizon Wireless maintenance from midnight to closing (3 a.m.) Friday, October 26. Inbound and outbound trains between the Greenbelt and College Park Metrorail stations will also share one track while new trains are tested from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 27.