Transit on Thursday: At Long Last
If you’re a regular reader of Transit on Thursday, you’ll have noted week after week of Green line delays over the past few months caused by the testing of new rail cars.
Good news – those delays could soon cease.
Metro is getting ready to stop testing and starting using, reports WTOP. The new rail cars, featuring two different designs, will be brought into service by Christmas.
The first design is carpetless, with lots of above head metal handles. The second features benches and cloth seats as well as “padding” customers can lean against.
We’re curious to see what this all really looks like. There is no word on where the cars will first appear, but if history repeats itself, the Green line is the likely destination -- new cars generally enter the system on the Green line.
Also, please note that we said “soon cease.” Details on this week’s car testing-prompted delays, as well as other Metro news, after the jump.
Photo by Greg McElhatton
Fewer people, fewer cars
The folks at Metro who deal with ridership have determined that, because fewer people typically ride on weekends in the winter than the rest of the year, they should reduce the numbers of cars per train during the season.
The move, The Washington Post reports, is sparked by a desire to reduce wear and tear on rail cars and, ultimately, the never ending desire to save money. Train frequency will not be cut, just the number of cars.
Weekend track work, delays
Remember how we said that car testing may soon cease? Well, by “soon,” we mean “not right now.” Riders on the Green line can expect trains between Greenbelt and College Park to share one track from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to, you guessed it, new rail car testing on Saturday and Sunday. That could add as much as 15 minutes of travel time to your trip.
On the Red Line, those traveling between Friendship Heights and Medical Center can expect single tracking from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday and the same between Saturday and Sunday. That should cause an up to 20 minute delay.
Also on the Red Line between Fort Totten and Takoma stations, trains will share one track from 10 a.m. to closing Saturday and Sunday. To help speed thinks up, every other train going toward Glenmont will end at New York Avenue and return to Shady Grove.
On the Orange Line, track maintenance will cause single tracking from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday between New Carrollton and Cheverly stations. Verizon cable maintenance will cause single tracking from midnight to close Friday and Saturday between Ballston and Clarendon, which will cause an up to 15 minute delay.
On the Blue Line, trains will share one track between Van Dorn and Braddock Road stations from 10 p.m. to close Sunday, again thanks to track maintenance. That will likely cause a 15 minute delay.