UPDATE: The Metro Board has put the proposed fare hikes on hold, saying they would like more details about the proposals before they would approve public hearings. They voted to hold a special informational committee meeting on Sept. 27. More than a year ago, then interim Metro Chief Dan Tangherlini began uttering those two little words no transit rider likes to hear: fare increase. At the time though, our favorite transit official was reassuring…

After some much needed R&R (that’s rest and relaxation, not roads and rails), Transit on Thursday returns to Washington only to find that all hell has broken loose on Metro. The Sliver Line extension to Dulles, looking good when we left, is turning into a first rate debacle, and clouds of smoke seem to be drifting though the tunnels on just about every line. We can’t turn our backs for even a few seconds, can…

Following the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge outside of Minneapolis last week, just about every major news outlet in every media market scurried to scrutinize the safety of its own local bridges. As with most areas of the country, the results for the metro-Washington area were not encouraging. The Washington Post found that well over a thousand area bridges were structural shadows of their former selves; 15 bridges in the District, 1200 in…

How, oh how, do we reduce congestion? That is the one question that public officials, policy-makers, and commuters throughout the D.C. have been wrestling with for as long as we can remember. The answers proposed have reflected the diversity of the people asking the question: wider roads, more transit, denser housing, bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly streets, all of the above… You name it, and it’s been put on the table at one point or another….

Too often, when we think of problems with our transit service here in D.C., it’s from the perspective of a commuter headed to work. It’s not an unreasonable point of view; much of the travel that takes place in the District is for commuting. Ensuring Metro’s morning and evening rush are as smooth and painless as possible is critical to keeping business in the city, as well as attracting more of it. Commerce is…

This week in Transit on Thursday, we pose a stunningly dramatic series of questions… Could Metro be Smartening up? Will you get hit by Virginia’s new transportation fees and taxes? Is a road better than a rail? Will your Metro trip be delayed this weekend? Find out after the jump! Photo by Terecico…

Anyone who’s lived in D.C. for more than a minute or two knows that appearances are important in this town, but is it reasonable to suggest that the changing face of Metro will have an impact on ridership? Also this week, a fare hike fight gradually takes shape, and another area bridge is going out of commission. If you were one of the 500,000 or so passengers who took Metro to the Mall on…

Metrorail logged its 11th straight year of ridership increases, up 1.1 percent over last year. The 208 million trips people took on Metro this year marked Metro’s highest ever annual ridership. This also translates to the highest ever average weekday ridership – more than 702,000 per day – exceeding 700,000 riders a day for the first time ever. Overall, this is great news. We love to see Metro luring more people out of their cars….

Happy Thursday, and welcome back to another post full of the best in transit news. This week, we consider whether Virginians would rather obey traffic laws or pay more taxes. It’s a real Sophie’s Choice, we know. Also, a few words on the latest Metro fare hike proposal from Metro. We also have Metro’s schedule of weekend track work and maintenance, which will cause delays on some lines. Photo by christaki…

We’re back with another edition of Transit on Thursday, bringing you transit news from around the city to satisfy the inner-geek in all of you. This week, we’ve got developments with the transit situation at the National Harbor development, currently under construction south of the city, as well as yet another round of national commuting stats that are, yet again, a mixed bag for the D.C.-metro area. Also, Metro has a long list of…