A happy Friday to you, Washington. Hopefully you all made it in to work on time despite Metro having reduced the speed of their rail cars in several areas this morning. Speed restrictions were in place until 8:10 a.m. along portions of the Orange line in Maryland and Virginia, the Red line from Union Station to Silver Spring and from Shady Grove to Grosvenor, and the Green line from Branch Avenue to Congress Heights…

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…

Good morning, Washington. Recent increases in gun-related crime in the city seems to be today’s main topic of news, just as the Supreme Court may announce today whether it intends to take another look at D.C.’s handgun ban. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has scheduled a press conference this morning to address the District’s position on its gun safety law, but in the meantime the Washington Post is questioning the law’s effectiveness and just last…

Commenter Nate asked if we would look into what’s been happening on the Red line lately, which he describes as having been suffering from “morning and/or afternoon delays every day for nearly two weeks now.” Indeed, we’ve heard others grumbling about the Red line of late, which is usually one of Metro’s speediest rush hour options. WMATA explains that the current Red line delays are due to ongoing work needed to replace pieces of…

Nobody enjoys having to muscle through a dense crowd of people on the metro platform. Especially on those days when everyone is so eager to get on the train that they don’t even wait for anyone to get off before surging onboard. Times like that, we wish we had some magical power to transport past the crowd, but then again if we could do that, we wouldn’t be taking metro to begin with, now would…

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 all familiar with The Rules. You know, that iron clad system by which every woman can land herself the man of her dreams and keep him, if only she’s willing to act like the most obnoxious kind of person you’ve ever met. Of course, men have rules, too. They just don’t publish them. They’ve been passed down in locker rooms, cigar-choked men’s-only clubs, and fraternity houses for time immemorial. The fact is, I could…

Here at Transit on Thursday, we love giving good news, and we’ve got some for you today. New rail cars! Also this week, Governor Kaine works to rile up support for changes to Republican transportation legislation. Finally, maintenance and rail car testing will cause some delays on the Red, Yellow and Green Lines this weekend. Also, MetroAccess is now offering eAlerts with information on major service disruptions due to inclement weather and other emergencies….

Last May we pointed to a Post article detailing the troubles WMATA was having with Metro’s ubiquitous platform lighting. According to the paper, the light-bulbs — over 25,000 throughout the whole system — lasted but three months at a time, requiring late night replacing that could involve as many as 13 employees working seven three-hour shifts to cover a large station. At the time, we asked if the expense was really worth it. Given all…

After talking about it (or not talking about it) for months on end, the Virginia Legislature has finally sent Governor Tim Kaine a package of transportation legislation. Now the question is, does he have the stomach to sign it? Also this week, a reality check for the Purple Line and ticked-off drivers take parking enforcement into their own hands. Photo by andertho…