[Fwd: [Fwd: CONGRATULATIONS TO WMATA AND OTHER NEWS (TRANSNET #50)]]

[Fred W. Schneider III]

This is admittedly off subject but possibly of interest to some of you
... the opening of the final segment of the original 103 mile WMATA
metro in Washington DC, a quarter century after the first leg opened. 
On the initial opening day, I had myself photographed (fully clothed)
sitting on an abandoned toilet overlooking Rhode Islane Avenue station. 
WMATA was having an impossible time coping with the first day riders. 
And I was there because of my editorial responsibilities with Headlights
magazine.  The picture was titled, "The Editor Watches Metro Crap Out." 
I was told that a copy hung for a long time in the L T Klauder offices
in Philadelphia.  WMATA has matured. They've come a long way since.

I'm impressed with the numbers 1395 buses, 762 subway cars, and a daily
passenger count of 616,000.  Isn't Washington 2nd behind NYCTA in terms
of rail patronage?  I think Chicago comes in 3rd these days.  

The attached report was filed by Harold Geissenheimer, who had a long
transit history, most notably with PAT, CTA and Muni.  

Harold provides periodic contemporary news releases (apparently this is
how he gets satisfaction) ... TRANSNET #50 is the fiftieth in the last
year. Usually he has them on the net within days ... his reactions to
Metro's final opening is only two days old! He has covered virtually
every new development from Kenosha to Montpelier, France.  If any of you
are interested in his mailings, send Harold an e-mail.  He is almost
like having your own clipping service but he approaches it from the
perspective of a professional guru. 

If you don't want to read it, there is a DELETE key on your PC.    




Harold Geissenheimer wrote:
> 
>     ---------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Subject: CONGRATULATIONS TO WMATA AND OTHER NEWS (TRANSNET #50)
> Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 13:33:30 -0500
> From: Harold Geissenheimer <transitmgr at worldnet.att.net>
> To: harold geissenheimer <transitmgr at worldnet.att.net>
> 
> 
> CONGRATULATIONS TO WMATA ON THE OPENING OF THE LAST SEGMENT OF THEIR
> 103 MILE METRO SYSTEM
> 
> Ending a 25- year project, WMATA completed its 103 mile Metro subway
> system on January 13, 2001 with the opening of the final five station
> segment of its Green Line to Branch Ave.  I was able to attend opening
> day ceremonies at both the Congress Heights and Branch Avenue stations
> on a bright mild winter day and ride the early trains.
> 
> Among the inaugural speakers were Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening,
> U.S. Rep.Steny H Hoyer,
> Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, John P. Davey of Prince George's County
> and the EMATA Board and Metro General Manager Richard A. White.
> 
> This six and a half mile line not only completes the 21 station Green
> Line, it also completes the original 103 mile Metro system adopted by
> Congress in 1968.  The line brought Metro's total price tag to $9.4
> billion, proclaimed by WMATA  to be the single most expensive
> completed public works project in U.S. history.  (Ed: What is the
> total cost of all the Interstate Highways and other similar
> projects?)
> 
> The new extension is a mix of subway, aerial structure and surface
> right of ways.  The aerial stretch near Naylor Road  won the 2000
> Concrete in Transit award for Ecellence presented by the Portland
> Cement Association.  This section includes some attractive single
> column construction and a center platform station.  The five new
> stations are:
>      -     Congress Heights (DC): Deep subway station with 65
> kiss-and-ride and 70 short term parking spaces with 5 bus bays.  There
> is an attractive  glass canopy over the escalators.
>      -     Southern Ave (DC): Depressed station in cut with 2,200 long
> term, 200 kiss-and-ride and 15 HOV parking spaces with 22 bus bays.
>      -     Naylor Road (Md): Elevated station with 400 long term and
> 64 kiss-and-ride parking spaces with 8 bus bays.
>      -     Suitland (Md): Depressed station in cut with 2,000 long
> term, 175 kiss-and-ride and 15 HOV parking spaces with 19 bus bays.
>      -     Branch Ave (Md): Depressed terminal station with  3,000
> long term, 150 kiss-and-ride and 20 HOV parking spaces with 15 bus
> bays.  The line continues beyond the station to a new Branch Ave. yard
> for 116 cars to be completed in mid-2002.  The station is accessible
> from I-95 (Beltway) via highway 5 and Auth Road.  This station also
> serves to growing area around Andrews AFB.
> 
> The entire line has excellent potential for development with lots of
> open land and a short running time
> to Washington.  An interesting new service is a new Express bus line
> (N-l 1/N13)  from Branch Ave (Green line) via the Beltway to King
> Street Station (Blue and Yellow lines) in Virginia.  Service is 15
> minutes peak, 30 minute base, Monday to Friday.  Many bus lines
> including  Prince George's
> "The Bus" system serve the extension.   Metro running time is 13
> minutes from Branch ave to Anacostia and 24 minutes to Metro Center.
> 
> On Opening day, free round trip rides were given from the 5 new
> stations.  There were good crowds
> attending the events and WMATA staff arranged for an interesting
> program.
> 
> WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN:
> 
> I have observed the development of Washington's transit system from
> its excellent post-war  street car days to the forced trolley
> abandonment in the early 1960's to a long bus-only stage to the
> opening of the first 5 station Red Line on March 29, 1976 to todays
> completion of the 103 mile system.
> 
> The WMATA system works well.  It is well designed and built and
> excellently operated.  From the start, security has been an important
> part of making ridership growth possible.  The phased implementation
> has allowed the system to grow in planned steps.
> 
> BUT ONE WONDERS WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IF THE STREET CAR SYSTEM COULD
> HAVE BEEN COORDINATED WITH THE START OF METRO SERVICE AS IN  TORONTO
> AND MANY GERMAN CITIES.
> 
> I witnessed the forced elimination of PCC cars on Capital Transit/DC
> Transit, one of the nation's best transit systems.  While some long
> suburban lines like to Cabin John may not fit todays needs, vast parts
> of the city system could have been integrated and upgraded with the
> long term development of the Metro system.  For one reason or another,
> there are gaps in Metro coverage such as service to Georgetown &
> Wisconsin Ave and long station spacings on Connecticut Ave resulting
> in long up-hill walks to the Hilton Hotel/Convention Center from
> DuPont Circle and to the National  Zoo from Woodley Park (Sunday bus
> service to the zoo is every 30 minutes on what was once a busy street
> car line).  Also possible LRT service on New York Ave, Minnesota Ave
> and Upper Georgia Ave.
> 
> Keeping the streetcars would have preserved the concept of rail
> service pending the long term phasing of the Metro system and still be
> serving todays neighborhoods not served by Metro.  With key traffic
> engineering improvements, traffic light prioritry and eventually new
> cars, Washington's trolleys could still have a place today.  Remember
> that a 1950's  trolley subway underpass and station at Dupont Circle
> was an indication of possible street car improvements.  Underground or
> off street transfer stations as in Toronto could have connected the
> street cars to Metro.
> 
> A 1999 Transit Service Expansion Plan adopted by WMATA in 1999
> outlined some 19 projects that extend Metro or ADD NEW LIGHT RAIL
> LINES!  (Remember, every thing goes in a circle and back to the
> start).  The January 2001 issue of Railway Gazette lists 9 possible
> LRT corridors, some in the city,  others as extensions from Metro to
> the suburbs.  How much easier if the base trolley system had been
> retained and integrated into the phased Metro system.  Washington
> passengers liked their street cars and they like todays Metro.  How
> wonderful it might have been to have both.
> 
> WMATA STATISTICS:
> 
> Ridership growth:  November 2000 ridership was up 5.6% since November
> 1999.  More than 25 million peple travelled Metrorail and Metrobus in
> November. July 2000 average daily rail  ridership was 616,000, highest
> ever.
> 
> Metrorail: Current fleet size:  762 cars
>                 Including 298 from Rohr Corp and 464 from Breda
>                 First 22 of 192 new cars from CAF-AAI now being tested
> 
>                 364 Breda built cars to be rehabed by Alstom in
> Hornell, NY
>                 Cars per train (peak hours): Red-6, Green-4, Yellow,
> Blue and Orange-4 to 6
>                 Operating speed: 59 mph maximum, 33 average including
> stops
>                 Escalators: 557 plus Branch Ave ext.  Elevators 180
> plus Branch Ave ext.
>                 Hours: Sunday thru Thursday to  midnight, Friday and
> Saturday to 2 AM
>                 Rail yards:  7 plus future Branch Ave
> Metrobus: Current fleet size:  1395 buses
>                  including 232 40' Orion buses  (including 100 low
> floor)
>                  On order 100 new Flyer CNG buses and a new fueling
> station for Bladensburg
>                  Older MAN articulated buses (some still in service)
> partially replaced by new Ikarus
>                  Garages: 10
>                  Bus stop shelters: 1,738 (including 829 maintained by
> WMATA)
>                  Bus stops: 12,490
>                  Routes 345 routes on 170 lines
> 
> NEXT STEPS:
> 
> Blue Line: Two station extension from Addison Road to Largo: Funded,
> planning under way.
> Red Line: New station on existing line at New York Ave
> 
> SMART TRIP FARE SYSTEM: AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING SMART CARD NOW
> SERVES 130,000 WMATA RIDERS:
> 
> What is SmartTrip?  Quite simply, it is a peramanent, rechargeable
> fare card with a built in computer chip to keep trackof every
> transaction.  You can store up to $180 at a time. Any $20 purchase
> earns you a 10% bonus.   Smart cards cost $5.00 each.  For a $5.00
> fee, you can replace a lost registered card with the value on the card
> when lost.  99% of  todays cards are registered.   SmartTrip cards
> suuplement standard paper fare cards.
> 
> SmartTrip cards are easy and fast to use.   Instead of inserting the
> fare card, just touch the card to a circular target panel on top of
> the fare gate.  Metro is purchasing new fare boxes for buses to extend
> the touch system to all buses.  They are also planning to extend sales
> outlets to stores.
> 
> At present, the SmartTrip card handles indivudual zone rides on
> Metrorail.  The next step is to include pass riding.  60% of todays
> peak riders use the SmartTrip card.  Future phased implementation will
> extend the card to MARC and MTA (including  the Baltimore subway and
> LRT), VRE and various metropolitan area bus lines.  WMATA will serve
> as the clearing house for these additions.  A true
> "Seamless" fare system. (The touch system is also being tested in
> Chicago (CTA) and on the Paris RATP metro and is in use in Montpelier
> and Nice in France.  The Monpelier installation has a reader at each
> door of  the multi-section low floor articulated LRV.  Passengers
> carry their cards in their bags or brief cases and loading is very
> fast.  Its interesting to watch how passengers carry their cards.
> 
> TRB ATTENDANCE EXCEEDS 8,000:
> 
> The 2001 TRB meeting was very successful.  Transit sessions were held
> at the Washington Hilton.  Its amazing how many people you know  pass
> you on the escalators.  My paper on transit innovation and new issues
> was presented at the Monday, January 8, 2001 meeting of the A1E04 Rail
> Transit Systems committee.
> 
> WASHINGTON AREA COMMUTER RAIL LINES:
> 
> Ridership continues to grow on both MARC and VRE services.  Both lines
> have large fleets of double deck commuter cars similar to MBTA.  Very
> nice.  The next extension is scheduled for December on the Brunswick
> line from Point-of-Rocks to Frederick, Md (13.5 miles).  I used MARC
> from Union Station to BWI Airport station and then a free shuttle bus
> to the terminal.
> About 25 people made this connection on the 3.40 PM train.  At BWI, I
> used SouthWest Airlines to Midway.  Very nice.  I dont usually travel
> between SouthWest points.  No delays in landing or take off.
> 
> 
> HAROLD H. GEISSENHEIMER
> 
>