Archive for the ‘wmata’ tag
A Maryland Success
The Montgomery County Council has voted unanimously to approve the proposed “Purple Line,” a light rail line that would connect New Carrolton Metro Station to Bethesda Metro Station. Not only will this relieve congestion on the Beltway, but it should also revitalize a number of older neighborhoods isolated from rapid transit.
As a cyclist and as a citizen concerned with the neglect of green space, I welcome the inclusion of mixed trail usage and a focus on minimizing the loss of trees and grassland where the light rail would run along the Georgetown Branch Trail.
There are a number of issues to be worked out, not the least of which is funding and disputes over the residents of Chevy Chase. However, if President Obama’s proposal for infrastructure investment comes to fruition, then the Purple Line may find funding to be more than plentiful.
[From Montgomery Council Backs Light Rail for Purple Line - washingtonpost.com]
Why Metro is, and always will be, a national failure.
Metro (WMATA) is proposing another fare increase, although this one is a bit more modest than earlier proposals. According to WMATA, the fare increase is necessary to make up for a projected budget shortfall. It doesn’t matter how much the fares increase on Metro; no fare increase can alter the fundamental fact that Metro is one of the worst designed mass transit systems in the country, if not the world.
