Kytja Weir

Two new bus services slated to help Tysons traffic

A new express bus to get Northern Virginia workers to Tysons Corner is slated to start on Monday and a lunch-time shuttle to get them through the construction morass once there will begin later this month. Both efforts are intended to reduce road congestion in the already traffic-clogged commercial hub that now faces an even bigger pinch as major road construction encroaches. The creation of HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway and the Dulles Rail extension of Metro are both tearing up the area. The Buses » Woodbridge-Tysons Corner Tysons Express: Starting Monday, the OmniRide buses will make four morning trips and four return trips each evening, with stops at the Woodbridge...

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Marvelous Market founder 'loathes' pro sports, heads to museums

Mark Furstenberg Artisan baker, chef and founder of Marvelous Market, Breadline and the new G Street Food Personal stats Age: 71 Number of years in D.C.: I've been here forever. I moved here in 1961 and went away to graduate school and moved back. Then I was recruited by my friend Barney Frank to go work for the city of Boston. I did that for a while and then I moved back. Neighborhood: Kalorama FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT My own kitchen. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION I guess walking. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT I loathe professional sports. I have to tell you that I'm afraid I'm going to flunk out on that one. I think professional sports is all about money and I don't follow...

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Metro pledges to fix meltdown of 37-year-old equipment

Metro plans to spend $14 million to replace 37-year-old equipment and install backup systems after a failure on Wednesday knocked out the transit system's communications for much of the day, including its Web site, public address system and customer service complaint line. But the replacement equipment could take as long as six months to install, and agency officials said Thursday they couldn't guarantee that more problems were not going to occur in the meantime as they depended on the old, jury-rigged equipment. "We're monitoring it on an hourly basis, a daily basis," General Manager John Catoe said. The failure highlighted the growing list of costly repairs the cash-strapped...

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Metro to fight 3 percent salary increase for workers

Metro is appealing binding arbitration on its largest union contract, saying it does not have the money to pay for 3 percent wage increases. The panel called for giving the union members a lump sum payment for last year equivalent to 2 percent of annual salaries, then 3 percent raises for each of the next three years. A three-member arbitration panel issued the split decision late Wednesday to end a contract dispute between the transit agency and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents about 7,700 of Metro's some 10,000 employees. Metro wages » Average hourly wage: bus operators $23.68, train operators $25.52. » Metro's average employee pay:...

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Dulles Toll Road rates to rise Jan. 1, then for two more years

Drivers can expect to pay up to 50 cents more starting Jan. 1 to travel the Dulles Toll Road, and then an additional quarter each for the following two years in a plan approved Wednesday to raise money for the extension of Metrorail to the airport and beyond. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's board voted unanimously to raise the tolls that now cost 75 cents on the main section of the 14-mile Virginia roadway and 50 cents for entrances and exits. The access road to the airport will remain free to drivers. The money is intended to help pay off the interest on bonds taken out to build the 23-mile extension of Metrorail to Washington Dulles International Airport and the hubs...

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Metro trying to teach disabled to take trains, buses

Metro is seeking to teach some people with disabilities to use trains and buses instead of its MetroAccess service as a way to reduce the costly and growing shared-ride system. The transit agency has received a grant for most of the $1.2 million program to partner with three centers that work with people who have disabilities. It is slated to ask the Metro board on Thursday to kick in $85,000 for the two-year pilot project. Metro already is helping some people with disabilities learn to ride the system safely, but the new program would pay for two trainers each at the three centers, reaching an estimated 600 people. MetroAccess has about 24,500 registered riders. "It will...

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Metro scouring for cash to plug growing budget gap

Metro is trying to find ways to cover a yawning $20.9 million budget shortfall three months into the fiscal year as ridership has dropped below expectations and costs have risen. The transit agency is proposing to cobble together as much as $36 million from federal stimulus funds, rainy-day surplus reserves, insurance claims and presidential inauguration reimbursements to bridge the gap, according to an agency report. Bad forecast Metro is gearing up for an even worse budget in the fiscal year that starts in July: A $144 million gap in the operating budget that typically exceeds more than $1 billion. The agency has been hosting forums on next year's crisis, with the remaining...

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The 3-minute interview: David Perruzza

“Drag” racers in the annual High Heels Race in Dupont Circle will start running at 9 p.m. Saturday. Perruzza, who is organizing the race, gives the low-down on some new twists to the 23-year-old tradition that attracts about 20,000 onlookers. How did you get started running the high-heeled race? I started working at JR’s [Bar and Grill], who is the unofficial organizer of the event. I became a manager, and it became my event to take care of. How did it get started? It was started by a couple of guys running from JR’s to Annie’s in drag. They did a shot at JR’s. They ran to Annie’s, Paramount Steakhouse, did a shot at Annie’s, then ran...

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VRE ditches Amtrak for French-owned train operator

Virginia Railway Express has chosen a French railway company to operate its commuter trains, giving the foreign-owned company a high-profile launching pad for its first U.S. rail operations while abandoning Amtrak, which has run and maintained the trains since VRE began. The board of the commuter train agency voted to award a five-year contract with two optional renewals for up to 15 years total to Keolis Rail Services America, an offshoot of a French company that runs that country's railways. The contract represents cost savings, with a $18.5 million price tag for the first year, then $16.8 million in subsequent years. The move still needs to be approved by two regional commissions...

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Bazin’s, Union Station tops for best-selling author

Faves and raves by David Baldacci Best-selling author of 18 novels, including the up-and-coming “True Blue” about a D.C. cop PERSONAL STATS AGE: 49 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: About 25 NEIGHBORHOOD: Fairfax County 1. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Bazin's in Vienna [111 Church St. NW] 2. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION Car and Amtrak Acela on Northeastern trips 3. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT My kid's sporting events 4. BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC Wolf Trap 5. BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS Library of Congress, Jefferson Building 6. FAVORITE MUSEUM Spy Museum 7. BEN'S CHILI BOWL, OLD EBBITT GRILL OR CAFE MILANO Cafe Milano 8. MOST ROMANTIC SPOT...

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Metro forums planned for public to weigh in on budget shortfall

Metro officials are trying to reach out to riders and taxpayers as the agency eyes an estimated $144 million budget gap next year that likely will mean fare increases and possibly service cuts amid a still struggling economy. The agency and the jurisdictions the transit system covers are hosting a series of public forums starting Monday to explain to the public the financial straits ahead and to glean what priorities the public has for the agency. Forum details » Monday, Oct. 19: District forum 6:30 p.m. panel discussion with public questions and comments U.S. Naval Memorial auditorium, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, near the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Metrorail...

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District weighs bus lanes for center of K Street

The District is looking at transforming K Street, one of the city's signature streets and major thoroughfares, by adding dedicated lanes for buses to the center of the street Timeline » Oct. 30: Public comment period ends. » November: District chooses which design. » Feb. 2010: Federal stimulus grants awarded, at the latest. » Late 2010: Begin construction. » End of 2012: Work must be completed under the stimulus grant rules. The new options The District is eyeing two new alternatives for the stretch of K Street from Ninth Street to 21st Street: » Two-lane busway: -- A two-lane bus transitway in the center of the road, with three...

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Union pushes Metro drivers to follow every rule, slowing system

Metro's largest union urged its members to follow the letter of the law Tuesday, which translated to slower commutes for some bus riders. "Now is the time for us to protect ourselves and our jobs! Perform all duties strictly by the [standard operating procedures]," the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 Web site said Tuesday. "Don't give Metro any reason to write us up, suspend us, or fire us anymore!" The move comes in reaction to a spate of trouble for the agency's workers, especially Metrobus drivers. Several drivers have been fired in recent months for problems ranging from hitting a jogger to kidnapping a passenger, driving without a license to punching an...

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Cell phones to ring in 20 Metro stations Friday

Get the cell phones charged and ready for the daily commute: Metro is slated to offer expanded cell phone service starting Friday at the 20 busiest underground rail stations. Those who use AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile finally will be able to join the ranks of Verizon customers and text and gab away on their phones while waiting for trains. "We're still on track," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Tuesday. "Everything is supposed to be ready by Friday." The transit agency is adding the service as part of a three-year deal with Congress to secure $1.5 billion in federal funding over 10 years. The measure requires Metro to have the additional cell phone...

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Circulator eyed for Georgetown-to-Rosslyn route

District officials are laying the groundwork to expand the Circulator bus system from Georgetown into Arlington, just weeks after the city backed down from a plan to limit service within the tony D.C. neighborhood. D.C. Councilman Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, introduced a bill last week asking to change the rules that prevent the D.C. Circulator from running outside the city limits. The idea is to allow the Circulator to run to Rosslyn, taking the place of the privately run Georgetown Metro Connection, known as the "blue bus," according to Evans aide Jeff Coudriet. The blue bus runs vehicles under the same 10-minute schedule and $1 fare as the Circulator. But for both Arlington and the...

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MADD, advocates question Metro policy on drivers' tests

Top activists against drunken driving are questioning why Metro is tougher on its bus drivers who use cellphones than those caught using drugs and alcohol. Bus and train operators who use phones while operating a transit vehicle currently are fired. An alcohol or drug violation at the transit agency, though, does not automatically translate to termination. Source: Examiner analysis of Metro statistics, June 1, 2004, through June 1, 2009 "There should be some equivalency," said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program. "A passenger choosing between a texting Metro bus driver and an Metro bus driver whom has been drinking is like choosing between...

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The 3-minute interview: Ulder Tillman

Montgomery County is offering its first H1N1 vaccination clinic on from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring. Tillman, the county's chief of health services, gives some advice. Who should get vaccinated? We have received 2,500 doses of intranasal H1N1 vaccine and that would be going to the priority groups which are healthy children from the ages of 2 to 18 years, healthy adults up to age 49 who are the caretakers of infants younger than 6 months, and care workers who are healthy and up to age 49. The intranasal cannot be given to pregnant women or children or adults with chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes. Will vaccines be available...

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Metro gives second chance on drug, alcohol violations

Metro's new cellphone policy for drivers is stricter than its alcohol and drug policy. Under the new zero-tolerance policy on cellphone use, an operator will be fired on a first offense if caught using a cellphone while operating a bus or train. An alcohol or drug violation, though, does not automatically translate to firing. Under a collective bargaining agreement, Metro gives all operators who have been employed there at least six months a chance to undergo substance abuse treatment after a first violation. They are suspended for at least 30 days without pay and must attend rehabilitation. Employees are fired if referred to rehab a second time, according to the agency and the...

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8 bus drivers fail drug tests after crashes

Eight Metrobus drivers failed drug and alcohol tests after accidents, according to the most recent year of data from the transit agency. And Metrobus drivers were more likely to fail the tests than other Metro employees in the past five years, according to an Examiner analysis of data current through May. Forty-four percent of the positive tests in the past five years have been among bus drivers, though the approximately 2,400 bus operators represent 31 percent of all the employees required to be tested under federal rules. Metro gives drug tests randomly, due to suspicions and after every accident. It is not clear what happened to the drivers who flunked the tests -- or whether anyone...

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D.C. woman, 47, dies after being hit by Metrobus

A woman died Tuesday less than a day after she was struck by a Metrobus, the latest fatality in an already deadly year for the transit agency that has now lost 14 people to accidents, plus seven to suicides. Stephanie Richardson, 47, was just blocks away from her Northeast D.C. home when she got off a Metrobus around 6:30 p.m. Monday on Mount Olivet Road, between Trinidad and Montello avenues, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police said. She walked in front of the stopped D8 bus to cross the street, according to Metro and police. A bus running on the same line, traveling in the same direction, struck her as she entered the street, according to the transit agency. Richardson was taken to Washington...

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Train equipment causes Red Line snarls during commute

Blame a lost shoe for your lengthy Red Line commute Tuesday morning. Train service across the Red Line was snarled for at least an hour and a half during the morning rush when a train lost a "collector shoe" on the tracks, causing smoke and delays. Other lines felt the impact, too, as riders switched trains to avoid the bottleneck. The Red Line train that caused the problem was leaving Gallery Place for Metro Center when the train hit the equipment with a thud at 8:59 a.m., causing smoke, according to Metro. It appears one of the collector shoes fell off the train. Each railcar has four such shoes that connect the trains to their power source on the electrified third...

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Red Line delays to continue at crash site

Red Line riders are still facing delays more than a month after Metro had hoped to fix an area of track where a deadly crash occurred this summer. The transit agency has had to slow down trains between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations since the June 22 crash there killed nine and injured more than 70 people. And it's not clear when it can return to normal. Metro officials initially told riders the repairs should be done by the end of August. Then in early September, General Manager John Catoe said the work was taking longer than expected and would take at least a week more. But as of Friday, nearly 15 weeks after the crash, the transit agency was still tweaking the track...

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Ridership drops on Metro, falling below budget expectations

Metro ridership has dropped below past levels on both the train system and bus lines since the June 22 crash, leaving the transit system short millions of dollars in anticipated fares. The transit system's bread-and-butter weekday train ridership was down 3.8 percent in July and 2.5 percent in August compared with the same periods the year before, according to a Metro report. Meanwhile, Red Line ridership fell even further, down 10.4 percent in July and 8.3 percent in August. That steep decline suggests some of the decrease could be directly attributed to the deadly train crash and the continuing delays on that line. "The Red Line accident is still negatively affecting rail...

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Top Cop: Former production manager takes on bomb threats

Kenneth Frost used to spend his days worrying about manufacturing turbines and compressor parts. But today he is a detective who has become Metro's in-house bomb threat expert after nabbing a man the transit agency believes called in as many as 21 threats. Frost had always wanted to be in law enforcement. He decided to leave his job as a production manager after a divorce, then underwent months of training -- plus aching knees from keeping up with younger recruits. At age 48, he received his badge, becoming the oldest police officer ever hired by the transit agency. Now, seven years later, the Metro Transit Police detective has helped bust a ring that made fake farecards and has...

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Traffic, Metro shifts for Sunday's Army 10-Miler

This Sunday's Army 10-Miler race will shift traffic and buses on some local roads and affect Metro. Roads along the race course in Arlington and the District will be intermittently closed from about 7:30 a.m. until about noon. The closures will force Metrobuses to relocate from the Pentagon station to Pentagon City until about 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Red and Orange line riders may need to add up to 30 minutes to their trips as trains share single tracks amid track work. But Metro plans to open its train system an hour early, with doors opening at 6 a.m. to accommodate the racers and spectators. The transit agency also plans to run extra Blue Line trains until the 8 a.m. start of the race...

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Metro plans major Columbus Day weekend closures

Metro is planning a major shutdown of Green Line service in the heart of downtown for the three-day Columbus Day weekend, even as thousands flood the city for Wizards and Capitals games, a bike fundraiser and a gay rights march. Columbus Day closures » WHERE: The Green Line will be closed at the L'Enfant, Waterfront SEU and Archives/Navy Memorial stations. Yellow Line trains will follow the Blue Line, ending at Stadium Armory rather than Fort Totten. » WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Friday-5 a.m. Tuesday. » HOW: Riders should add up to 45 extra minutes in travel plans. Metro suggests walking for a short distances instead of transferring trains or using the free shuttles....

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Report: Nearly half of I-66 corridor commuters carpool or use transit

Nearly half of the Northern Virginia commuters heading toward D.C. each morning on the Interstate 66 corridor use transit or ride sharing to get through the notoriously clogged region, according to a new report. The study released this week by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission counted the stream of commuters headed inbound at various points along a north-south line just outside the Beltway, creating a snapshot of the commuters on the highway itself plus other roads and transit modes. A.M. commuters along Interstate 66 corridor » Single-occupancy vehicles: 56 percent » HOV: 21 percent » Metrorail: 17 percent » Virginia Railway Express: 4...

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Metro sues developer over Orange Line damage

Metro is suing a well-known D.C. developer for $11 million, arguing that soil stockpiled on the company's property caused damage to an elevated section of the Orange Line. The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland says that Jemal's Fairfield Farms LLC, a company run by Douglas Jemal, piled soil on a corner of its property off Addison Road in Prince George's County near the transit system's Orange Line tracks. The weight caused the hillside to fail, the lawsuit says, shifting the ground under the bridge and the track supports between the Cheverly and Deanwood stations. It has caused "significant damage," the suit says, forcing trains to run at slower speeds through the...

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Metro to stay open late for U2 fans

Metro plans to keep its trains running late so U2 fans can take Metrorail home after Tuesday's concert at FedEx Field. Only the Morgan Boulevard station on the Blue Line, about one mile from the stadium, will let riders enter until 1 a.m. All other stations will be closed to riders entering the stations at the normal closing time of midnight, according to Metro. But the trains will keep running late to get riders home. The Redskins are paying $27,000 to keep the station open and run the extra train service for the U2 360 Tour, said Metro spokeswoman Taryn...

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D.C. Circulator closures to cut into Cherry Blossom Festival

One of the only -- and cheapest -- modes of public transportation to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring won't be available for the first week of the annual tourist attraction. The District is planning to halt the D.C. Circulator route that loops around the National Mall for six months starting Sunday. It is scheduled to remain out of service until April 3, seven days after the start of the annual festival that draws thousands of viewers to the pink blossoms around the Tidal Basin. District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle said officials had not realized the festival schedule when they set the six-month closure. "We could possibly revisit it," he said....

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Montgomery Council to consider rule on health effect of roads

Montgomery County soon could require that any road project undergo a study of what influence it will have on the health of residents. Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, D-at large, said she planned to introduce a regulation on Tuesday that called for the county health department to study how air pollutants emitted from motor vehicles on new roads would affect people with respiratory problems. Such "health impact assessments" are used elsewhere in the United States and in other countries. The World Health Organization also supports the studies. But the lingo is new enough that some road experts did not know about such studies when told about the proposal. "This is the...

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Transit backup program gave 3,096 free rides home last year

A program that gives commuters a free ride home for unexpected emergencies provided a record number of trips last year. The Commuter Connections program through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments offers a "guaranteed ride home" to commuters who walk, take public transit, bike or carpool to work. The idea is to reduce traffic on the region's notoriously congested roads by knocking away hurdles that prevent commuters from leaving the car at home. It provided 3,096 free trips in the fiscal year that ended in June, according to a new report. That was a slight increase over the prior year's 3,006 rides -- and the most provided since the program began in 1996. But...

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Metro fires bus driver for hitting jogger

The Metrobus driver who hit a jogger earlier this month has been fired by the transit agency for failing to prevent the crash. Carla Proctor was driving an empty bus along Florida Avenue in Northwest Washington just after 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 3 when she struck a jogger crossing the intersection at Connecticut Avenue. The jogger, Amanda Mahnke, the communications director for Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., was critically injured. Proctor initially was placed on paid administrative leave after the crash, as is standard following all accidents. She tested negative for drugs and alcohol, Metro said. But on Monday, the agency fired her as it ended its investigation into the wreck. She...

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Metro's board renews Catoe's contract, offers sweetened deal

John Catoe Metro's board of directors extended General Manager John Catoe's contract and even sweetened his compensation package Thursday, despite a summer of woes for the transit agency. The board voted 5-1 to extend his contract for another three years, with only D.C. member Neil Albert dissenting. Albert, who will be leaving the board soon to focus on his new job as D.C. city administrator, later said he voted against the contract because he felt Metro "needs more aggressive leadership" following the summer's spate of bad incidents. Catoe's compensation Metro General Manager John Catoe's new three-year contract gives him more perks....

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Metro's NextBus still working out kinks

Thousands of Metrobus riders are using new technology to help them know when the next bus is on its way, but users are still learning its quirks and the new system still has to work out some of those bugs. Metro's new NextBus system, which uses GPS signaling to help predict when a bus will arrive at a given stop, has been used about a half-million times since it was restarted July 1. Riders call in to an interactive system on the phone or visit a Web site to find out when the next bus will come. The NextBus stats Month phone calls Web views complaints July 69,242...

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ICC could cost drivers up to $9 per trip

Motorists on the Intercounty Connector could have to pay more than $6 per one-way ride on the Maryland highway, under a proposal announced Wednesday. Want to have a say? The state is offering open houses on the toll proposal on Oct. 19 and Oct. 21 in Beltsville and Silver Spring, respectively. Then officials will collect comments at a public hearing on Oct. 28 in Beltsville and Oct. 29 in Gaithersburg. Comments can also be submitted at iccproject.com. The public comment period ends at 5 p.m. Nov. 23. Those without E-ZPass transponders on their cars will have to pay even more, facing a $3 administrative fee on top of the tolls for about $9 per trip. The Maryland Transportation...

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Metro set to fix doors on oldest, 'uncrashworthy' rail cars

Metro is planning to spend more than a half-million dollars and take more than two years to upgrade the doors of a series of rail cars that federal investigators told the transit agency to get rid of three years ago. Metro is slated to ask its board of directors Thursday to spend $638,000 on a contract to repair door controls on the Rohr 1000 Series rail cars after doors on those cars opened on the wrong side at stations three times, leaving passengers potentially exposed to dangerous tracks, according to a board memo. "It has to be done. The cars are still in service," said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel. "Right now, there's no other viable option. We believe the...

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NTSB urges national inspections for 'spurious signals'

Federal safety investigators believe a false signal may have led to the fatal June Metro crash and issued "urgent" warnings for subways and railroads nationwide to inspect their tracks. The National Transportation Safety Board said it found problems with an audio signaling system for controlling trains that may have caused two Red Line trains to crash on June 22, killing nine people and injuring dozens. "Our findings so far indicate a pressing need to issue these recommendations to immediately address safety glitches we have found that could lead to another tragic accident," NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman said in a written statement. The investigators said that...

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The 3-minute interview: Joseph Crociata

As Dan Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol," flies off bookshelves with tales of intrigue about local Masonic icons, Crociata, the junior grand warden of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia, discusses what all the hype means for D.C.'s 4,000 Masons. Are you going to read the book? I do certainly want to read it. What do you think about all the attention it is giving to Masons? I can't speak to how accurately the book portrays who or what we are, but, obviously, even if the book isn't quite on the money it will cause people to ask questions -- and we're here to answer them. What's the biggest misconception about Masons? A lot of...

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D.C. workers commute longer, more likely to use transit

Washington-area workers spent more time getting to work than the average American last year, but slightly more of them tried carpooling instead of driving alone. Local commuters spent an average of 33 minutes getting to work, nearly eight minutes a day more than the national average, according to data released Monday from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The difference quickly adds up to hours wasted each month. The average times ranged from a low of slightly more than 27 minutes in Arlington County to just over 38 minutes of commuting for Prince William County residents. The amount of time commuting did not change significantly from 2007. Still, the Census Bureau...

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VRE: Adult abuse of kids' fares may end train discount

Some train commuters have been trying to seem younger than their years. So Virginia Railway Express is considering eliminating its youth discount program to prevent adults from using kids' cheap train tickets. The transit agency that runs commuter trains from Manassas and Fredericksburg into the District offers youths 21 and under a 50 percent discount on tickets. That's significant savings on a system that can cost as much as $10.30 for a single ride. But the agency noticed it was selling more and more youth tickets, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. "There wasn't a corresponding increase in students riding the train," Roeber said. "The logical deduction was people have figured...

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CSX seeking double-stacked freight trains through D.C.

A proposal to expand the amount of freight chugging through the District is gaining steam, offering a promise of clearing tractor-trailers off the region's congested highways and improving commuter train service. It also would mean rebuilding some railroad bridges around the region, including the Virginia Avenue tunnel just south of the Capitol. CSX is proposing an $842 million plan to raise roofs on bridges and lower some railroad tracks across the mid-Atlantic so that it could carry double-stacked cargo containers on its trains. Locally, that would mean millions of dollars in construction work. The Washington region has some of the worst railroad bottlenecks along the East Coast,...

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VRE: Adult abuse of kids’ fares may end train discount

Some train commuters have been trying to seem younger than their years. So Virginia Railway Express is considering eliminating its youth discount program to prevent adults from using kids’ cheap train tickets. The transit agency that runs commuter trains from Manassas and Fredericksburg into the District offers youths 21 and under a 50 percent discount on tickets. That’s significant savings on a system that can cost as much as $10.30 for a single ride. But the agency noticed it was selling more and more youth tickets, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. “There wasn’t a corresponding increase in students riding the train,” Roeber said. “The logical...

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3-min interview - Joseph Crociata

As Dan Brown’s new book, “The Lost Symbol,” flies off bookshelves with tales of intrigue about local Masonic icons, Crociata, the junior grand warden of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia discusses what all the hype means for D.C.’s 4,000 Masons. Are you going to read the book? I do certainly want to read it. What do you think about all the attention it is giving to Masons? I can’t speak to how accurately the book portrays who or what we are, but, obviously, even if the book isn’t quite on the money it will cause people to ask questions — and we’re here to answer them. What’s the biggest...

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CSX seeking double-stacked freight trains through the District

A proposal to expand the amount of freight chugging through the District is gaining steam, offering a promise of clearing tractor-trailers off the region’s congested highways and improving commuter train service. It also would mean rebuilding some railroad bridges around the region, including the Virginia Avenue tunnel just south of the Capitol. CSX is proposing an $842 million plan to raise roofs on bridges and lower some railroad tracks across the mid-Atlantic so that it could carry double-stacked cargo containers on its trains. Locally, that would mean millions of dollars in construction work. The Washington region has some of the worst railroad bottlenecks along the East...

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Metro: Take transit to Redskins game

Metro is adding trains and staff to help fans attending Sunday's Washington Redskins game -- and other home games this season -- take the Blue Line to FedEx Field. Fans can take Metrorail to the Morgan Boulevard station, which is about a mile from FedEx Field for Sunday's 1 p.m. game against the St. Louis Rams. Fans also can park in Metro's Largo or Morgan Boulevard Metrorail parking garages for $25 if they have a plastic SmarTrip card. Transit riders who park there to use the train system, instead of going to the game, will not have to pay the fee when they use their SmarTrip cards that day, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel. All other stations have free parking. The transit...

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15-year-old commits suicide on Metro tracks

A 15-year-old boy was killed Thursday afternoon when a train struck him at the Columbia Heights Metro station, just blocks from his school. Metro officials said the boy, a D.C. resident, intentionally put himself onto the tracks of the downtown-bound Yellow Line train, the second suicide in a week involving a Metro train. Just Sunday, a 19-year-old killed himself at Gallery Place. The suicides bring the agency's death toll to 20 this year, after a spate of other suicides, a massive train crash that killed nine, two track worker deaths, an electrocution, and a deadly slip by a passenger. The agency can guard against some deaths by following safety procedures and maintaining...

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Overnight work to close Beltway next weekend

Drivers beware: Both directions of the Capital Beltway near Tysons Corner will be closed intermittently during a five-hour stretch overnight next Friday to complete work for the Dulles Metrorail extension. The Virginia Department of Transportation is shutting down all lanes of Interstate 495 for segments up to 30 minutes at the Chain Bridge Road interchange from midnight Friday, Sept. 25, to 5 a.m. the following Saturday. The closures also include the exit ramps to and from Route 123, Chain Bridge Road. Dominion Virginia Power needs the highway closed so it can relocate overhead power lines for the expansion of Metrorail for the Dulles Rail project, according to VDOT. - Kytja...

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Advocates push all-transit alternative

Montgomery County's Action Committee for Transit has proposed its own vision for the Interstate 270 corridor: public transit, not road widening. The nonprofit advocacy group cobbled together several proposals and called for expanded service on existing lines, making them all interconnected so riders could transfer among them. "It adds up to more than the sum of its parts," said ACT President Ben Ross. The group said those plans could be had for the same $4 billion-odd price tag of the state's highway-widening proposal. Their alternative plan calls for: » Extending Metro's Red Line to Germantown Town Center and Gaithersburg. » Running MARC commuter trains all...

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Highway Hell: Slog remains on I-270 as officials weigh solutions

Congested corridor is 'Hell on earth, five days a week' Farrell Keough drives a sleek BMW Z4, but he rarely gets to enjoy the zippy speed of his ride. The Frederick County resident is usually stuck in stop-and-go traffic as he makes the 26-mile drive from his home in Urbana to his job at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. He made the drive in 20 minutes once, but it usually takes an hour. Sometimes more than two. "Coming home, it's almost worse," he said. Keough has lots of company -- and that's the problem. Each day more than 200,000 vehicles travel the busiest stretch of Interstate 270, the highway that serves as a key corridor from Pennsylvania to Washington....

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Metro worker hit by train dies of injuries

A Metro communications technician who was hit by a train last week died Monday of his injuries. John Moore, 44, of Arlington was struck by a train on the Blue Line near the Braddock Road stop about 10:40 a.m. Thursday when he opened a door from a vent shaft staircase onto the track bed, Metro said. Communication technicians use such stairs to access the sensors inside the tunnels. Moore had been in critical condition since the incident. The transit agency is investigating. It was the latest death for Metro after a deadly summer. Earlier, nine people were killed in a train crash, a track worker was killed by a piece of equipment and a contractor was electrocuted at a bus garage. -...

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Metro told to learn lessons from Labor Day track work

The recent track work that shut down three Metro stations over the Labor Day weekend did not just inconvenience thousands of riders -- it also waylaid a member of the transit agency's own board of directors. Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay chided the agency in a board meeting for failing to coordinate its shuttle buses after he was caught in the mess trying to travel from Ballston to the Van Dorn Street station. What he said would normally take him about 20 minutes on the train lasted more than an hour on a Thursday evening as the agency prepared to replace track equipment during the long weekend. And it highlighted problems that could occur again as the transit agency is...

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Plan extra time for Sunday travel

Getting around on Sunday may take a little longer than usual as roads are being closed for the Nation's Triathlon and a street festival while Metro works on some of its tracks. The Fourth Annual Nation's Triathlon, which includes a 40-kilometer bike course, a 10-kilometer run and 1.5-kilometer swim in the Potomac River, is closing roads around Southwest D.C. and Georgetown for the 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. race. The District Department of Transportation said the closures include the Potomac River Freeway, westbound lanes of M Street at Wisconsin Avenue, Canal Road and southbound on MacArthur Boulevard and Foxhall Road. The Adams Morgan Day Festival is also closing side streets along 18th...

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Charter bus, Metrobus collide, 19 injured

A Metrobus and a charter bus crashed Friday morning amid a rainy commute, sending 19 people, including six children, to hospitals in what the D.C. Fire Department called a "mass casualty incident." None of the injuries was thought to be life-threatening, according to Metro and D.C. Fire spokesman Pete Piringer. The crash occurred about 7:33 a.m. in the 2300 block of Good Hope Road in Southeast D.C. when a charter bus rear-ended the Route 92 Metrobus that was headed to Duke Ellington Bridge, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel. The fire department evaluated more than 20 people and sent 13 adults and six children to local hospitals, all of whom were passengers on the...

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Metro employee struck by train, seriously injured

A Metro employee whose job was to repair the system's rail communication system was hit by a train Thursday, the latest accident for the beleaguered transit agency. The 44-year-old communications technician was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries as of Thursday evening, according to Metro officials. A six-car train headed outbound struck the man around 10:40 a.m. on the tracks between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road stations in Northern Virginia. The man, whose name had not been released, has worked at Metro for almost 13 years. He helps repair equipment such as fire alarms and sensors that alert the central operations center about problems...

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Another Metro shortfall looms, fare increases possible

Metro is expecting next year's budget to be so dismal with rising costs and dropping revenues that even a 6 percent fare increase would not cover the amount the agency expects to lose in advertising revenue alone. The agency Thursday forecast a $144 million gap in its operating budget, typically more than $1 billion, months in advance of its July 1, 2010, start date. Officials said raising fares by about a dime would fill less than $38 million of the hole. That is an early diagnosis that assumes local jurisdictions would be able to subsidize the system as much as they did this year. But local officials warned that they, too, are facing dire budgets, so the agency may not be able to...

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Amtrak conducts major East Coast security search

Amtrak, with other transit agencies and dozens of law enforcement groups, conducted a broad security crackdown Wednesday that included random bag searches at train stations along the East Coast including Union Station. Amtrak conducted the major show of force at train stations in Virginia, Maryland and as far as Vermont just two days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But Amtrak's deputy for special operations Ed Phillips said, "There is no direct tie to 9/11, nor was there any specific threat." Instead it was the latest Amtrak operation to prevent terrorism on transit systems such as those that rocked Madrid and London in 2004 and 2005, he said. Amtrak...

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More closures, delays ahead on Metro, including Columbus Day

Prepare for more delays, Metrorail riders. Just after the transit system caught flak for closing three stations -- including the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station -- over Labor Day weekend, it is gearing up to close the L'Enfant Plaza station and two adjacent stops on the even busier Columbus Day weekend. Labor Day weekend closures Metro closed three stations along the Blue and Yellow lines over the weekend to complete major track work: » The rail system posted lower ridership than last year's holiday weekend. ¥ Monday's ridership was about 165,000 trips, compared with about 227,000 last year. ¥ Saturday and Sunday ridership figures were also...

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Metro using oldest, 'uncrashworthy' cars in front of some trains

Metro is still running "uncrashworthy" rail cars at the front of its trains although it pledged to put those cars in the center of them after a deadly crash crushed one to a third of its size. "On the extreme, rare occasion, we would put a 1000 Series rail car in the lead," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. Metro could not provide numbers on how often the Rohr brand 1000 Series rail cars have been placed on the fronts or backs of trains. Taubenkibel said he was aware of one case in which the 1970s-era cars led a train on the Red Line. But The Examiner has received reports of three such instances since the June 22 crash, which killed nine and injured more than...

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The hard climb of a radio star

» Born in March 1958 in Topeka, Kan., while her mother was stationed there in the Air Force. » Moved to Washington area when she was 5 with her mother and younger sister. » Became a stepdaughter at age 14 when her mother remarried. Her stepfather, Al Harris, was diagnosed two years later with Legionnaire's disease, which became a life-changing event for the whole family. He needed regular care for the next 19 years. "They say he lived," Baden said. "Really he didn't live. He survived." » Graduated in 1976 from Capitol Christian Academy in Upper Marlboro. » Earned an associate's degree in 1979 at Prince George's Community College. »...

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A long commute at 'o'dark thirty'

Like her listeners, Lisa Baden has her own commute to handle. Every weekday she drives 43 miles each way from the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay to her office in Silver Spring. And she does it in the dark. With two alarms and a light timed to shine on her bed, she wakes up at what she calls "o'dark thirty." She hops into her Mini Cooper -- without makeup but with rollers in her hair -- no later than 3:50 a.m. to share the road with bread deliverymen, construction workers and the occasional late-night partier. "You have to be on your toes for a lot of sleepy people, a lot of inebriated people and a lot of deer," she said. She plans so she doesn't need to stop for gas. She keeps...

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The Voice of Washington Traffic

Lisa Baden takes to the airwaves every morning to guide thousands of commuters through highway snarls, providing news, sympathy and entertainment A crashed fuel tanker, a dead deer on a roadway, weed whacking along another, a water main break, and a fatal wreck during the morning commute: None of it fazes Lisa Baden. For the voice of Washington traffic, it's a calm day in a region known for having the second-worst delays in the country, behind Los Angeles. "You'll be swell, you'll be great," she sang at the start of one segment before ticking off myriad tie-ups. Fueled by Diet Pepsi, Baden answers two traffic tipster hot lines, clicks through screens of traffic from...

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Meridian, Ben’s highlight AU art student’s D.C. experience

Faves and raves by Chanel Compton American University arts management graduate student, painter and Albus Cavus art collective participant PERSONAL STATS AGE: 26 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: 2 years NEIGHBORHOOD: Capitol Riverfront 1. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Wonderland Ballroom [1101 Kenyon St. NW], and I know this sounds corny because I do work there, but Busboys & Poets [2021 14th St. NW]. It’s become a second home. 2. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION My Chevy. 3. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT Ehhh. I don’t watch sports, but I live across from the Nationals Stadium, so really that’s the only real local sports event I know of. 4. BEST PLACE...

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Crash-related delays to continue on Red Line

Red Line riders will continue to face delays through this week and possibly longer as the transit system says it needs more time to fix the track at the site of June's deadly train wreck. Metro had told riders the repairs should be done by the end of August on the line that has had major disruptions and unpredictable slowdowns since the June 22 crash, which killed nine people and injured more than 70 people. "As it turns out, the work was more extensive than we imagined," General Manager John Catoe told riders in an online chat. "It will take at least an extra week. I apologize for my overly optimistic projection." The transit agency does not have a firm date on...

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Metrobus hits jogger, police seek ID for injured woman

A Metrobus hit a jogger in a crosswalk Thursday morning, leaving the woman in critical condition and police searching for her identity. D.C. Metropolitan Police said the woman who was hit was not carrying any identification as she jogged so they are asking the public's help in identifying the white, 5-foot-5 woman thought to be in her mid-20s. Have a tip? Police are looking for help identifying the woman who was struck Thursday morning at Connecticut and Florida avenues in Dupont Circle. The jogger is described as a petite white female with brown hair, who is about 25 years old and about 5-foot-5. She was wearing a white T-shirt saying Carleton 1998-1999 Intramural Champs,...

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Metro: Open meeting laws don't apply to conference calls

Metro's board of directors held a private conference call Thursday about the agency's lack of communication -- even though experts say that same meeting would have violated laws if the officials held it in at least two of their own jurisdictions. The board had not scheduled public meetings since July, but the transit agency acknowledged the board has had several conference calls since then. They declined to let reporters from The Washington Examiner and The Washington Post listen to Thursday's call. "It's a private call," Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. "It is purely a communication tool for however many board members are available." But Lucy Dalglish, executive director of...

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Metro police cracking down on teens

Metro's transit cops are cracking down on unruly teens throughout the bus and subway system to coincide with the opening of area schools. The police are increasing patrols near schools each afternoon to encourage kids to keep moving and remind them that food and drink are banned in the system. Littering, smoking, spitting and fighting aren't allowed either. Minors can get written warnings or even be arrested if they don't comply. The transit system is also setting up a special hot line for riders to report unruly teens, the transit agency said Wednesday. And Metro police are speaking with other local law enforcement groups daily in a conference call about juveniles. "We want to...

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Metro trains crash in rail yard

A Metro train crashed into another that was stopped in a rail yard Wednesday evening, the latest accident for the transit agency in a summer of troubles. The run-in, which the transit agency called an "unintentional coupling," occurred about 6 p.m. at the West Falls Church rail yard off the Orange Line when a two-car train drove slowly into the shop and hit a two-car train already stopped there. The impact jostled the stopped train, which contained two mechanics who were working on train doors, Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said Thursday. They were checked out at a hospital as a precaution, but neither was injured. The rail car maintenance worker who was driving the train was not...

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Beltway wreck snarls morning commute

All it took was a morning crash to tie up traffic for some 10 miles on the Beltway Wednesday, the latest snarl for a region already known for having the second-worst traffic delays nationwide. Yet it was August, still summer vacation, before many local schools have started up for the year and vacationers have returned to the workaday rat race. "Although it's still August, August isn't August anymore," said John Townsend, a spokesman for drivers' club AAA Mid-Atlantic. "The Beltway is already over capacity. It wasn't built for this volume it now has." The hit-and-run crash occurred at about 6:40 a.m. in the right lane of the northbound lanes of Interstate 495 just south of the...

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Metro's lost and found on the move

Keys or cell phones lost on a Metro train can soon be found in Hyattsville, not Silver Spring. The transit agency is relocating its Lost and Found Office this weekend from a site off the Red Line in Montgomery County to a new site off the Green Line in Prince George's County, estimating it can save nearly $6 million over the next decade on rent. The 40,000-square-foot office space on Belcrest Road in Hyattsville also gives the agency some room to grow for other customer services such as the headquarters of its fast-growing disability access service, said spokeswoman Angela Gates. But the move will disrupt some of the customer service phone centers for riders on the system, including...

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Metro ends free bus rides for P.G. County students

Prince George's County students no longer can take free Metrobus trips at the end of school each day, the latest program squeezed out during a tight budget year. The program had allowed students from the county to ride Metrobuses for free from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. each school day. But when school started Monday, they had to pay the regular fare of up to $3 for express buses. The change could affect at least 60,000 middle- and high-schoolers in the county's public schools. "Obviously, the program was a great benefit to our students who routinely catch the bus after school to go to other activities, visit the library," said Tanzi West Barbour, a school district spokeswoman. Students...

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Metro mechanic fighting charge of stabbing fellow worker

A Metro mechanic is facing an assault charge after being accused of stabbing another transit system mechanic with a screwdriver. The incident happened at the Bladensburg bus garage off 26th Street in Northeast Washington. Police were called to the garage at 2:17 p.m. Jan. 16 with reports that an assault with a deadly weapon had occurred, according to D.C. Metropolitan Police. Mechanic Daryl Lee Redfearn declined to say what prompted the dispute. The 42-year-old was not injured but he was charged with simple assault and possession of a prohibited weapon, court records show. He was fired a month after the stabbing occurred. He is fighting to get rehired. "I was treated very...

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VRE survey: Riders somewhat happier with train service

Riders have credited Virginia Railway Express with improving its service since last year, as the commuter train agency has stepped up the timeliness of its trains. In an annual customer survey, riders gave the service its highest ranking since 2003. Still, only 75 percent of those surveyed gave the train service a grade of an A or B, up just slightly from the 71 percent who did the year before. About the riders The 2009 Virginia Railway Express survey found that riders have the following demographics: » 64 percent are male. » 35 percent are ages 45 to 54, compared with 24 percent who are 55 to 64 and 23 percent ages 35 to 44. » 59 percent of riders...

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Commuters turn to buses, seek alternatives to driving

The OmniRide commuter buses that give Washington workers alternatives to driving themselves through some of Northern Virginia's worst traffic posted double-digit ridership increases in the past year. The buses that head to the nation's capital from Prince William and Stafford counties showed an 18 percent increase in riders for the fiscal year that ended in June compared with the previous year, according to the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission. The buses carried an average daily load of 8,817 passengers, up from 7,472, along the busy Interstate 95 and Interstate 66 corridors, known for their clogged rush-hour commutes. The commission credits last summer's spike in gas...

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Maryland E-ZPass users quit under new fee

Thousands of Maryland's E-ZPass users are closing the electronic toll accounts that help drivers bypass toll booth congestion in the wake of the state's decision to start charging a monthly fee. The state has received requests to close some 40,000 accounts since January, when the new $1.50-per-month fee was announced, according to Maryland Transportation Authority statistics. Last month alone -- when the fee took effect -- users filed 19,000 requests, compared to the previous monthly average of 670 closure requests. E-ZPass Accounts » The Maryland Transportation Authority had been steadily increasing the number of E-ZPass users so nearly 60 percent of the state's toll payers...

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Spotsylvania votes to join VRE, with a catch

Spotsylvania County has agreed to join Virginia Railway Express commuter train service -- but officials left an escape hatch that could turn the issue into a referendum in the November election. The county Board of Supervisors voted on several measures related to the issue after more than 70 people spoke at a public hearing. The deciding vote was a narrow 4-3. The board changed the start date of the arrangement from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, creating a window for any newly elected board members who are sworn in Jan. 1 to raise the issue in time to back out within the agreement's 30-day clause. Three supervisor seats are up for election in November. Opponents to two incumbents have said they...

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Metro tightens hiring rules after rash of employee problems

Metro has tightened its hiring standards by reducing the number of felony convictions allowed, as well as setting tougher limits on driving violations and sex crimes in the wake of several high-profile employee incidents. The transit agency said Tuesday it rolled out the new policies Aug. 3 to tighten its existing standards and create new ones for job applicants as a way to improve its staffing. It also wants to send a signal to employees and the public. "We want to make sure our employees are the best they can be," spokeswoman Angela Gates said. "When the customers put their trust in us, we want to be able to meet that trust." The new rules say the agency will not hire job...

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Another bad day for Metro in a deadly summer

Metro faced yet another bad day in what is amounting to a terrible and deadly summer. A subcontractor working at a Metro bus garage was apparently electrocuted Tuesday morning, dying after getting shocked while wiring an air compressor. By afternoon, a fire had erupted on the Orange Line. Then a cracked rail was found on the beleaguered Red Line, causing delays in the start of the evening commute. Yet Tuesday was hardly the worst day in a summer in which the transit agency has faced the worst crash in its 33-year history, a track worker was killed, several people committed suicide on the rails, trains overran stations, fires broke out, riders were trapped in an elevator for 90...

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Work to begin on cell phone service at 20 Metro stations

Metro is taking the first steps of a three-year plan to install more cell phone service in its underground train network. Four national cell phone companies will begin installing equipment at the 20 busiest underground rail stations this weekend so train riders can use other carriers besides Verizon. The service should be working by Oct. 16, the transit agency said Tuesday. The work is the beginning of a push to bring wider cell phone access to Metro. It also will bolster the agency's coffers over the next 25 years with more than $50 million in private-sector money and will open the door to major federal funding. Coming soon The 20 busiest Metro stations are slated to be the...

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Worker fatally injured at Metro bus garage

A subcontractor working at a Metro bus facility in Northeast D.C. died Tuesday morning, according to the transit agency. The worker, whose name has not been released, was injured around 8:40 a.m. at the Bladensburg bus garage on 26th Street Northeast, said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. A defibrilliator was used. But it was not immediately clear how the worker was injured or what type of work he was doing at the time. He was not a full-time Metro employee. The worker was taken to the Washington Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead around 9:25 a.m., Farbstein said. Metro transit police are investigating the death. The fatality was the latest blow to the transit agency -- a...

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Metro ridership down since June's deadly crash

Metro ridership has dropped on both the train system and bus lines since the June 22 crash, prompting questions about whether the deadly train accident may have undermined rider confidence in the system while leaving lasting budget implications on the financially strapped agency. Metrorail ridership dropped 2.3 percent in July compared with the same time last year, according to Metro statistics, after a long period of booming ridership. "We don't know at this point if it's the incident or the economy, with people taking fewer vacations," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said earlier this month. Ridership falls Bus ridership...

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Spotsylvania considers joining VRE train system

Spotsylvania residents have the chance to sound off Tuesday on whether the county should help subsidize the Virginia Railway Express commuter service that hundreds of its residents use. Joining the train service would give the county its own station in exchange for some of the proceeds of a 2-percent gas tax. But the public hearing represents part of a more than decade-long debate for the once-rural county dealing with its new role as a bedroom community for Washington commuters. For some transportation advocates such as Bob Chase with the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, it's a clear-cut choice that's long overdue. "It's an equity and fairness issue," said Chase,...

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Light rail chosen for Purple Line

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday that the controversial Purple Line would be built as light rail, instead of as a rapid bus system. "It was the product of consensus we built through disagreement," the Democratic governor told the crowd of purple-clad supporters in Prince George's County. But to the west in Montgomery County, opponents immediately said they didn't feel such consensus on what O'Malley plans to submit to federal authorities as the "locally preferred" option for the proposed transit line connecting the two counties. The Purple Line proposal » What: A 16-mile light-rail line running trains powered by overhead lines almost entirely above ground,...

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Mystics star, ex-Terp loves life in the capital

Faves and raves by Crystal Langhorne Pro basketball player, Washington Mystics PERSONAL STATS AGE: 22 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: Six NEIGHBORHOOD: Arlington 1. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Lucky Strike at Gallery Place 2. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION My car 3. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT Washington Mystics games 4. BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC Back in my college days, Santa Fe (4410 Knox Road, College Park) 5. BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS Carlyle (4000 Campbell Ave., Arlington) 6. FAVORITE MUSEUM Smithsonian 7. MOST ROMANTIC SPOT Melting Pot (1110 N. Glebe Road, Arlington) 8. FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A LAZY SUNDAY Get a massage/pedi/mani, lay around,...

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Three-minute interview - Uchenna Chukwu

The 19-year-old D.C. native has spent the summer working with the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Summer Youth Employment Program to create a 300-foot mural in the Edgewood neighborhood. The group is hosting a “mural jam” Saturday to bring together local artists to work on the mural, then plans to host an unveiling on Aug. 22. What is the mural going to look like? The title of the mural is called “From Edgewood to the Edge of the World.” It’s going to be a lot of different colors depicting the Metro stations — the Red Line, Blue Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, all the different colors. It has faces of different people and artists going...

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More train delays ahead for Red Line, other Metro lines

Red Line riders will face more delays through the end of this month, as Metro replaces all the track circuitry near the site of the recent deadly train wreck. After 10 p.m. each night, trains on the line will share the same track when they travel between Fort Totten and Takoma stations, where the June 22 crash occurred. The work, which will involve up to 50 people each day, means delays for riders beyond that stretch of track as well, as the bottleneck will cause a ripple effect of slowdowns. The Fort Totten station also will be shut down to Red Line trains for the next two weekends, meaning riders passing through that section of the line will have to take a shuttle between the adjacent...

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Streetcar tracks under construction, years away from running

District officials are spending more than $13 million to build streetcar tracks along major roads in Northeast, although there’s no timeline for when a trolley could run down them, nor even any certainty the city would be allowed to run streetcars powered by overhead lines on the bases being built. Meanwhile, delays to another streetcar line in Anacostia have cost at least $860,000, and the line is still at least three years away from operating. The problems with the streetcar lines have left some in those neighborhoods frustrated, especially along H Street where new businesses have been counting on the line to bring customers. “Certainly it has not been a front-burner...

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Questions remain on Purple Line proposal

The plan for the proposed Purple Line took a key step forward this week when Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said he will seek federal money this fall for the line as a light rail system. But there are still many details to be worked out before the opening of the 16-mile transit line including who will pay to run it, the exact location of stops, and which transit agency will operate the trains. The Purple Line, which has been in the works for some 20 years, would open in 2016 at the earliest. And that's before its opponents may try to slow it down with lawsuits, letter-writing campaigns and other tactics. Here's a breakdown of some of the remaining issues on the proposed line that some...

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More track work ahead: Blue and Yellow lines

Blue and Yellow line Metro riders could face some of the same delays as their Red Line compatriots in the next month as the transit agency gears up for major track repairs. Stay Informed » Riders can sign up for e-mail, text alerts or Metro's Twitter account detailing rail disruptions and delays. Visit wmata.com. The transit agency needs to replace an entire switch in the tracks at Pentagon City on Labor Day weekend, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel. But to replace the key track device that lets trains move to different tracks, officials need to prepare the site. Starting this Sunday, he said, nighttime track work will slow down trains significantly after 10 p.m....

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Light rail chosen for Purple Line

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday that the controversial Purple Line would be built as light rail, instead of bus rapid transit, in front of a crowd of purple-clad supporters and officials. The 16-mile line would have up to 21 stations, providing a key east-west connection to Metro, MARC and Amtrak lines by 2018. Nearly all of it would run above ground, instead of tunneling under part of Silver Spring as some had hoped. And it would have an optional stop at Dale Drive in Silver Spring, another controversial spot. “It's a terrific day, what can I say,” said Ben Ross, with Montgomery County's Action Committee for Transit advocacy group that has pushed for the...

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O'Malley slated to choose Purple Line mode

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is slated to detail plans for the controversial Purple Line on Tuesday, moving forward with a decision on what form the transit line should take some two decades after it was first discussed. And the signs suggest the Democrat will likely choose a light-rail option, rather than a bus line, for the proposed route connecting Bethesda's Metrorail station to the one in New Carrollton. What the Purple Line Could Look Like » What: A light-rail line is the likely choice to be announced Tuesday, as the plan has broad support from many county and state officials. Earlier proposals called for 21 stations along a 16 mile line, running in part along the...

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Metro crash causes insurance to spike; other costs expected

Insurance costs because of last month’s deadly Metro crash, even before it has to face pricey victims’ lawsuits and repairs to its automatic safety system. The transit agency’s annual liability insurance premiums have nearly doubled because of the deadly June 22 crash and a bus accident last fall that killed a California man, Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates said. Metro was able to reduce costs in other areas, but the higher dues mean the system will pay an estimated $2.4 million more than the $9.5 million it was paying. In addition, Metro is facing at least five lawsuits in connection with the crash, with the plaintiffs seeking a total of more than $27 million. The...

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Delays remain as Metro to start repairs on Red Line tracks

Federal investigators released the site of last month's deadly train crash to Metro on Friday, allowing the transit agency to begin repairs to the track. But the news isn't so good for riders: Delays on the Red Line are expected to continue. Riders on the busy line should still add at least 30 minutes to their travel plans when the agency begins the repair work next week, said spokeswoman Angela Gates. Metro officials said they expect the work to take about a month, as crews need to replace track circuitry, several thousand feet of cable and other hardware. The section of Red Line track between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations had been under the National Transportation Safety...

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Metrobus driver charged with driving bus without valid license

A Metrobus operator was arrested Thursday after her bus crashed and police found her driver's license was suspended more than two months ago. The crash, which injured one person, occurred about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Good Hope Road and 25th Street in Southeast D.C. when a Route 92 Metrobus traveling to Congress Heights and another vehicle crashed. One person was taken to a local hospital with injuries, though it was not immediately clear whether the person was in the vehicle or the bus. Police charged the driver of the other vehicle with failing to yield, said Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates. But as police were investigating the crash, they found the commercial driver's license of the...

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Orange Line train catches on fire during rush hour

A fire on an Orange Line train Thursday morning filled the system with smoke and forced a train operator to put out the flames with an extinguisher. Later in the day, 10 people, including four children, were trapped in one of Metro's deepest elevators at the Woodley Park-Zoo station for more than an hour and half. And a Metrobus driver was arrested after a crash, charged with driving without a license. The three incidents, plus a fire alarm at the Van Ness-UDC station during the afternoon rush hour, marked an unusually bad day for the transit agency. They were just the latest problems to unsettle riders already rattled by the June 22 train crash that killed nine and injured more than...

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More than 60 Metro track circuits show problems

Metro has fixed at least 47 track circuits with problems since last month’s deadly train crash, and officials were working on 15 more Wednesday. The update, listed on a new Metro Web page, is the first comprehensive look at how systemic the problems may be in the transit system since the June 22 crash exposed problems in the automatic train safety network that keeps trains from getting too close to each other. The site shows that the transit agency had found eight circuits out of 3,000 that needed work by the time Metro General Manager John Catoe told a congressional oversight committee July 14 that just three circuits needed to be fixed. “We have now completed our check of...

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Metro reviewing policy after driver charged with kidnapping

A Metrobus driver was arrested by the transit agency's police department, charged with kidnapping a passenger and accused of keeping her on a bus for some 30 minutes. Michael Eric Robinson, of Capitol Heights, was arrested Saturday after an argument inside the bus escalated on Suitland Road and Regency Parkway in Prince George's County when a rider took a photograph of the driver, according to Metro and the union representing him. The arrest, plus several other high-profile cases of Metro employees photographed while apparently doing wrong on the job, has prompted Metro to take a "comprehensive review" of its disciplinary procedures and penalties, the agency said...

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Metro urges harried Red Line riders to take the bus

Metro supervisor back to old work The sole Metro employee to be reassigned in the wake of the June 22 crash is back to his old job. Matthew Matyuf, the automatic train control division superintendent, had been assigned to a “special project” after the deadly crash. Metro officials had likened it to a bus driver or police officer being reassigned during an investigation following an accident. But he was reinstated late Monday, as first reported by WTOP. “The decision was made internally that it was appropriate to put him back,” Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told The Examiner. Taubenkibel would not say what the special project was that Matyuf had been...

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Key questions remain after deadly Metro crash

It’s been more than a month since the worst crash in Metro’s 33-year history, when one train crashed into another on the Red Line, killing nine and injuring more than 70 people. Metro General Manager John Catoe says the transit system is safe. But riders have questions about the crash and what the accident and continuing investigation mean. Here’s what we know: What caused the crash? The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the June 22 crash and why the system’s safety network failed to stop one train before it slammed into another. Investigators have focused on a faulty circuit that is part of a system designed to keep trains from getting...

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Metro builds Web site about faulty track circuits

Metro has created a website to alert riders daily of where it is working on problems found in its track circuits. The move is an attempt to provide some openness to the system’s safety and operations after criticism of how it has handled information related to the June 22 crash that killed nine and injured more than 70 people. But the transit agency still has not been able to say how many circuits have needed repair under new testing standards established after the crash to give a sense of how widespread the problems may be. Two weeks ago Metro officials testified in a congressional hearing that three of its 3,000 circuits had problems. Last week it said half a dozen. As of Monday...

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Alexandria police chief charged with DUI after crash

Alexandria’s police chief was charged with drunken driving over the weekend after crashing a city-owned vehicle into another car, injuring its driver. David P. Baker, the city’s top law enforcement officer for nearly three years, was placed on administrative leave with pay while the case is investigated. The city immediately appointed Executive Deputy Chief Earl Cook as acting head of the police department. But the news of Baker’s arrest shocked those in the city who said he had earned a lot of respect in his 18 years working for Alexandria. “This is just out of character for him,” Mayor William Euille told The Examiner on Sunday. “We’re all...

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Hoya lacrosse, White House top columnist’s list

Faves and raves by Carol Joynt Host of ‘The Q & A Cafe with Carol Joynt’ on D.C. Cable; Washington columnist for New York Social Diary; former owner of the now-defunct Nathans Restaurant PERSONAL STATS AGE: 1,025 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: 33 NEIGHBORHOOD: Georgetown 1. FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Furin’s coffee shop [2805 M St. NW]. 2. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION My feet. 3. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT Georgetown University lacrosse, Nats games. 4. BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC Any church with a gospel choir. 5. BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS The FDR Memorial late at night. 6. FAVORITE MUSEUM The White House. 7. MOST ROMANTIC...

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Delays on Red Line from person struck by train

A man was struck by a Red Line Metro train in Northwest D.C. shortly after noon Friday, according to the transit agency. The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m. at the Van Ness station, said Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith, when the man was hit by a train headed outbound toward Shady Grove. It was not immediately clear how or why the person got into the path of the train. Rescue workers removed the man from under the train just before 1:15 p.m., Smith said. But his condition was not immediately clear. The incident has caused major delays on the transit line as trains are sharing a single track between the Cleveland Park and Friendship Heights...

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Investigators: Metro equipment at crash problematic for 18 months

A second part of the equipment at the site of last month's deadly Metro crash has been faltering since it was replaced more than 18 months ago, federal investigators said Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board previously said that a bond in the track alert system at the crash site had been intermittently failing to detect trains since it was replaced five days before the June 22 crash. But on Thursday the investigators said another "impedance bond" on the other end of the same circuit had been showing problems since it was replaced in December 2007. The equipment is a key part of the system that is supposed to alert trains -- and even stop them -- when they get...

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Investigators examining glitches around system

Metro has repeatedly said this week that problems found in track circuits around the system are not of the same magnitude as those found at the site of the June 22 crash. But the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said investigators are still examining the problems, and a spokeswoman criticized the transit agency for saying the glitches were less significant than problems found at the site of the Red Line crash. "They cannot say these are not the problems at the accident site," NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak told The Examiner. "We'll do the comparisons." She said investigators haven't determined what is causing the problems. Metro has been...

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Another part of circuit failing at Metro crash site, investigators say

A second part of the equipment at the site of the deadly Metro crash has been showing problems since it was replaced more than 18 months ago, federal investigators said Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board had previously said that a bond in the track alert system had been intermittently failing since it was replaced five days before the June 22 crash. But on Thursday, the agency said a second "impedance bond" on the other end of the same circuit had been showing problems since it was replaced in December 2007. The equipment is a key part of the automatic train system that is supposed to alert trains -- and even stop them -- when they get too close to another...

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Metro working to build real-time alert system

Feds called for agency to upgrade testing Metro is working with an Annapolis company to build a real-time alert system ordered by federal safety officials to help catch the problems that may have led to last month’s deadly train crash. The company, ARINC, began work last week, said Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. The firm has an existing contract with Metro for $15 million to upgrade Metro’s operations control center, she said, but it was not clear Wednesday how the company would be paid for the work. Metro General Manager John Catoe said Wednesday on WAMU’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show” that the agency didn’t receive competitive bids. He likened the process,...

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Metro operator: Recent crash failure echoes 2005 near-miss

Metro's crash-alert system failed four years ago just as it did last month when nine people were killed and more than 70 were injured. But in that case, the two train operators were able to stop their trains -- just barely -- to avoid crashing into a third stopped train. Recently retired train operator Larry P. Mitchell told The Examiner his train stopped on that June 2005 evening just 35 feet short of the standing train. A train behind him came to a stop just 12 feet before impact. "I shudder to think of what might have happened," Mitchell said. "We were under the Potomac, three trains fully loaded. The casualty rate would have been enormous." He said the June 22...

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Retired train operator: 'The system can let you down'

When Larry P. Mitchell heard about the Metro crash last month, the recently retired train operator thought of the operator who was killed when she ran into a stopped train. "To see all that coming at you at that speed. She must have been horrified," he told The Examiner. "I know exactly how she felt." The 58-year-old had his own close call driving a Metro train on June 7, 2005. As an operator with 12 years of experience, he was working overtime during the evening commute, coming from the Foggy Bottom station toward Rosslyn on the Orange and Blue lines. He was under the Potomac River, traveling 59 mph in automatic mode, with a full train. But he didn't know a train was stopped...

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Persistent sensor woes continue to plague Metro

Metro has continued to find problems throughout its track sensing system, the same system suspected of failing in last month's fatal crash, officials said. The agency acknowledged it has found defects in about "half a dozen" circuits since the crash. But the transit agency's general manager insisted that Metro was safe. "If at any time I thought this system was unsafe, I would permanently shut it down," General Manager John Catoe said. Metro has not "detected any issues that will cause the same type of event that occurred on June 22," he added. Nine people were killed and more than 70 people injured in the transit system's worst crash when a Red Line train...

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The 3-minute interview: Ray Flynt

As tourists pour into the nation’s capital, Travelers Aid International helps them at kiosks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport and Union Station with a rotating team of 400 volunteers. Last year, it assisted about 1.1 million travelers locally. Flynt has served as the president and chief executive officer for 12 years. What is the most common question you all get? Wow, they’re all over the map. People just arriving in the area for the first time, they want to know how to get to some of the major attractions in the city, local transportation questions, how to get from — if they are transferring planes — how to get from one...

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Metro warns driver, eyes tougher reading-while-driving policy

Metro is rethinking how it disciplines bus drivers who read while behind the wheel after The Examiner reported earlier this month that a Metrobus driver was reading a book during a busy evening commute. The transit agency plans to reprimand the driver with a written warning, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Monday. The reprimand would be the driver's first violation under the current policy, which allows drivers four strikes before getting fired if they are caught reading while driving. Reading while driving The current Metro policy for bus drivers caught reading is: ¥ A reprimand for the first offense. ¥ The second violation results in a three-day suspension....

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Monitor group asked Metro about moving old rail cars before crash

Metro ignored requests to analyze whether to put its oldest rail cars in the middle of trains months before the deadly crash involving the “uncrashworthy” models, according to a letter from its oversight agency. But now, the Tri-State Oversight Committee said, Metro has put the more than 30-year-old rail cars in the centers of trains in the wake of the June 22 crash without showing proof that it makes the trains any safer. A letter sent from the oversight group to Metro on Friday and obtained by The Examiner said the group could not support Metro’s action until the transit agency could “provide a written justification providing factual evidence” of how it...

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Manufacturers of faltering equipment called to Metro crash site

Federal officials on Thursday brought in the manufacturers of some of the key equipment at the center of the June 22 Metrorail crash investigation, prompting a shutdown of part of the Red Line that delayed riders without much notice. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are still trying to determine what caused the Metro crash that killed nine people and injured more than 70 when one train slammed into the back of a stopped train near the Takoma rail station. Metro Web page on June 22 crash » Metro has created a page on its Web site for victims of the June 22 crash that also has information about the investigation: wmata.com. They are grappling with a...

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Metro trains stopping short, despite safety order

At least seven Metro trains have pulled into stations at the wrong place since the deadly June 22 crash, potentially leaving passengers inside tunnels. The important safety problem has plagued the system for more than a year but was highlighted as the transit agency said it was going to lock down any safety concerns after the crash that killed nine and injured more than 70. The day after the crash, Metro's top executives ordered all trains to stop at the far end of station platforms, known as the eight-car mark, even if they were running shorter trains that did not extend the entire platform length. The problem did not cause the crash, which is still under investigation. Metro had been...

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Crash-alert system for Metro trains continues to fail

Metro's alert system continues to fail periodically in the area of track where one Metro train crashed into another last month, killing nine and injuring more than 70 people. A component of the automatic train alerting system that may have failed to prevent one train from knowing another was stopped ahead on the track continues to flicker intermittently in that same spot even when new equipment is used, National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman testified Tuesday. The device removed just five days before the crash as part of routine maintenance doesn't fix the problem, either. The revelations were part of a three-and-half hour congressional oversight hearing in which...

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Experts: Current Metro oversight lacks teeth

Several groups oversee Metro’s safety and operations in some regard — but experts say none has total authority or the ability to enforce their standards. » National Transportation Safety Board: The independent federal agency is investigating the June 22 Metro crash but makes recommendations after the fact. Even then, the transit agencies do not have to follow them. In 2006, the NTSB told Metro to replace or retrofit its 1000 Series railcars, which were involved in the latest accident, saying they were not “crashworthy.” Metro did not do so and says it would cost nearly $900 million to replace more than one-quarter of its fleet. » Tri-State Oversight Committee: The oversight board is...

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Local fed lawmakers eye new subway safety standards

The region’s congressional delegation is looking into creating federal safety standards to regulate subway systems in the wake of the recent Metro crash that killed nine and injured more than 70 people. A House subcommittee is set to hold a hearing on the crash today, but local leaders say they want to find a way to regulate agencies that face no set of standards. “We believe we can and should take action to begin the effort for national standards,” D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton told The Examiner. “We have national standards for almost everything. Why would we not have standards on this?” Especially of concern, she and others say, are standards for...

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House subcommittee approves $85M for Dulles Rail and $150M for Metro

The Dulles Metrorail project would receive $85 million more from Congress and Metro would get $150 million in long-sought-after funding under a measure approved by a House subcommittee Monday. The House Appropriations Committee’s transportation, housing and urban development subcommittee included the money in its 2010 spending bill, according to Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., who is a senior member of the subcommittee. The addition brings the federal contribution to the Dulles Rail project to $440 million so far. The current price tag of the rail extension project is $5.3 billion. The Federal Transit Administration committed $900 million in March, while the airports authority, and...

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Metro says it can’t yet comply with tougher rail monitoring

Federal transportation investigators on Monday called on Metro to examine its train alert system continuously, instead of daily as it has done in the wake of the deadly June 22 crash. The National Transportation Safety Board also made a second “urgent recommendation” to the Federal Transit Administration for all transit systems that have similar train control systems to ensure they have enough backup protection in their safety systems. “While the NTSB is still in the very early stages of its investigation into this tragic accident here in our nation’s capital, we have concerns about the failure of [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s]...

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Full Red Line service to run past 10 p.m. Friday

Red Line trains will run continuously Friday night -- one of the first times since the deadly June 22 crash that killed nine and injured more than 70 people on that Metro line.

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Metro cracks down on texting drivers

Metro is creating a zero tolerance policy against its employees who use cell phones while operating trains or driving buses after a video surfaced of a driver text messaging. General Manager John Catoe said Thursday that the transit agency will fire any driver who uses cell phones or other electronic devices. The policy will begin Monday after Metro finalizes the policy's wording. Violators previously were allowed three strikes before being kicked out: They were suspended without pay for five days on the first violation, then 10 days, and fired after a third incident. "We thought the penalty under the policy would be enough," Catoe said. "With what happened June 5, obviously...

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Metro probes photo of bus driver reading behind the wheel

It's not just modern technology, such as cell phones, that may be distracting Metro operators from their jobs. A Metrobus driver was photographed apparently reading a book while driving a bus on a busy street in downtown Washington, the latest incident of a rider catching a transit employee multitasking on the job. The photograph was taken last month by a Washington Examiner employee who was riding the bus during the evening commute. The bus was traveling in stop-and-go traffic on Connecticut Avenue between K and L streets on a rainy weekday, according to the rider. No crashes occurred while the rider was aboard. The bus driver could not be reached for comment, and the union that...

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D.C. pulled $50M share of Metro dedicated funds

The District does not have the $50 million that it pledged for Metro as part of a joint effort to give the cash-strapped transit agency dedicated funding, even as local leaders are pushing Congress for more federal money in the wake of the worst crash in the system's 33-year history. Mayor Adrian Fenty removed the budget item approved in November, according to a council report. Council sources said it was redirected to pay for other items. Now the region faces a renewed push to give Metro more money after the deadly June 22 crash that killed nine and injured more than 70 people. The transit agency has said it doesn't have enough money to replace the type of rail cars involved in the...

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Metrorail operators scared to operate trains after crash

Some Metro train operators are scared to operate trains in the wake of the recent deadly crash, according to their union president, despite the transit system's assurance that it was a freak occurrence. "We haven't received anything that would make us think this was an isolated incident," said Jackie Jeter, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689. "I do need to know that it is not going to happen again. I do have people out there who are afraid." Metro and federal officials are searching for answers in what caused the deadly June 22 crash that killed nine and injured more than 70 people. It was the worst crash in the transit system's 33-year history. So...

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Metro breaks July 4 ridership record

Metro broke its Fourth of July ridership record Saturday, running 631,206 trips on the rail system. That number surpassed the previous record for the holiday, logged last year, by more than 32,000 trips, according to the transit agency. The spike was surprising in some ways. Last year, ridership had been high all summer, breaking all sorts of records, as people flocked to the transit system to escape high gasoline prices. This year, however, fuel prices have tempered and overall Metro ridership has not grown as fast as the transit system expected. Still, Metro was able to keep the Smithsonian station open this year, making it easier for riders to get to the National Mall to...

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Metro proposes $177M Red Line rehab

Metro officials are considering a $177 million contract this week to rehabilitate a swath of the aging Red Line, but none of the work is slated to address the problems along a stretch of track where one train recently slammed into another, killing nine and injuring more than 70 people. The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the deadly June 22 crash has pinpointed a malfunctioning track circuit and a data transmitter that help locate trains and stop them before they run into each other. It appears the system may have failed to show the stopped train on the tracks, causing the traveling train to run along the curving track at normal speed and slam into the one in...

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Nats star digs Caps, Natural History Museum

Faves and raves by Ryan Zimmerman Third baseman, Washington Nationals PERSONAL STATS AGE: 24 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: 5. NEIGHBORHOOD: Clarendon FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Liberty Tavern [3195 Wilson Blvd., Arlington]. BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION My car. FAVORITE MUSEUM Natural History Museum. FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A LAZY SUNDAY See a movie. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT Other than baseball, Caps games. BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC Don’t ever get a chance to go to any. BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS Any of the museums or monuments. BEN’S CHILI BOWL, OLD EBBITT GRILL OR CAFE MILANO Old Ebbitt Grill. BEST OUT-OF-TOWN RETREAT Back home in...

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Metro inspecting all 3,000 of system’s circuits

Metro’s general manager said the transit system was manually checking all of the some 3,000 circuits in the rail system after a National Transportation Safety Board investigation pinpointed one as having “anomalies” along the tracks near where a train slammed into another Monday, killing nine and injuring more than 70. The NTSB said Thursday that the sensor system, which helps control the speed and placement of trains, did not detect a test train standing in the same spot as the train that was hit. That indicates it may not have been able to sense that a train was stopped on the tracks ahead. Metro had worked on the circuit this month and repaired it last year,...

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Metro checking all rail circuits

Metro’s general manager said Thursday that the transit system is manually checking all 3,000 circuits in the rail system after a National Transportation Safety Board investigation found a circuit with “anomalies” along the tracks near where a train slammed into another Monday, killing nine and injuring more than 70. The work likely will cause some slowdowns and delays throughout the subway system. “We ask the public to be patient with us but this is something we must do,” John Catoe said. The transit system also is following its largest union’s demand to put the oldest rail cars in between newer rail cars on each train, instead of as front or rear...

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Montgomery speed hump voting process questioned

Montgomery County relies on civic groups to collect votes on proposed speed humps and asks the members to watch their fellow neighbors cast the votes, a process that one county resident is calling undemocratic. By the numbers Montgomery County has 1,198 speed humps: » 795 standard humps » 373 flat-topped humps » 30 raised crosswalks Source: Tracy Wroe, Montgomery County “What’s next? Loyalty oaths?” asks George Vary, who lives in the Springfield neighborhood of Bethesda that has two pending speed humps. “If you tried to do this with the Voting Rights Act, you’d have a federal suit against you.” The county’s rules call for...

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Metro crash probe centers on sensor

Federal investigators on Wednesday found “anomalies” in the Metro equipment that senses trains and transmits speed commands in the area of track near where Monday’s deadly crash occurred close to the Takoma station. The 744-foot-long circuit was along a section of the Red Line repaired earlier this month, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman, who called it “vital” to providing and transmitting information from the control systems and the train itself, helping stop trains when they get too close. Investigators are looking into all aspects of the crash, from train operator Jeanice McMillan’s actions that day to...

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Safeguards failed in deadly train crash

Investigators say brake was pushed; body count hits 9 Metro train operator Jeanice McMillan appeared to have pushed an emergency brake just moments before her train slammed into a stopped train, killing her and eight passengers in Metro’s deadliest crash. Investigators found the mushroom-shaped brake button had been pushed in, and the brakes themselves showed signs of “potential braking,” according to National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman. But the train that caused the accident failed to stop in time despite a series of safeguards intended to prevent train collisions. Hersman said investigators were “very interested” to look into...

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Death toll rises to 9 as officials seek answers

Authorities raised the death toll of Monday¹s fatal Metro train crash to nine on Tuesday morning as investigators began dismantling the crash scene to determine what caused one Red Line train to slam into another on a section of track in Northeast D.C. Two more people were in critical condition in local hospitals and more than 70 were recovering from injuries in the crash, said D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. But it is possible more bodies are hidden in the wreckage as he said the rear car was crumpled to nearly a third of size. Rescuers pulled five bodies out Tuesday morning. "The scene is one that no one should have to see," said General Manager John Catoe after visiting the...

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Metro set to approve $2.14B budget

The Metro board of directors is slated to pass a $2.14 billion budget on Thursday, the final step after months of drawn-out meetings, discussions and public hearings as the agency struggled to plug a gaping budget shortfall. The early forecast on the budget had been grim, with transit agency officials initially suggesting they needed to make $87 million in service cuts to bridge an $154 million budget gap. The agency did eliminate 313 jobs but escaped nearly all the proposed service cuts that would have hit 72 bus lines. Instead, the board agreed to tap the agency’s “rainy day” reserve fund for just over $13 million and find savings elsewhere. Now, only four bus...

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D.C. roads closing Sunday for triathlon

Some roads around the National Mall will be closed Sunday to make way for the athletes and spectators of the Dextro Energy Triathlon. District officials also warn that parking will be limited in some areas for the races that kick off at 6 a.m. today. A handful of the closures were slated to begin as early as 8 p.m. Friday and run until 3 a.m. Monday, but many will be concentrated on today until 2 p.m. Metro is planning to run the rail system on its usual schedule with a 7 a.m. opening on the day of the race, said spokesman Steven Taubenkibel, although riders may run into some delays on the Orange, Blue and Yellow lines because of scheduled track work. Some downtown Metrobus routes...

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Three-minute interview - George Koch

Koch is the painter who helped create the Artomatic show 10 years ago as a way to connect artists and performers in the Washington area, while sharing their work with the community. This year the free exhibit runs until July 5. For details visit artomatic.org. How many artists are participating this year? This year we have over 1,000 visual artists and somewhere between 800 and 1,000 performing artists. Artomatic has moved around the city. Where is it this year? This year we’re in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. The exact address is 55 M St. SE. We’re right at the corner of M Street and Half Street, which is at the entrance to the Nationals ballpark. Why do you move...

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CVS SmarTrip fare machines facing problems

It may not be as easy to add value to Metro’s SmarTrip cards as the transit system promised when it announced earlier this week that customers could add money to the plastic farecards at 106 CVS stores. Reloading SmarTrip Metro announced earlier this week that riders could add value to their SmarTrip cards at CVS and Giant Food stores around the region. The details: » 106 CVS stores » Eight Giant Food stores, with 42 more later in the summer if the pilot program is successful » Riders cannot add SmartBenefits on the machines. » For a list of stores where the machines are located, visit:.wmata.com/fares/smartrip/smartrip_load.cfm. Employees at some of the...

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Proposed Purple Line light rail wins unanimous regional planners’ vote

The proposed Purple Line won a unanimous endorsement from regional transportation planners Wednesday, and in the process bumped more than a half-billion dollars from two highway projects. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board voted to add the proposed light rail line between New Carrollton and Bethesda to its long-range plans, a key step needed for the project to start seeking federal funding. Elected officials in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties already had backed the controversial light rail option that has been debated for some two decades, but Wednesday’s vote marked the first regionwide endorsement of the 16-mile line. “It’s good...

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Metro warns of delays on Yellow/Blue Lines

Metro is warning riders to expect delays for the rest of Wednesday on the Blue and Yellow lines due to a communication line breakdown.

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Regional board to vote on Purple Line plans

A board of the region’s key transportation leaders is slated to vote today on whether to add the proposed Purple Line to the region’s long-term plans, prompting a renewed push from opponents trying to stop the project. What they’re saying » “Although we need more public transportation, it should not be at the expense of our prized trail system. I strongly urge you to rethink the Purple Line route and develop an expansion plan that does not harm our trail system and all that utilize it.” – Dani Pere, Bethesda » “We recognize the local concern over the near-term loss of trees. We are an environmental organization and we know that your...

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Two commit suicide on Metro rails

Two people used Metro trains to kill themselves in as many days over the weekend, prompting delays across the system. The weekend deaths A man killed himself by moving into the path of a train at the Potomac Avenue rail station in Southeast D.C. about 11:45 a.m. Saturday. He was taken to a hospital where he later died of his injuries. The man was not carrying identification, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, so authorities were not initially able to identify him. Just more than 24 hours later, Gweno Ladisch, 33, a woman with a French passport who was living in Chevy Chase, Md., put herself in the path of an eight-car train headed toward Glenmont at the Bethesda Metro station,...

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Montgomery weighs relaxing speed bump rules

Montgomery County is considering rules that would mean more speed bumps on the county’s streets. The backstory Montgomery County first allowed speed bumps about 15 years ago, prompting many to be added to neighborhood streets. But a group called Save Our Streets gathered some 10,000 signatures on petitions to ban the bumps. The County Council issued a temporary moratorium, then issued new rules for the bumps in 1998 that limited where they could go. County Executive Ike Leggett has proposed allowing speed bumps on streets with less traffic than currently required, as well as requiring fewer neighbors to approve them. The county estimates that 46 speed bumps would have been added...

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My Washington: Breaking free in D.C. with a local soccer star

Faves and raves by Lori Lindsey Midfielder for the Washington Freedom professional soccer team PERSONAL STATS AGE: 29 NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: Four NEIGHBORHOOD: Logan Circle/Dupont Circle FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT Townhouse Tavern [1637 R St. NW] FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT D.C. United BEST PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC 9:30 Club [815 V ST. NW] FAVORITE MUSEUM Smithsonian Air and Space Museum BEST MODE OF TRANSPORTATION Bike FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A LAZY SUNDAY Eastern Market and riding bikes around the city BEN’S CHILI BOWL, OLD EBBITT GRILL OR CAFE MILANO Ben’s BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS FDR Memorial MOST ROMANTIC SPOT FDR...

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Metro considers ways to reel in pricey MetroAccess service

Metro is examining ways to rein in the costs of its expensive but growing service for riders with disabilities even as it plans to request $190 million today to continue the program’s contract for another two years. The cash-strapped transit agency is in a bind. Federal law requires it to provide transit service to those with disabilities unable to take buses or trains. But its shared-ride MetroAccess service costs an average of $38 per ride, far more than the base fare of $2.50 that riders pay. Meanwhile, ridership grew about 20 percent last year, and demand is expected to keep surging as the population ages. Even as it grows more popular, MetroAccess receives far more complaints...

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Surviving the ‘trip from hell’

Harold Snider helped shepherd the Americans With Disabilities Act into law. But when the disability access consultant who has been blind since birth uses the region’s transit service created in response to that law, he often ends up with what he calls a “trip from hell.” How long should a trip take? Metro says its trips on MetroAccess should be comparable to its service on Metrobus because both services contend with traffic on area roads. Here’s how long Harold Snider’s trip would take on different modes: » Google Maps: The 15.4 miles should take 36 minutes driving. » Metro’s trip planner for bus and rail: Red Line train transfer to bus...

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Shooting at Holocaust Museum snarls traffic

The shooting at the Holocaust Museum early Wednesday afternoon tied up traffic during the afternoon commute even after officials reopened the 14th Street Bridge to vehicles leaving the city. Officials had closed roads around the museum off 14th Street near the National Mall after the 12:50 p.m. shooting.By 3:15 p.m. officials had reopened the southbound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge but were continuing to direct northbound traffic from the bridge into the District onto the Southeast/Southwest Freeway. Independence Avenue from 12th to 15th streets remained closed at the start of the evening commute, as were portions of 14th and 15th streets. About a dozen District Department of...

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Arlington moves ahead with Columbia Pike streetcar project

A plan to build a streetcar system along Columbia Pike in Arlington and Fairfax counties is poised to move forward this week as part of a years-long plan for developing the busy corridor. Metro officials are slated to vote Thursday on whether to begin a $4.06 million environmental and engineering study of the proposed 5-mile streetcar line. It would be the first major step needed before financing and building the line with its 14 proposed stations between the Skyline complex and the Pentagon City Metrorail station. “We’re quite enthusiastic about it in Arlington,” said Christopher Zimmerman, an Arlington County supervisor who sits on Metro’s board of directors....

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Youth service program City Year fills Metro ‘mystery rider’ gap

Metro plans to drop its nearly $1 million “mystery rider” contract this month amid tight budget constraints one year after it began. But a second program — free to Metro, and secret to some of the system’s own leaders — is under way to critique the transit system. Members of City Year, a nearly yearlong youth service program similar to a domestic version of the Peace Corps, have been writing up to 100 reports each week since January about their experience on Metro. The “secret shopper”-type program was commissioned by the District, which is paying $150,000 for the corps members’ transit passes, which they use to travel to schools across...

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Metro plans to boost pedestrian access to meet increase in foot traffic

More people are walking to Metrorail stations instead of driving and parking at the system’s lots, which is pushing the transit agency to find ways to improve access for pedestrians. The transit agency also has seen a surge in the number of cyclists riding to the stations. To keep those numbers growing, Metro is planning to begin a new study to identify and plug the gaps in walking and biking access within a half-mile of each rail station. Making those changes would be cheaper than having to build more parking lots, Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates said. “We definitely see it as a low-cost way to increase capacity and handle more people,” Gates said. In 2002,...

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SmarTrip plans to give more alternatives with new technology

Transit riders soon may be able to use the same farecard to ride Metro as they do to travel on the Baltimore transit system or even borrow books from D.C. libraries. All the local bus services around the region, such as Ride On, ART, the Connector and Circulator, already let riders use the plastic SmarTrip cards to store money for transit fares. Now the Maryland Transit Administration plans to incorporate the same technology in its farecard system, said Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith. Officials expect to begin the program in early 2010, she said. The cards would look different from Metro’s blue and green cards, but they would allow people to use the same card on transit systems...

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Va. official: Transportation funding in jeopardy

Virginia already has cut more than $2 billion from its six-year transportation funding plan, laid off hundreds of employees and pledged to reduce mowing along highways to save cash. But the state’s transportation secretary gave a grim forecast for the commonwealth’s transportation future, suggesting more gloom and doom ahead. “We are approaching a cliff,” Pierce Homer warned Wednesday morning in a speech to local officials and business leaders sponsored by the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters had called state transportation secretaries on a Friday afternoon in September to warn them the Federal Highway Trust...

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Metro’s hexagon tiles out, printed concrete blocks in

Bid goodbye to the slick floor tiles at almost half of Metrorail stations, the same terra-cotta-colored hexagons that have caused consternation for commuters. Changing Metro’s design Metro is lauded and known for the uniform and clean design of its rail system. But the transit agency has modified some aspects of station platforms from the original designs created more than three decades ago. » It installed “bumpy tile” along the boarding edge of the platform to help blind passengers feel the edge. » The agency also is replacing the white lights at the edge of platforms with red lights to help warn passengers of approaching trains. The transit agency said...

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Metro agrees to buy land for garage

Metro’s board of directors agreed Thursday to pay $6.45 million for 16 acres of District land to build a new bus garage, the latest step in a years-long real estate deal. The property, a former homeless shelter known as D.C. Village in the southernmost tip of the city, was valued at $8.05 million. But the District agreed to drop the price by $1.6 million as credit for months of failing to pay the transit agency as promised under an earlier agreement. “It’s a good deal all around,” said D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, who also serves as Metro chairman. “For decades, we had talked about replacing the garage.” But the deal prompted scorn from two key Metro...

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Metro preps for Next Bus relaunch

Metro has started posting signs at thousands of bus stops around the region touting its Next Bus system. But the program slated to give bus riders a better sense of when the transit agency’s buses will arrive won’t be ready for another month. Callers who try the telephone number on the signs get a cheerful message telling them that Next Bus was suspended in October 2007. Yet Metro said the signs had to go up now to be ready in time for the July 1 relaunch date. “It’s over 12,000 bus stops,” said Metro spokesman Cathy Asato. “It’s just a matter of time. It takes time to install them.” For riders, it’s the latest tease in a...

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14th Street Bridge renovations to begin

A two-year project to renovate the 14th Street Bridge is slated to begin at the end of the morning rush today, kicking off months of shifting traffic patterns — and expected backups — on the heavily traveled commuter route between Virginia and the District. Find another way District Department of Transportation officials urge those who drive across the 14th Street Bridge to consider alternatives: » Carpool across the HOV bridge. No work is occurring on the high-occupancy vehicle bridge, so those who form a car pool or take commuter buses can avoid the construction zone. » Take public transit. Metro and Virginia Railway Express offer train service from Virginia...

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Survey: One-fourth of the streets funded by D.C. are in bad shape

More than a quarter of the roads that the District of Columbia pays to maintain are considered to be in poor — or even “failed” — condition. A District survey of the city’s pavement found that 26 percent of its locally funded road network was in “poor,” “very poor” or “failed” condition in 2008. District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle cautioned drivers that “failed” doesn’t mean that the road is going to collapse. Instead, he said, it’s a measure of the level of deterioration; for example, where the top portion of pavement is peeling off. “There isn’t a simple...

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Metrobuses delayed more often at night, data show

Waiting at a bus stop can be an exercise in patience, but it may be even worse during the evening rush hour. Metrobuses arrived on schedule 74 percent of the time in March, according to the latest data available from the transit agency. But the punctuality varies within the time of day: Morning rush-hour buses were on time 77 percent of the time, while in the evening rush it fell to 69 percent. That means nearly a third of the evening buses were not on time. Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Metro officials didn’t know whether the delayed performance on March evenings was an anomaly or a bigger problem. April statistics are not available, he said. March kicks off...

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Survey: Areas with jobs, activities have smaller households

The population clusters with the most jobs in the region tend to have the smallest households, meaning workers in larger households end up driving long distances to get to work, according to a new survey. The latest results of a household travel survey, which were presented Wednesday to the National Capital Region Transportation Board, analyzed “regional activity clusters,” which are mixed-use areas with higher density housing, and compared them to the more suburban or even semi-rural parts of the region. Think Bailey's Crossroads area, downtown D.C. and Bethesda compared with the outskirts of Frederickburg. The survey found that more than half of the households in a...

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Traffic drops in region but some areas remain clogged

Drivers who slog through a snarled commute each day may not believe it, but a new study shows traffic in the region has improved. The report, slated to be released Wednesday to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, studied aerial photos of about 300 miles of local highways. Overall, it found that traffic declined in the Washington region in 2008 from 2005. “That’s not to say it’s good,” said Ronald Kirby, transportation planning director for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. “Within that, there are still some areas where congestion got worse.” Traffic on the stretch of Interstate 395 headed south from Fourth...

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Amtrak offers deals on D.C. summer fares

Amtrak is reducing fares this summer for many of its trains out of Washington. The train service said Tuesday that it was offering 25 percent off fares for service between the District and New York, Boston, Newport News, Va., or Springfield, Mass. That means a $72 ticket to New York could cost about $49, according to Amtrak. The deal runs on travel between June 2 and Sept. 3. Amtrak also is extending reduced fares begun in February on the Acela Express through the summer, with tickets as low as $99 between D.C. and New York. Reservations must be made at least 14 days in advance....

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Metro asks riders to reserve priority seating for elderly, disabled

Metro is reminding its train riders to reserve special priority seats for those with disabilities — even if the disabilities aren’t obvious. The transit agency said Monday it has posted signs pointing out the priority seats by the center doors of each rail car that are for senior citizens or people with disabilities. Agency officials are putting ads in trains and rail stations, while broadcasting announcements about the policy. They handed out brochures Monday in busy downtown stations. The Americans With Disabilities Act requires the transit service to provide priority seating. But Metro can’t enforce it the way police can ticket a driver who parks in a handicap...

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Metro cell phone service plan faces gaps

Metro riders will still hear silence on their phones even when Metro extends cell phone service in its underground rail system later this year. The plan The 20 busiest Metro stations are slated to be the first in the system to receive expanded cell phone service by October: » Ballston » Bethesda » Crystal City » Columbia Heights » Dupont Circle » Farragut West » Farragut North » Federal Triangle » Foggy Bottom-GWU » Friendship Heights » Gallery Place-Chinatown » Judiciary Square » L’Enfant Plaza » McPherson Square » Metro Center » Pentagon » Pentagon City » Rosslyn »...

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Three-minute interview - Eric Gilliland

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association has been hosting Bike To Work Day since the group formed in 1972. This year it’s Friday, and WABA’s Executive Director Eric Gilliland said 26 celebrations were planned regionwide. Cyclists who register at waba.org and participate will receive a free T-shirt. How many people bike to work that day? In the past we’ve had upwards of 7,000 people register for the event. And we hope to have even more than that this year. How many people bike to work on a typical day? It really depends on the location. There are some parts of D.C. where it’s up to 10 percent of people who commute by bike, but regionwide it’s probably about...

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Metro adds more cameras looking outward

Metro has added 20 new surveillance cameras to rail stations, but now the eyes are trained on areas outside the stations. Eye in the sky Metrorail stations with new exterior cameras: D.C. » Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood » Congress Heights » Deanwood » Minnesota Avenue » Fort Totten » Takoma » Brookland-CUA » Columbia Heights » Georgia Avenue-Petworth » Tenleytown-American University Fairfax » Franconia-Springfield » Vienna/Fairfax-GMU The transit agency said Monday it has added cameras to the exterior of a dozen stations to reduce crime inside and outside of the rail system. But only the District and Fairfax...

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Dulles Toll Road fees to increase for Metrorail project

Drivers who travel the Dulles Toll Road should expect “periodic” toll increases to help pay for the $5.3 billion project to extend Metrorail out to Dulles Airport and beyond. The first increase is slated for Jan. 1, according to a report presented Wednesday to board members of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is managing the Dulles Metrorail expansion. It’s not clear how much the tolls would rise from the current rates. Drivers now pay 50 cents for short trips and up to $1.25 for longer trips. The authority hasn’t established how often it would need to increase the toll. But the other funding modes for the rail expansion are fixed, so cost...

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Prince William begins testing ferry service

Rain or shine, Prince William County is testing a potential ferry service this week that would give commuters an alternative to cars, buses or trains for the trek downtown. A coalition of public agencies, private companies and officials began a three-day study Monday morning with trips up and down the Potomac River aboard an 149-passenger catamaran to see if a ferry service could be viable. The test is the third such study in the last decade, said Rick Canizales, Prince William County’s transportation planning manager. In 2000, he said, the county abandoned the idea after a study found ferry service would take commuters away from existing services such as the Virginia Railway...

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My Washington: Nathaniel Mills

Nathaniel Mills Three-time Olympic speed skater; “Coach Nat” of the D.C. Inner City Excellence (D.C. I.C.E.) skating program at Fort Dupont Ice Arena PERSONAL STATS » AGE: On my 40th lap around the sun ... » NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE D.C. REGION: Nearly 15 » NEIGHBORHOOD: Takoma Park BEST PLACE FOR OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS Gallery Place-Chinatown area, where local and global converge. FAVORITE LOCAL SPORTS EVENT » Gold: Our annual ICE-a-thon at Fort Dupont Ice Arena [3779 Ely Place SE], coinciding with the National Marathon. » Silver: A round of golf at Langston [Benning Road Northeast]. » Bronze: Capitals games, especially when we get...

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Metro directors decide to tap rainy day fund, cut four routes

Metro’s board of directors decided Thursday to tap the transit agency’s rainy day fund to bridge a shortfall in the coming budget — averting nearly all of the $13.6 million in proposed cuts to bus service. The move was made swiftly after a more than three-hour meeting in executive session, a discussion closed to the public even after riders groups criticized the agency for a lack of openness in forming its budget. The initial proposal of $13.6 million in cuts would have affected 72 bus routes, with the bulk of the changes hitting Maryland. Now only four routes in Maryland — the Z2, L7, C7 and C9 — will be eliminated, while three others will charge higher...

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Despite flu fears, Metro officials say keep riding

Metro officials downplayed Vice President Joe Biden’s suggestion Thursday to avoid subways amid the threat of a swine flu pandemic. “I will be riding the system,” Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. “It is fine to ride the system.” However, she urged riders to take precautions similar to those recommended around the world to wash hands and keep germs to oneself. Biden’s office downplayed his comments soon after he made them. The vice president said on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday that he advised his family to stay off airplanes and subways because of the swine flu. His office quickly released a statement that the avid public...

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Van Hollen urges Metro to reject service cuts

A Maryland congressman urged Metro officials to avoid service cuts during a federal oversight hearing on the transit agency Wednesday — one day before Metro’s board is expected to decide on whether to cut 72 bus lines. Metro officials had been called to testify before a House Transportation and Infrastructure oversight subcommittee, the first hearing in more than four years into the way the transit system operates. They were asked about stimulus money, hiring, internal oversight and $13.6 million in proposed cuts to bus service. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia Subcommittee hearing that the Maryland...

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