Tag: transit
Metro to expand service in August
Platform work under way at the East Falls Church Metro station. [WMATA] Metro plans to restore rail and bus service Aug. 16 to nearly pre-COVID levels. Metrorail will add 15 hours more service per week, with opening times returning to normal and the system closing two hours later each night in anticipation of potential increases … Continued
Autonomous shuttle in Mosaic to start testing
Testing of the autonomous electric shuttle that will provide free rides between the Mosaic District and the Dunn Loring Metro station in Merrifield could start as early as this week, according to a tweet from the Fairfax County government. After the testing phase, called Relay, will be officially launched and available to the public. Relay’s … Continued
Metro to open 15 stations on Sunday
Platform work underway at the East Falls Church Metro station. Metro is reopening 15 stations on Sunday, June 28. The stations had been closed since March to conserve critical cleaning supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, three stations on the Orange and Silver lines – East Falls Church, McLean, and Greensboro – will be … Continued
Face coverings to be required on Metro, Connector buses
Beginning Monday, May 18, face coverings will be required on Metro trains, Metrobuses, Metro stations, and Fairfax Connector buses. Face coverings can include bandanas, scarves, neck gaiters, or homemade masks. Up to now, face coverings on local transit was strongly recommended. Now it is a requirement as Metro moves toward an eventual recovery with more … Continued
Metro plans a slow recovery
It’s going to be a long time before Metro draws big crowds like this. Metro plans to gradually ramp up service as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, with full service not totally restored until a treatment or vaccine is available. Metro’s Board of Directors plans to discuss the system’s recovery strategy on May 14. The plan … Continued
Metro to close nine stations, including East Falls Church, all summer
A Metro platform before reconstruction. [Photos: WMATA] Metro is closing all stations on the Silver and Orange lines west of Ballston, beginning May 23. That includes the East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna stations on the Orange Line and the McLean, Tysons, Greensboro, Spring Hill, and Wiehle-Reston East station on the … Continued
Annandale routes spared from Connector cutbacks
The 401 Connector bus on John Marr Drive in Annandale. Fairfax County Connector service will be cut back, beginning April 11, due to reduced ridership resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Thirty-eight bus routes will continue to operate on their regular schedules, including the 401, 402, and 306 routes, which serve the Annandale area. Thirty-nine routes … Continued
Metro board saves 3A and 29W bus routes, but more funding cuts likely due to coronavirus pandemic
The 3A bus on Annandale Road. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s budget, approved by the board on April 2, would not eliminate the 3A and 29W Metrobus routes that traverse the Annandale area. However, the budget for the year beginning July 1 will be re-evaluated as more details emerge in the coming weeks on … Continued
Metro is closing 17 more stations
Metro is closing 17 stations indefinitely, including the East Falls Church station, effective March 26. The closures are being done because of low ridership during the coronavirus emergency and “to conserve critical resources and protect the health and safety of Metro employees and the public,” the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Pandemic Task Force announced March 24. … Continued
Fairfax County Health Department announces first COVID-19 death
The Fairfax County Health Department is reporting its first death of a hospitalized patient who previously tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. The patient was a male in his 60s who acquired the disease through contact with a previously reported case. The cause of death was respiratory failure as a result of COVID-19. … Continued
More coronavirus cases in Northern Virginia, Metro announces cutbacks
The most recent coronavirus cases in Northern Virginia involve a nursing home resident in Falls Church, a female in her 60s in Fairfax County who was exposed during travel in Iran, and a female in her 30s in Fairfax County whose situation is under investigation. A resident of the Kensington, an assisted living and memory … Continued
Keep the 3A and 29W Metrobus routes, residents tell WMATA
A sign at the WMATA hearing. Eliminating the 3A and 29W bus routes would create hardships for many commuters, local residents told the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority Board at a budget hearing Feb. 23. One resident of Westlawn said she organizes her life around the 3A bus. She bought her house because it is close … Continued
Bus riders urged to raise concerns about route cuts at public hearing
WMATA is proposing to eliminate the 3A Metrobus route in Annandale. Bus riders unhappy about the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s intention to eliminate the 3A bus line through Annandale can raise their concerns at a public hearing hosted by WMATA, Monday, Feb. 24, at the Hilton Arlington at 950 N. Stafford St., Arlington. There’s an open … Continued
Giant, Safeway, and Fairfax Connector union members plan to strike
The Safeway on Little River Turnpike in Annandale. Local 400 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union is planning a strike against Giant and Safeway over the companies’ failure to meet employees’ wage and benefit needs. The union is holding a rally and press conference at a Safeway in Washington, D.C., today at 11 … Continued
East Falls Church Metro parking lot to close March 15
The East Falls Church Metro station. Metro commuters who park at the East Falls Church or other Orange line stations need to start thinking about alternatives. Metro’s 2020 summer shutdown on the Orange line is still more than three months away, but “pre-construction” activity to support the massive platform-rebuilding project will begin in a few … Continued