Author Topic: If you thought Metro couldn't get any worse....  (Read 1070 times)

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Offline imref

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You ain't seen nothing yet:  Platform replacement projects will result in widespread closing of Virginia stations in the summer of 2019

http://www.insidenova.com/news/transportation/metro-to-close-six-northern-virginia-stations-for-the-summer/article_c189542a-5218-11e8-9d5c-a33a432851cc.html

Quote
Under the first phase of the plan, Metro will be demolishing and rebuilding station platforms at Braddock Road, King Street and Eisenhower Avenue stations, resulting in a shutdown of rail service south of Reagan National Airport during the summer of 2019.

That means six Metro stations will be closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2019: Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield.

Offline HalfSmokes

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good luck pushing that through, I'm sure Fairfax and Alexandria will be totally fine with no metro service for a summer for the rt 1 corridor and wont try to derail this

Offline mitlen

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good luck pushing that through, I'm sure Fairfax and Alexandria will be totally fine with no metro service for a summer for the rt 1 corridor and wont try to derail this

METRO will play the safety card.

Offline HalfSmokes

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they already used that one

Offline mitlen

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they already used that one

The gotta whole deck.    :)

Offline HalfSmokes

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The gotta whole deck.    :)

I've talked to a few people, the response seems to be along the lines or 'wasn't that what the shutdown was for?' Personally, I'd like to see the VA legislature redirect the 'dedicated' funding to effected businesses 

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Any experience with those stations? Why demolish and rebuild the platforms? Are they crumbling?

Offline dcpatti

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This is Metro's proposal which they're probably trying to make sound as godawful as possible so the city/state/county governments will "force them to compromise" on what they really want, which I bet is going to be rolling closures of all those stations but one at a time rather than all at once.

Offline mitlen

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I've talked to a few people, the response seems to be along the lines or 'wasn't that what the shutdown was for?' Personally, I'd like to see the VA legislature redirect the 'dedicated' funding to effected businesses 

I'm out in Loudoun.    The cement used in construction of the Silver Line elevated rail doesn't meet the requirements of what was requested.    We haven't even begun to get hosed.    :)    I don't mind dedicated funds   ....   after METRO changes the way they do business.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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The mob?

I'm out in Loudoun.    The cement used in construction of the Silver Line elevated rail doesn't meet the requirements of what was requested.    We haven't even begun to get hosed.    :)    I don't mind dedicated funds   ....   after METRO changes the way they do business.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Any experience with those stations? Why demolish and rebuild the platforms? Are they crumbling?

King Street seems like it's in bad shape, Braddock seems fine (those are the two that I regularly take). Most people around where I live seem to  prefer metro express buses to the train. I think Old Town businesses will scream bloody murder since so many hotels are centered around the metro and then the free trolley pretty effectively delivers tourists to over priced shops




Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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I've talked to a few people, the response seems to be along the lines or 'wasn't that what the shutdown was for?' Personally, I'd like to see the VA legislature redirect the 'dedicated' funding to effected businesses 
that was for rail safety.  This sounds like a separate set of expertise.  Doing this over the summer probably is not the worst timing. Both Franconia and Springfield have VRE, so commuters have an alternative.  Braddock also has the metroway express bus, so there's an alternative already in place.  I'm guessing that possibly could be extended to King Street or even Eisenhower.  Just route it down West Street (?) to Cameron and King

Offline bluestreak

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I mean it sucks, but how do you do widespread repairs? The system in 40 years old and I imagine doing it in one fell swoop is ultimately less pain than doing it piecemeal.

Chicago shut down its Red line for 5 months
LA is shutting down it's Blue line for 8 months
NYC is closing the L Train for 18 months

Offline HalfSmokes

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I mean it sucks, but how do you do widespread repairs? The system in 40 years old and I imagine doing it in one fell swoop is ultimately less pain than doing it piecemeal.

Chicago shut down its Red line for 5 months
LA is shutting down it's Blue line for 8 months
NYC is closing the L Train for 18 months


true, but they're closing down a whole section by choice (remember they've 'fixed' the tracks, this is about stations). If you commute from King, your backup is probably Braddock. If you drive into Huntington, King is another 10 minutes. They've decided to work on all of them at once instead of doing king and silver spring then braddock and arlington.

Offline imref

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what halfsmokes said - I'd imagine a station at a time shutdown would reduce impact.

Online 1995hoo

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The platform at Braddock is in rough shape, very uneven. There are places where the platform is six inches or more above the railcar floor level—rather serious ADA issue there (setting aside the tripping hazard) and it’s why they always make an announcement warning you about it when you arrive at that stop.

The VRE is a lot more expensive than Metro. King Street to Union Station at rush hour is $3.90 one-way on Metro at rush hour. Same trip on VRE is $7.00 (multiple-ride passes can cut the average somewhat, though it’s still more than Metro). VRE management ought to consider cutting fares during the Metro shutdown to try to attract riders, though it’s fair to recognize that many of those riders would bail when the price goes back to normal.

Online Slateman

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Amazing what happens when you stop maintenance for a decade

Offline imref

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Amazing what happens when you stop maintenance for a decade

It’s a symptom of a larger systemic problem.

Offline mitlen

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It’s a symptom of a larger systemic problem.

This


Offline imref

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This



Yeah. With their funding model it’s nearly impossible to do long range planning

Offline tomterp

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King Street seems like it's in bad shape, Braddock seems fine (those are the two that I regularly take). Most people around where I live seem to  prefer metro express buses to the train. I think Old Town businesses will scream bloody murder since so many hotels are centered around the metro and then the free trolley pretty effectively delivers tourists to over priced shops

The two stations are almost interchangeable for Old Town folks - close one at a time,  why can't they do that?

Offline mitlen

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Yeah. With their funding model it’s nearly impossible to do long range planning

It would take all day but there are so many things wrong with the system  ....  going back to the design in the 60s.