Metro | ARLnow.com

Events Planned for MLK Day

Published January 10, 2012 at 12:05PM

The county’s big event is on Sunday at Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford St) from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The tribute includes a variety of performances, including a keynote address from Howard University’s Dr. Wilmer Leon, gospel music from Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir, and a dance tribute by Urban Artistry. The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) will be accepting non-perishable food donations at the program.

Monday is a nationwide Day of Service to honor Dr. King’s call to serve. AFAC is looking for volunteers to help with food drives at the Giant grocery stores on Columbia Pike (2501 9th Rd S.), at Virginia Square (3450 Washington Blvd), at Lyon Village (3115 Lee Hwy) and at Bailey’s Crossroads in Falls Church (3480 S. Jefferson St). Anyone interested can sign up on the AFAC website.

News

Java Shack Takes Part in Transit Screen Pilot Program

By Katie Pyzyk

Published January 10, 2012 at 10:34AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:26PM

The pilot project came about when Arlington County Commuter Services offered to put up funding for creating systems that help people better understand their transit options. They collaborated with Mobility Lab to come up with some ideas, and the transit screens were born.

David Alpert is Mobility Lab’s Project Manager for the Transit Tech Initiative, and was a bit surprised by the request. He says it’s fairly unusual for a local government to push for this kind of research and development.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 10, 2012 at 8:34AM

McDonnell Supports August Start for Va. Schools — A legislative priority of Arlington Public Schools may actually get some traction in the General Assembly this year. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has thrown his support behind the repeal of a state law that prevents Virginia schools from starting before Labor Day. Known as the “King’s Dominion law,” the law was originally intended to benefit the state’s tourism industry. Arlington has repeatedly applied for a waiver from the requirement, arguing that an August start to the school year would allow for more instruction time, but the request always been denied. [Washington Examiner]

Arlington Loses Vote on Metro Board — Arlington has been “demoted” on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board. County Board Chairman Mary Hynes, previously a voting member of the board, has been moved to alternate status in favor of voting status for a Fairfax County representative and a state government representative. [Sun Gazette]

News

Delays on Blue and Yellow Lines Due to Cracked Rail

By ARLnow.com

Published January 4, 2012 at 8:47AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:26PM

A cracked Yellow Line rail, caused by the recent dramatic downward swing in temperatures, is forcing trains to use a single track near the Pentagon.

The track problem is causing 20-30 minutes delays on the Yellow Line and slight delays on the Blue Line, according to WMATA. As a result, Metro is advising customers to use the Blue Line instead of the Yellow.

News

Morning Poll: ‘Nightmare’ Orange Line Commute ‘Handled Well?’

By ARLnow.com

Published October 28, 2011 at 9:54AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:50PM

As rescuers worked to free the man from underneath the train, power was shut off to the third rail and trains were stopped around the station. With almost nowhere else to go, Orange Line trains started offloading passengers at Rosslyn. Soon, the Rosslyn station started filling up with people — so many people that the escalators were shut down so they wouldn’t become overloaded.

Shortly after that, police were called in to help with crowd control. Via police radio, officers expressed concern that the crowds were so heavy on the platforms that people might start falling onto the tracks. Later, a mass casualty medical response was dispatched to the station as people started getting ill while trying to walk up the long escalators.

News

UPDATED: Sick Person at Rosslyn Metro

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 27, 2011 at 8:42AM | Updated October 27, 2011 at 9:02AM

Emergency crews are on their way to the Rosslyn Metro station for reports of a sick person on board an Orange Line train. WMATA says the person is unresponsive.

There are delays on the Orange and Blue Lines in both directions as a result. Delays will continue until the situation is resolved.

News

MetroAccess Input Wanted at Town Hall Meeting

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 25, 2011 at 11:45AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:50PM

Metro leadership and members of the Accessibility Advisory Committee will be on hand at the meeting to hear what customers believe could be improved or changed. The meeting runs from 6:30-8:00 p.m., with an informational open house beginning at 6:00 p.m.

MetroAccess is a door-to-door shuttle service for people who have a disability preventing them from using rail or buses. The current MetroAccess contract expires on June 30, 2013.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 20, 2011 at 8:46AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:50PM

Examiner: It’s All Zimmerman’s Fault— In an editorial, the Washington Examiner encourages drivers stuck on I-66 to “call or tweet Arlington Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman” to complain, since “he’s one of the most vocal opponents of widening I-66 inside the Beltway.” Regarding local opposition to adding a third lane to I-66, the paper concludes: “This whole scenario is beyond short-sighted and incompetent. This is insane.” [Washington Examiner]

Flat Fare Could Cost Arlington Metro Riders — Arlington transit riders take, on average, the shortest trips of any local residents on the Metrorail system. As a result, county officials warn that Arlington riders will pay more if Metro ever switches to a flat fare system — as has been proposed as a way to simplify the agency’s fare system. [Sun Gazette]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 18, 2011 at 8:31AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:51PM

Merrick Mailer Goes Negative — Republican state Senate candidate Caren Merrick is railing against mudslinging by her Democratic opponent, Barbara Favola, by sending out a mailer that does some major mudslinging of her own. “Barbara Favola: Too extreme to represent us,” the mailer says, before listing a litany of negatives about Favola’s record on the Arlington County Board. “Apparently, she will do anything to get elected in her quest for power,” the mailer also says, before declaring: “On November 8th, vote to reject [Favola’s] mud slinging politics.” [Blue Virginia]

Man Struck By Train Dies — Updated at 11:50 a.m. — The 39-year-old McLean man who was struck by an Orange Line train in an apparent suicide attempt at the Clarendon Metro station last week has died. Earlier, Metro said the man had been in critical condition the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital with head injuries and broken bones. It took rescuers about an hour to free the man from underneath the train on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The disruption on the Orange Line caused major delays for thousands of evening rush hour commuters. [Washington Examiner]

News

Blue Line Changes Will Relieve ‘Orange Crush’

By ARLnow.com

Published October 14, 2011 at 12:00PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:51PM

Starting mid-2012, six additional Orange Line trains will be put in service each peak hour, three in each direction. Those trains will run from West Falls Church to Largo Town Center, which is normally a Blue Line station. To allow that to happen — the Orange Line tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom operates at capacity during peak hours — six Blue Line trains will be diverted over the Yellow Line Bridge.

Those “former Blue Line trains” will operate between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt, a Green Line station. The trains — three in each direction during peak hours — will be identified as Yellow Line trains.

Opinion

Morning Poll: ‘Peak of the Peak’ Metrorail Fee

By ARLnow.com

Published October 12, 2011 at 9:19AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:51PM

The $0.20 fee applies to Metrorail trips on non-holiday weekdays between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., and between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. The ‘POP’ charge is meant to generate more revenue for Metro at those time when rail service is the busiest.

But a presentation released by WMATA yesterday morning suggests the transit agency is thinking about eliminating the surcharge as part of an overall effort to simplify its fare structure.

Traffic

Sunday Road Closures for Army Ten-Miler

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 7, 2011 at 11:51AM

Tens of thousands of runners will be hitting the streets for the 27th Annual Army Ten-Miler race.

The race begins at 8 a.m. on Route 110 and ends in the Pentagon South Parking Lot, but some roads will be shut down as early as 5 a.m. They should all be reopened by noon.