Washington Metro

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The Washington Metro is the public transportation system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Beltway. It is owned and operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), a multijurisdictional agency funded by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and is funded partly through fares and advertising, and partly through tax dollars.

Officially, both the Metrorail (subway) and Metrobus (bus) services are run by the WMATA and considered part of the Washington Metro; however, the expression "Washington Metro" usually refers to Metrorail exclusively.

Since opening in 1976, the subway network has grown to five lines, consisting of 86 stations and 106 miles (170.5 km) of track. The original plan of 83 stations on 103 miles (165.5 km) was completed on January 13, 2001. There were 190 million trips on Metrorail in 2004, meaning about 520,000 passengers use the system every day.^[1] The system is the second busiest in the nation second only to the New York Subway.

Contents 1 Metrorail network 2 History 2.1 New additions 2.2 Accidents 3 Rolling stock 4 Signalling and Operation 5 Intermodal transport 6 See also 7 References 8 External links 8.1 References

Metrorail network

The network was designed with a spoke-hub distribution paradigm, which makes the subway ideal for getting from a suburb to any part of the city, or vice versa, but unattractive for suburb-to-suburb travel; a Purple Line has been occasionally proposed to remedy this (see below). The system is also noteworthy as a system with a limited number of lines that nevertheless makes extensive use of interlining (running more than one line on the same track).

There are five lines, described from the south or west towards the north or east:

• Red Line: From Montgomery County, Maryland, through downtown Washington, and back into Montgomery County. This is the busiest line, and the only one which does not share its track with another line.
• Orange Line: From Fairfax County, Virginia, into Arlington County, Virginia, through central Washington, and out into Prince George's County, Maryland.
• Blue Line: From Fairfax County through Alexandria, Virginia, and Arlington, following the Orange Line through Washington, and out into Prince George's County.
• Yellow Line: The same as the Blue Line, except at the Pentagon, where it crosses the Potomac River and ends in downtown Washington.
• Green Line: From Prince George's County through eastern Washington and back out into Prince George's County.

Half of the system, and most of the stations in the District of Columbia, are underground, but most suburban stations are on elevated rails or at grade, and in the case of the western Orange Line, the train runs along track in the median of an interstate highway. However, the deepest stations in the system are not in Washington, but at the northeastern end of the Red Line, with Wheaton having the longest escalator in the western hemisphere at 230 feet (70 meters), and Forest Glen being even deeper than that; so deep, the only way to the surface is by elevator.^[2]

The system is not centered on any single station, but Metro Center is considered the hub, as it is the busiest station, located at the intersection of the three busiest lines, and the Metro Information Center and Gift Shop are located there. Other notable transfer stations include Gallery Pl-Chinatown, which is located by the MCI Center; Stadium-Armory, which is located by RFK Stadium and has new importance now that the Washington Nationals play there; and L'Enfant Plaza, the only station in the system with four lines, and supplies easy access between downtown Washington and Virginia.

Smithsonian lies under the National Mall, and is the busiest station for tourists; however, due to its proximity to the mall, it is closed down on July 4 every year due to its entrances being located within the security perimeter. Other stations of note for tourists are Capitol South, just three blocks from the United States Capitol, and McPherson Square is just two blocks from the White House. Even though Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan's name claims that it's the proper station to visit the National Zoo, Cleveland Park is not only a few feet closer, but uphill from the zoo, making it an easier walk. Pentagon station offers direct access to the Pentagon; after the Attacks of September 11, 2001, this entrance was closed and passengers must leave the station to get into the Pentagon.

See also: List of Washington Metro stations.

History

During the 1960s, there were plans for a massive freeway system in Washington. However, opposition to this freeway system grew and the funds to construct it were reallocated toward construction of the Metro system.

Construction on the subway began in 1969, with groundbreaking on December 9. The system opened March 27, 1976 with 4.6 miles (7.4 km) available on the Red Line with five stations from Rhode Island Ave to Farragut North. The final 103 mile (166 km), 83 station system was completed with the opening of the Green Line segment to Branch Ave on January 13, 2001. This does not mean the end of the growth of the system, however: a 3.22 mile (5.18 km) extension of the Blue Line to Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard stations opened on December 18, 2004, the first in-fill station (New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U on the Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood) opened November 20, 2004, and plans are being discussed for an Orange Line extension to Dulles Airport.^[3]

The system began in the District of Columbia, with Arlington, Virginia being linked to the system on July 1, 1976; Montgomery County, Maryland on February 6, 1978; Prince George's County, Maryland on November 20, 1978; and Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia on December 17, 1983.^[4]

The highest ridership for a day was June 9, 2004, with 850,636 trips; thousands of people went to Washington to view the funeral procession of Ronald Reagan, and to the U.S. Capitol to view his body as it lay in state. Also, since many streets in Washington were closed that day, many people may have felt it wiser to use Metro just to get around. The previous recordholding days were January 20, 1993 (the first inauguration of Bill Clinton) and October 16, 1995 (the Million Man March).^[5]

New additions

Rumors have abounded for years about transit service out to Dulles and points west either by Metro or other systems. There was even a study in the early 1990s that proposed a series of civil tiltrotor stations as a possible commuting option from places such as Reston, Manassas, Leesburg, Columbia, and other points in the greater Washington area. Like many other plans, this stopped at the initial assessment stage for fiscal and political reasons. Light rail systems and express bus lines have also been floated as a possibility within the District or Northern Virginia. Plans to extend Metrorail to Dulles have been in the works since the beginning of the system's construction. A test station was built at the airport around 1970 and was located some 28 feet below the parking lot area^[6], but until recently, rail transport there was not a reality.

Finally, in 2002, plans were formalized to bring a 23-mile extension to the Orange Line from the West Falls Church station to Route 772 in Loudoun County, Virginia. This would mean a mass transit connection from Washington proper to the important business centers of Reston and Tysons Corner, and most importantly, provide a link to Dulles Airport. On June 10, 2004, the Federal Transit Administration approved the first phase of the project to begin.^[7] See also: Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project.

Controversy has attended proposals to build a Purple Line, linking Bethesda and Silver Spring, Maryland, thereby connecting the two spurs of the Red Line to the north of the city. It would later be possibly extended around the whole district, linking the Metro endpoints together, as seen in a proposal from the Sierra Club^[8]. This line has been conceived as a light rail line traveling along a private right-of-way for at least some portion of its length, and also as a rapid bus line. The proposal has met fierce opposition from some of the residents along the certain areas of the line. Others have noted difficulties in obtaining the funds to build it.^[9]

Metro broke ground on a light rail line in the Anacostia area on November 13, 2004. The project is a demonstration to examine the usefulness of building a light rail line that would help people who live too far away from subway stations by ferrying them to the main Metro network. The line consists of 2.7 miles (4.3 km) and six stations centered. Service is expected to begin in autumn 2006.^[10]

Accidents

There have been only three collisions reported on the Metrorail system since its opening. On January 13 1982, three people were killed and many more were injured when a train backed up and derailed at an interlocking near the Smithsonian Station. Coincidentally, this accident occurred on the same day as Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge during a major snowstorm, producing probably the worst transit situation in Washington history.^[11] On January 5 1996, a train operator was killed when a train overran the Shady Grove station and crashed into a parked train.^[12] On November 3 2004, an out-of-service train lost its brakes, rolled backwards into the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Station, and hit a revenue train servicing the station. No one was killed, but 20 people were injured.^[13] The 2004 accident reinforced the finding from the 1996 accident of the tendency of Metro rail cars built or rehabilitated prior to 2001 to telescope when involved in a head-on collision.^[14]

The system is not immune from passenger suicide. There have been several suicides over the years, one was 18-year-old Victor Zoubak, who lay on the trackbed of the Orange Line in Metro Center in 2004 until a train came, which struck and killed him. According to Zoubak's sister, the young man would lose consciousness and would be dazed and disoriented when he returned to his normal state of mind. Officials later determined that he did not know what he was doing at the time. There have been other deaths at the Union Station and Brookland stations.^[15]

Rolling stock

Metro's rail fleet consists of 952 rail cars, delivered in five shipments. The original order of 300 Metro cars was manufactured by Rohr Industries, with delivery in 1976. These cars are numbered 1000-1299, and were rehabilitated in the mid-1990's. The second order of 76 cars was ordered through Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie (Breda), with delivery in 1982. These cars are numbered 2000-2075, and were rehabilitated in 2003 and 2004 by Alstom in Hornell, New York. The third order consisted of 290 cars, also ordered from Breda, with delivery in 1987. These cars are numbered 3000-3289 as originally delivered, and are currently undergoing rehabilitation by Alstom in Hornell, New York. The fourth order consisted of 100 cars from Breda, numbered 4000-4099. These cars were delivered in 1991. The fifth order consisted of 192 rail cars from Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain. These cars are numbered 5000-5191, with delivery beginning in 2001. Most recently, Metro has ordered 182 rail cars from Alstom, the same company that is rehabilitating the Breda cars. Delivery is expected to begin in late 2005.^[16]

Signalling and Operation

During normal operation on revenue tracks, trains are controlled by an automatic train control system (ATC) which accellerates and brakes the train automatically without operator intervention. However, all trains are manned with train operators who opeate doors and supervise their train. The operator can switch a train into manual mode and drive by hand if the need should arise.

Fixed signals are only present at interlockings. They show a red over red aspect for "Stop and Stay", a lunar (white) aspect for "proceed" and a flashing lunar aspect for "proceed on diverging route" (Only present on newer interlockings, older interlockings are being updated with signals that show this aspect). Tracks are divided into block sections, which can only be occupied by one train at a time, a method to protect against collisions used by most railway systems worldwide, but there are no fixed signals to protect block sections � Virtual signal aspects are transmitted to the train by a cab signalling system and displayed to the operator in the cab, as well as transmitted to the ATC system. Entering of an occupied block is prevented by an automatic train protection system (ATP), which supervises both manual and ATC operation and stops the train well before it would enter an occupied block.

Non-revenue tracks (storage tracks, yard tracks) are not equipped with ATC. Green signs with letters reading "START ATC" and "END ATC" mark the beginning and ending respectively of ATC (Automatic Train Control) territory.

At switches entering into pocket tracks in a direction reverse to the normal operating dirction, there is a "P Signal". The P Signal is a single lunar signal that displays the letter "P" and is found at the entrance to some but not all pocket tracks and other selected main line interlockings in the reverse direction of the normal flow of traffic. Below the P signal on the same post is a punch box to allow the train operator to manually set the switch to the diverting direction (reverse) when the P Signal is lit. The P signal is only lit when a train occupies the two track circuit approaching the P Signal and all possible routes into the interlocking are not occupied.

Two trackside signs exist: The "S"-Sign is posted at revenue tracks and indicates to the operator that a station is ahead. It is located at a distance no greater than 1200 feet (365.75 m) before a station platform. The "TB"-Sign is posted to indicate to the operator that an eight-car train (the longest used in the system) is clear of an interlocking when the train front is flush with the sign, and that the train can turn back in the direction from which it came on the opposite track.^[17]

Trains are usually four or six cars, usually six cars during rush hour and four cars during weekends and late evenings. Eight car trains are used on special event days or to help move more people past a major delay, while two car trains are sometimes used for very low ridership days like major holidays.

Intermodal transport

WMATA has a stated goal of integration of its rail and bus networks. In 2004, SmarTrip readers were installed on all buses, enabling paperless transfers between lines and with the rail system.^[18]

In December 2001 Metro initiated a relationship with Flexcar, a private company which operates car sharing networks in several North American cities. A competitor, ZipCar, began service in the region contemporaneously. With either service, cars are parked at major Metrorail stations and made available for rental on an hourly basis, with the goal of reducing car dependency and increasing transit ridership.^[19]

Metrorail connects with both commuter rail and intercity rail systems.

• Connections to Amtrak are offered at Union Station in Washington, at New Carrollton Station in Prince George's County, at Rockville in Montgomery County, and at King Street Station in Alexandria.
• Virginia Railway Express trains terminate at Union Station in Washington. They also share stations with Metro at L'Enfant Plaza, Crystal City, King Street, and Franconia-Springfield.
• All three lines of Maryland's MARC train system begin at Union Station in Washington; service is also provided to New Carrollton, College Park - University of Maryland and Greenbelt stations in Prince George's County; and Silver Spring and Rockville stations in Montgomery County.

Metrorail's Yellow and Blue Lines serve Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Express bus service from L'Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn is provided to Washington Dulles International Airport. Baltimore-Washington International Airport is served by express bus from Greenbelt, and by rail from Union Station by MARC and Amtrak.

Additionally, several Metrorail stations offer connections to HomeRide, a bus service which connects Virginia Tech, Radford, JMU, and the University of Virginia to the northern Virginia area. Many students at these schools are originally from the northern Virginia area, and especially for freshmen and other students without cars, HomeRide offers an attractive method for getting home on weekends.

See also

• List of Washington Metro stations
• Congressional Subway
• Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project

References

1. ^  WMATA Facts (PDF)
2. ^  Ibid.
3. ^  WMATA History (PDF)
4. ^  Ibid.
5. ^  Ibid.
6. ^  Metrorail Track and Structures at Clouse.org
7. ^  Dulles Corridor
8. ^  Purple Line proposal from the Sierra Club
9. ^  Bickering over Purple Line could cause funding woe - Gazette.net
10. ^  WMATA press release - Metro and the District of Columbia break ground on the Anacostia light rail demonstration project
11. ^  WMATA History (PDF)
12. ^  Report of the 1996 crash from the NTSB
13. ^  WMATA History (PDF)
14. ^  Report of the 1996 crash from the NTSB
15. ^  Man Killed by Train Identified as 18-Year-Old - Washington Post
16. ^  Information on the cars from Schuminweb.com
17. ^  Full System Track Schematic Legend and Nomenclature
18. ^  WMATA press release - Entire Metrobus fleet now equipped with new SmarTrip fareboxes
19. ^  WMATA History (PDF)

External links

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
• Neighborhood Maps and Panoramic Views of each station
• Metro Customer Advocacy Group
• UrbanRail.net Washington Metro
• world.nycsubway.org Washington Metro
• The Schumin Web Transit Center (Washington Metro)
• Technical map of the Washington Metro, showing rail yards, track types, and line designations
• Document describing line nomenclature, operation and singalling
• Various Documents, Pictures and Maps of Washingon Metro[[sk:Washingtonsk� metro]]

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Washington_Metro" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metro, used under the GNU Free Documentation License