Study eyes extension for D.C. streetcar startup

A 21-page study published on the website dcstreetcar, released Monday, urges Washington, D.C. to reconsider the eastern terminus for the H Street/Benning Road streetcar line, now slowly advancing into construction phases after numerous delays.

A capital system keeps growing

In the April 12, 1976 cover story of Railway Age, “Day 1 on the Washington Metro,” Editor-In-Chief Luther Miller wrote: “Maybe it won’t last … But let it be recorded that on March 29, 1976, Washingtonians embraced their new Metro with affection, enthusiasm, and the indulgent understanding that an infant crawls before it walks and sometimes even falls flat on its face.”

For Arlington County streetcar, a PPP option

Arlington County (Va.) Board members Monday approved plans to explore a public-private partnership arrangement to advance its proposed Columbia Pike streetcar. But the approval was strongly contested by a recently elected board member, whose campaign included strident disapproval of any streetcar project.

Arlington goes it alone on streetcar study

Arlington County, Va., continues to pursue plans for two streetcar lines, both meeting at Washington Metrorail’s Pentagon City Station—but the county will pursue both, for now, without the help of neighboring Alexandria, Va.

Bechtel completes Dulles aerial guideway

A Bechtel-led team has completed construction of a three-mile aerial guideway that is part of the 11.7 mile alignment in Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. The guideway will carry WMATA Metrorail trains over major highways and through Tysons Corner, Va.,a busy suburban Washington business center.

“Other” Arlington, Va., streetcar route OK’d

Members of the Arlington Transportation Commission in Virginia voted 10-0 last Thursday to support the proposed Columbia Pike Streetcar initiative, overshadowed in recent weeks by a second streetcar effort being advanced by Arlington County and neighboring Alexandria, Va.

Arlington, Alexandria set to merge streetcar plans

Two Washington, D.C. Virginia suburbs, each originally with its own plan for reinstating streetcars, are ready to merge their projects into one larger plan.

Take a video tour of WMATA’s new 7000 Series railcars

Kawasaki Rail Car USA, Inc. is currently assembling the prototype trainset of the Washington Area Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) new 7000 Series Metrorail rapid transit cars in Kobe, Japan.

Northern Virginia entities coalesce for streetcar growth

Virginia’s Arlington and Fairfax counties, outside Washington, D.C., have pursued the Columbia Pike Streetcar plan, a five-mile route expand rail passenger service from Washington Metro’s Pentagon City Station to Bailey’s Crossroads.

Ansaldo STS USA lands WMATA contract

Ansaldo STS USA said Monday it has signed an $11.8 million contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to replace an existing interlocking at the authority’s Silver Spring, Md., station. The interlocking upgrade is the first step by WMATA to refurbish its existing system with a seamless transfer, hot standby MicroLok® II interlocking controller.