WMATA solicits input on rail service improvement study

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday unveiled several preliminary concepts to improve reliability, meet future ridership demands and better serve riders on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.

Starting next week, WMATA will host a series of open houses in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to provide information about the draft concepts, answer questions and gather public input, authority officials said in a press release.

The concepts were drafted as part of a study that addresses the short- and long-term needs of the lines. Riders on those lines regularly experience delays, crowding and congestion due to limitations in the rail system's design.

The three lines share one set of track from the Rosslyn tunnel, through downtown D.C. to Stadium-Armory. As a result, a bottleneck occurs and limits the number of trains that can serve riders during rush hour. Running three lines on one track requires precision, so even a minor problem with a single train can affect the entire rush hour for all three lines, authority officials said.

The study has identified several draft concepts to improve service and position WMATA to better serve the region's future needs. The public input will help the authority evaluate the concepts and recommend a comprehensive strategy with a locally preferred alliterative to move forward with environmental review, design and funding in late 2020.

To read the preliminary concepts, click on this link. Stakeholders and members of the public who can't attend an open house can provide comments online.