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scratchyX1 I remember on the 611 excursions out of ALX, as a kid, it was 4 tracks. When did one get removed? It was removed in the early 1990s after Potomac Yard was decommissioned in 1989. The realignment of the mainline tracks from the west side of former site of the yard to it present location w...

It should be noted that prior to the closing of Potomac Yard passenger trains made use of 2 track that bypassed the yard from RO to AF. At that time there were 4 tracks passing through Alexandria Union Station.

farecard I wasn't suggesting junking the existing system, rather supplanting it. The coil scheme may offer redundancy, but they {and wheel counting} did not offer the needed precision for 8-car trains. Some years ago, WMATA paid for an external study; even after that, misplacement remained a proble...

farecard My approach is solely for the interval starting when the the lead car is approaching the leading end of the platform; that's where precision starts to be important. How is a train going to know when to begin decelerating before reaching the end of the platform? Those 3 marker coils provide...

farecard The big issue in days past was poor sensing/stopping at the correct spot. What, if anything, has changed in that regard in the last decade? I seem to recall the 1000's were the best performing, and later models were worse. I've speculated how I would resolve the sensing problem. What came ...

JDC Having moved here in 2012, I've never known ATO-run trains and I cannot wait. According to WaPo's story, the ATO return will include automatic door open/close. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/03/06/metro-ato-train-system-transit/ . IF Metro manages to pull this off, I think i...

octr202 Wouldn't the best bet (long term) be to switch to a four-door car design? Or are there reasons (other than maximizing seating versus standing capacity) why WMATA doesn't want to go this route? Given how massive Metro cars are (compared to many other RT systems) I'm still surprised they stuc...

JDC Oh, and I always chuckle at how the brand new silver stations have the old fashioned PIDs. I wonder if Metro will bother replacing them or just wait for when the stations are old enough to require a rehab. The specification in the contract for the Phase II stations were written almost 10 years ...

davinp The peak fares make the fare structure too complex. The things that make the fare appear to be too complex are: WMATA no longer explains what arithmetic is used to calculate the fare between any two given points. Back in the day it was pretty simple, The fare was based on a composite mile. A...

west point DThat makes sense. What is the high average station dwell times and which stations? Ballston, Bethesda, Columbia Heights, Crystal City, Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Farragut West, Foggy Bottom, Gallery Place, L'Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, McPherson Square, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Silv...

STrRedWolf ] Going through the report... Alstom Gen2 track circuits were replaced (hopefully not with "newer" Gen2's) Automatic operation classified "GoA2" (Automated enter/leave station, automated door opening, operator required) is set to return only on Red line during rush ho...

The garages at Herndon, Innovation Center, Loudoun Gateway and the south garage at Ashburn are county owned garages. The north garage at Ashburn is owned by Comstock Partners and has been opened for use for more the 2 years. WMATA's web site states SmarTrip can be used to pay the parking fee at the ...

farecard I've long thought WMATA should have thought far enough ahead to, on outside dual platform stations, have a center passing track. Such would allow an express to pass a local in the station. The majority of stations are island platform resulting in a third track only being useful in twin pla...

JDC It's interesting to me that the approach to the station - and all of the track equipment - seems to be concrete, as opposed to ballast. My guess the reasoning for the concrete track bed is to eliminate the removal of cross ties during track maintenance in the confined space of the station. Arli...

JDC Metro is saying it is ready to open the Silver line phase II for Thanksgiving 2022, but it does not have enough railcars so....guess not? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/transportation/metro-says-silver-line-extension-ready-to-open-but-there-arent-enough-trains/3186030/ . Pissing match...