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  • WMATA Summer 2019 BL/YL Virginia platform project

  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

Moderators: mtuandrew, therock, Robert Paniagua

 #1510558  by STrRedWolf
 
farecard wrote:I'm not familiar with the stations down there.

At other "both side" entrance stations such as New Carrolton, there is an outside-the-fairgate passage between them.
Do the closed locations lack same, or are such passages also locked off during the work?
New Carrollton has the Amtrak station as well, so they can't close both entrances. If I remember correctly (it's been over 20 years) New Carrolton has one gate that empties into the corridor. That's it. When they close, they close that gate.

(I won't be surprised if Amtrak closes their gates between 2am and 4am...)
 #1510636  by STrRedWolf
 
farecard wrote:Thanks.
My question was mainly around why 2 sets of shuttle buses from there.
Okay, there's Huntington North which exits to Huntington Avenue (mainly east/west) and Huntington South which exits along VA 241 (North Kings Highway). There's three separate parking garages... and from the satellite view, it looks like you have to go through the station just to get from one end to the other. Without visiting, I would bet that this station has two exits, one at each end of the platform, and there is no path under the tracks that you can take w/o going though the fare gates.
 #1510672  by JDC
 
STrRedWolf wrote:
farecard wrote:Thanks.
My question was mainly around why 2 sets of shuttle buses from there.
Okay, there's Huntington North which exits to Huntington Avenue (mainly east/west) and Huntington South which exits along VA 241 (North Kings Highway). There's three separate parking garages... and from the satellite view, it looks like you have to go through the station just to get from one end to the other. Without visiting, I would bet that this station has two exits, one at each end of the platform, and there is no path under the tracks that you can take w/o going though the fare gates.
I believe that is correct. On top of it, the original parking garage is closed and scheduled for demolition.
 #1511264  by smallfire85
 
The topography is the main factor to the bus setup. There is about a 90-foot elevation difference between the North and South entrances at Huntington. The roads on the north end of the station are relatively isolated from the roads from the south end, which effectively creates two demand areas for the people who walk in and bus in to Huntington.

The trek from North to South is not one that many people can make, and Metro would be quite remiss to expect people to do so.
 #1511847  by mtuandrew
 
JDC wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 11:20 am
mtuandrew wrote:
GojiMet86 wrote:For the busfans here, DASH bought some articulated Neoplans from Westchester Bee-Line for this.
I saw a number of them out and about today, especially on the AT8. They look nice and new from 25’ away, but you can tell it was a pretty quick paint job when you’re in a traffic jam next to one. Haven’t been inside one yet.
Saw one on 495 this morning heads towards Alexandria from Springfield. Even at a distance, the paint job was noticeably 'off'.
Riding in DASH Neoplan #602 now. Hoo boy, it’s like I’m back in 1986. Zero amenities except that someone installed a few LED lights in the accordion section, and precious little soundproofing. At least the A/C is keeping up, the ride isn’t too mushy, and it seems to have enough get-up-and-go for the GW Parkway.
 #1513274  by Sand Box John
 
JDC
As part of the PIP PR campaign, Metro is highlighting the history of each closed station, starting with King Street. https://www.wmata.com/service/rail/Plat ... fm?id=1046. As the photos show, that sure was a different area pre-Metro.


If you look in the upper left corner of the first photo you will notice the Southern Railway Round House. The railroad yard, repair and maintenance facility ran from Witter Drive to S Henry Street. Their steam program was also operated out of the facility. That is why both the Blue and Yellow lines pass under the tennis courts in Dog Run Park at Carlyle. The leads into the facility are where the tennis courts are today. Prior to Southern's closing of the Yard, WMATA had a connection to the common carrier railroad network west of the tennis courts.
 #1514239  by davinp
 
JDC wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:00 am Metro's latest report on this summer PIP shows continued progress, especially of the installation of new tiling. https://www.wmata.com/service/rail/Plat ... pdates.cfm
The Franconia-Springfield station is barely 25 years old as it did not exist when VRE began service in 1992. So you'd think this station's platform would not be in as bad condition as the others further noth