I've always felt that the Metro needed a Circle Line, like London's Underground, to take the pressure off the radial routes and the interchanges at L'Enfant and Metro Center, but I don't agree with the combined Blue/Yellow routing east of Union Station because there are no through connections to the Orange and Silver Lines. It may be more appropriate to consider installing a triangular junction at or near Capitol St NE and run a short Blue Line branch to the east, terminating at Stadium Armory with through connections onto the D Route just past the tunnel mouths. Doing so would allow for at least two new stations in a large area of NE not served readily by the Metro and would increase capacity on the D Route between L'Enfant and Stadium Armory. It would also provide a diversionary route.
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Metro's 2040 Plans: New Blue, Yellow and VA lines
- Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
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Apparently, however, London effectively removed the true 'circle' aspect from its Circle line because circle lines tend to have significant drawbacks to them. See http://www.standard.co.uk/news/circle-l ... 99382.html. Apparently, constantly going in a circle is tough on the mechanics of a railcar, especially the wheels. I wish I could find where I read that just now.
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
The concept need considerable refinement. The second Pentagon station is in the wrong place, it should be next to the existing station with the route from Rosslyn tunneling under Washington Boulevard to get to the south end of the station.
The second Rosslyn station as a 90 degree transfer station seems redundant, build the second Rosslyn as depicted in my 2030 track schematic, The "express" from Rosslyn to Falls Church would run under the existing K route along Wilson Boulevard and Fairfax Drive, on the existing K route tracks along VA I-66 from the portal to Great Falls Street, the existing K route would run on track above the existing tracks, a second platform would be built above the existing platform at the East Falls Church station.
What is the purpose of the station in East Potomac Park? There isn't enough tourist traffic to justify it unless the federal government wants the pay for 100% of the capital cost to build it like they did for the Arlington Cemetery station. What happened to the Yellow line between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza? Does WMATA intend to abandoned that route or keep it to allow for operational flexibility.
Also what's up with 2 stations near the Capitol? Seems kind of redundant to me.
The Loop station at Union Station should not be behind to railroad station in should be in front under Columbus Circle, west entrance would utilize the existing west portico entrance to the existing station, east entrance on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue between 1st and 2nd Street NE
Give me some time and I will draw my refined versions in alignment format and track schematic format.
The second Rosslyn station as a 90 degree transfer station seems redundant, build the second Rosslyn as depicted in my 2030 track schematic, The "express" from Rosslyn to Falls Church would run under the existing K route along Wilson Boulevard and Fairfax Drive, on the existing K route tracks along VA I-66 from the portal to Great Falls Street, the existing K route would run on track above the existing tracks, a second platform would be built above the existing platform at the East Falls Church station.
What is the purpose of the station in East Potomac Park? There isn't enough tourist traffic to justify it unless the federal government wants the pay for 100% of the capital cost to build it like they did for the Arlington Cemetery station. What happened to the Yellow line between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza? Does WMATA intend to abandoned that route or keep it to allow for operational flexibility.
Also what's up with 2 stations near the Capitol? Seems kind of redundant to me.
The Loop station at Union Station should not be behind to railroad station in should be in front under Columbus Circle, west entrance would utilize the existing west portico entrance to the existing station, east entrance on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue between 1st and 2nd Street NE
Give me some time and I will draw my refined versions in alignment format and track schematic format.
John in the sand box of Maryland's eastern shore.
The GGW blog has a post today comparing the possible Metro loop in its 2040 plans to loops that exist in other subways around the world. It's here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... p-compare/.
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
GGW has a second blog post today discussing how the loop could (emphasis heavily on could) operate: it's here http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... loop-work/.
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
JDC wrote:Apparently, however, London effectively removed the true 'circle' aspect from its Circle line because circle lines tend to have significant drawbacks to them. See http://www.standard.co.uk/news/circle-l ... 99382.html. Apparently, constantly going in a circle is tough on the mechanics of a railcar, especially the wheels. I wish I could find where I read that just now.i don't know about this, may it's london specific. seoul has a circle line and i don't think they have problems with trains. they use +25 year old railcars sometimes and didn't really see a whole lot of breakdowns.
speaking of loops, seoul also has a small loop on their line 6 trains and it only goes counter-clockwise (not the other way back) ... pretty interesting
A third post on GGW, this one discussing whether Metro can increase core capacity without a loop by fundamentally re-configuring where each line runs - Red Line to Huntington/Franc-Springfield from Glenmont anyone? See http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... town-loop/
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
GGW's fourth post on the potential "loop", this time looking into the new "express route" Metro is contemplating. It's here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... ress-line/
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
"JDC"
GGW's fourth post on the potential "loop", this time looking into the new "express route" Metro is contemplating. It's here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... ress-line/
The article crapped the bed when it got to here:
"The new line would allow up to 26 trains per hour (TPH) to run on the Silver Line as well as on the Orange Line, for a total of 52 TPH passing through East Falls Church.'
If the existing system with a 90 second headway train control system can only allow 26 trains per hour, how are you going to run 26 trains per hour on a branch with a 135 second headway train control system?
90 second headway = 40 trains per hour. The suits at WMATA say it is only 26 trains per hour. 135 second headway = 26 trains per hour. 26 is 65% of 40, Using the same percentage calculation, the maximum number of trains the 135 second headway branch can handle is 16.9 trains per hour.
GGW's fourth post on the potential "loop", this time looking into the new "express route" Metro is contemplating. It's here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... ress-line/
The article crapped the bed when it got to here:
"The new line would allow up to 26 trains per hour (TPH) to run on the Silver Line as well as on the Orange Line, for a total of 52 TPH passing through East Falls Church.'
If the existing system with a 90 second headway train control system can only allow 26 trains per hour, how are you going to run 26 trains per hour on a branch with a 135 second headway train control system?
90 second headway = 40 trains per hour. The suits at WMATA say it is only 26 trains per hour. 135 second headway = 26 trains per hour. 26 is 65% of 40, Using the same percentage calculation, the maximum number of trains the 135 second headway branch can handle is 16.9 trains per hour.
John in the sand box of Maryland's eastern shore.
Yet another post from GGW on Metro's potential plans for a loop in 2040.
This time the author looks at the benefits to riders of locating possible new loop stations closer to existing stations for better transfers vs the result of less 'new ground' being covered by the new stations' locations. See http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... et-better/
This time the author looks at the benefits to riders of locating possible new loop stations closer to existing stations for better transfers vs the result of less 'new ground' being covered by the new stations' locations. See http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... et-better/
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
On its PlanitMetro blog, Metro posted an excellent summary of its in-depth report's analysis as to a whole host of possible Metro projects. The best thing about the post is its graphic summarizing all of the projects the team analyzed. http://planitmetro.com/2013/12/20/why-i ... ress-here/
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
Sand Box John wrote:"JDC"
The only thing I found interesting in those slides is the intervals. Reduction in headway from the presently advertized 3 minutes to 2 minutes. They could relieve the present overloading on the existing system by reducing the headway from 3 minutes to 2 minutes by simply procuring more rolling stock and building the infrastructure to support it.
They will need to improve the platform passenger flow to make such possible. As it is, stations such as Silver Spring lack stairs, leading to queues on the platform after a train unloads. I see similar choking at large downtown stations.
farecard wrote:I'm positive that Metro has discussed such 'station flow' improvements at key bottleneck stations.
They will need to improve the platform passenger flow to make such possible. As it is, stations such as Silver Spring lack stairs, leading to queues on the platform after a train unloads. I see similar choking at large downtown stations.
Living in Broadlands, VA; Working at Half & L SE, DC.
bit offtopic but the pedestrian tunnel studies got me wondering...
why is there a metro center station, then gallery place-Chinatown station? they are so close to each other - they could have moved the red line platform right between the two and create one giant metro center-Chinatown station. the pedestrian tunnel would have "existed" already by the virtue of having all platforms link together.
why is there a metro center station, then gallery place-Chinatown station? they are so close to each other - they could have moved the red line platform right between the two and create one giant metro center-Chinatown station. the pedestrian tunnel would have "existed" already by the virtue of having all platforms link together.
I am not a fan of the Circle Line, given that the DC core will be fully developed in any event.
Why is it that WMATA has rejected extending the blue line across the Potomac to Georgetown and have it extend northward to Tenleytown via Wisconsin Avenue? This is puzzling to me.
Why is it that WMATA has rejected extending the blue line across the Potomac to Georgetown and have it extend northward to Tenleytown via Wisconsin Avenue? This is puzzling to me.