by mtuandrew
Chris Brown wrote:Outside of the Georgetown stop, you would be adding stations downtown that are just a few blocks from current WMATA stations. Seems like a waste. I don't think anyone wants to spend billions creating a line just for tourists when people who actually live here and commute daily can use more coverage.Sorry, that was semi-sarcastic. I do think there’s demand for a streetcar along the Mall though, possibly extending across the Potomac to Arlington National Cemetery assuming NPS clears Memorial Bridge for heavy loads, and largely in order to take the tourist loads away from the Orange/Blue/Silver Lines.
I think the M Street Tunnel is in the same situation. There’s demand for transit directly between Georgetown and Union Station, but for the moment that’s being handled by buses. In the future, DC Streetcar will connect the two. WMATA doesn’t currently need the tunnel as much as it needs tighter scheduling and signaling.