Metro unveiled some preliminary plans for future investment on Thursday, which include a clear shift away from rail expansion in favor of more frequent bus service.
At a board meeting, Metro officials laid out the overall direction the transit agency should take in the coming years in a presentation titled, “World Class Transit.” They said rail construction has become very expensive in the U.S., and the transit system should use its capital funds on more cost-effective ways to improve service.
“I think our team has estimated that building anew is probably about on the scale of 20 times more costly than leveraging technology to achieve our strategic goals,” Metro’s Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off said.
For Metrorail, that means increasing automation to the point that a human operator is no longer required.
“As it is 1967-era technology, the effort and costs needed to keep that in a state of good repair, is certainly significant,” Off said. “You could only imagine what we could do by implementing modern world class technology in today’s Metro system.”
Metro said more automation will improve both safety and reliability on its rail lines and cut down on operating costs. The transit agency will also look at building more entrances to existing rail stations as well as connecting nearby stations, such as Farragut North and West.
Metro last expanded its rail service in 2022, when the long-delayed Silver Line extension to Ashburn opened. The transit agency’s pivot away from future rail expansion means previously proposed ideas, such as the Blue Line loop connecting Georgetown and National Harbor, are likely off the table for now.
“It would be incredibly expensive and likely many decades to deliver a project of this magnitude and to realize the benefits from an investment like that,” Metro’s chief planning and performance officer, Tom Webster, said.
Instead, Webster said the transit system will look at ways it can make Metrobus service run faster, especially on east-west corridors across Downtown D.C.
On June 29, Metro will launch its redesigned bus network with the goal of increasing frequency on more routes. Webster said working with neighboring cities and counties to implement more bus-only lanes will further speed up service.
“(By) making better use of the streets that we have by prioritizing buses, we can optimize our region’s transportation investments,” Webster said. “Bus priority measures enable buses to avoid or bypass traffic and traffic congestion and maintain consistent speeds through congested areas.”
Webster said areas where Metrobus runs on dedicated bus lanes have seen less crashes and delays. Metro is also working with the region-wide DMVMoves Task Force to find ways to better integrate its bus system with others around the area.
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