Bill to Study Bringing Metro to Woodbridge & Centreville (Arlington: 2013, homes)

[tysonsengineer]

That article essentially echos all the points I made. I approve. But those who equate rail to centreville/woodbridge as the same thing as rail for the dulles corridor are kidding themselves.

6 fortune 500 companies, over 2 billion in regional domestic product, and over 200,000 jobs in the dulles rail corridor.

It is the engine that makes the Fairfax area work, function, and remain affluent. It needs to continue to grow (hopefully now in a smarter way) and too many companies were starting to look back at Arlington and DC instead in order to return to metro adjacent.

The same can't be said about Centreville or Woodbridge, not to mention the fact that the 7-9 billion needed to just construct it could mean decades of funding for VRE instead; an underused infrastructure and asset.

[stpickrell]

An argument could be made for extending Metro to Fort Belvoir given BRAC et al.

Prince George's would like to see Metro out to Fort Meade.

Montgomery County's decided to beef up MARC and create Rapid Bus Transit along the I-270 corridor up to Frederick.

Maybe a smaller argument could be made for extending Metro to say Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes, but at some point you've got to improve the core and build another Potomac crossing.

But not all the way out to Centreville or Woodbridge. You've already got VRE there, beef that up.

VRE could theoretically go out to Richmond or The Plains (there's some track curves around Rectortown in NW Fauquier that prevent service to Front Royal -- I guess it could be fixed but it'd be $$$.) OTOH, given Haymarket's opposition to VRE extension, The Plains/Fauquier would have a heart attack at having to acknowledge they're an exurb. Plus, there's no real feeder roads there.

The western end of 7/267 corridor could have rapid bus transit out to Winchester but that would entail building an additional lane in the Route 7/267 median (to make it really rapid) until you hit the western end of the Silver Line. Ditto for I-66 out to Front Royal.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

An argument could be made for extending Metro to Fort Belvoir given BRAC et al.

Prince George's would like to see Metro out to Fort Meade.

Montgomery County's decided to beef up MARC and create Rapid Bus Transit along the I-270 corridor up to Frederick.

Maybe a smaller argument could be made for extending Metro to say Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes, but at some point you've got to improve the core and build another Potomac crossing.

But not all the way out to Centreville or Woodbridge. You've already got VRE there, beef that up.

VRE could theoretically go out to Richmond or The Plains (there's some track curves around Rectortown in NW Fauquier that prevent service to Front Royal -- I guess it could be fixed but it'd be $$$.) OTOH, given Haymarket's opposition to VRE extension, The Plains/Fauquier would have a heart attack at having to acknowledge they're an exurb. Plus, there's no real feeder roads there.

The western end of 7/267 corridor could have rapid bus transit out to Winchester but that would entail building an additional lane in the Route 7/267 median (to make it really rapid) until you hit the western end of the Silver Line. Ditto for I-66 out to Front Royal.

All of those solutions combined would be a fraction of extending the metro rail out; decades of operation and capital cost. Use the infrastructure we have, it shouldn't be about cookie cutter solutions that metro is always the best solution. There is a perfectly solid heavy rail system that has adequate infrastructure and ROW in place, that could be beefed up perhaps with a stop at Fort B etc for far less.

Expand the schedule, more trains, spend the money the right way.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

An argument could be made for extending Metro to Fort Belvoir given BRAC et al.

Prince George's would like to see Metro out to Fort Meade.

Montgomery County's decided to beef up MARC and create Rapid Bus Transit along the I-270 corridor up to Frederick.

Maybe a smaller argument could be made for extending Metro to say Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes, but at some point you've got to improve the core and build another Potomac crossing.

But not all the way out to Centreville or Woodbridge. You've already got VRE there, beef that up.

VRE could theoretically go out to Richmond or The Plains (there's some track curves around Rectortown in NW Fauquier that prevent service to Front Royal -- I guess it could be fixed but it'd be $$$.) OTOH, given Haymarket's opposition to VRE extension, The Plains/Fauquier would have a heart attack at having to acknowledge they're an exurb. Plus, there's no real feeder roads there.

The western end of 7/267 corridor could have rapid bus transit out to Winchester but that would entail building an additional lane in the Route 7/267 median (to make it really rapid) until you hit the western end of the Silver Line. Ditto for I-66 out to Front Royal.

Just want to point out that Fort Meade is in Anne Arundel, not PG. I am sure PG would much rather see the line come across from Huntington to the National Harbor.

I agree with improving the core. Extending the Metro more will just add more sprawl. The fact that people have to go into DC just to go between MD and VA should be addressed.

[Ed_Wood]

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

I am sure PG would much rather see the line come across from Huntington to the National Harbor

A pipeline from PG to Old Town? No thanks, having the bridge there is bad enough.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by Ed_Wood

A pipeline from PG to Old Town? No thanks, having the bridge there is bad enough.

What is the issue with that?

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by Ed_Wood

A pipeline from PG to Old Town? No thanks, having the bridge there is bad enough.

The hoods in PG don't come from National Harbor.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by dkf747

The hoods in PG don't come from National Harbor.

How many of these hoods actually use Metro other than hanging out around the stations in Prince George's for opportunity crime? I mean, if the hoods were truly using Metro for their crime, North Arlington and Upper Ward 3 would be the most crime ridden areas of the DMV.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

How many of these hoods actually use Metro other than hanging out around the stations in Prince George's for opportunity crime? I mean, if the hoods were truly using Metro for their crime, North Arlington and Upper Ward 3 would be the most crime ridden areas of the DMV.

Don't try to bring logic into the discussion. Apparently criminals love the metro. I was told that in the Tysons Corner/silver line thread too.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

How many of these hoods actually use Metro other than hanging out around the stations in Prince George's for opportunity crime? I mean, if the hoods were truly using Metro for their crime, North Arlington and Upper Ward 3 would be the most crime ridden areas of the DMV.

I think you missed what dkf747 was trying to say. Ed_Wood was trying to infer that having the Metro go to National Harbor was bad because he is making a ridiculous assumption that the National Harbor is some horrible ghetto place. Has nothing to do with the 'hood' going to the Metro.