This year, Metro delivered new buses, new rail cars, improvements to MetroAccess, and unveiled new service initiatives to the more than 1.2 million people who rely on its services each day. In 2007, Metro looks forward to implementing more eight-car trains, new express bus service along Georgia Avenue, making its service more convenient accessible to its customers through technology and welcoming a new General Manager.

"This year we took several steps in the right direction to improve our service by introducing new buses, new rail cars, and changes to MetroAccess," said Metro Board Chairman Gladys W. Mack.

 

"This year, my top priority was Metrobus. While Metrorail plays a critical role in moving several hundred thousand people each weekday, the Metrobus system also provides a critical life link to people throughout the region. This year we moved forward toward improving our bus service."

 

Service changes on Metrobus will be implemented on five lines in the District of Columbia beginning December 31. The changes are in response to customer requests and will improve service reliability. Several changes are due to detours associated with construction at the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metrorail station.

 

Changes will be made to the following lines:

The Yellow Line is about to get a little longer.

  

The Yellow Line will be extended to the Fort Totten Metrorail station during off-peak hours starting Sunday, December 31, 2006.

 

Extension of Yellow Line service has been a priority project of CSNA and was championed by CSNA's  Transportation & Parking Committee and CSNA member and past-president, Scott Pomeroy.  Additional thanks to our Ward 2 neighbor, Carlson Klapthor, who introduced the idea of beginning with additional off-peak service, where the greatest gaps in Green Line service exist.  By only adding additional off-peak service, this reduced the cost of the pilot program dramatically. 

 

The new extended service adds five extra stops on the northern end of the line and will provide additional off-peak rail service to customers traveling to the Shaw-Howard U, U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo, Columbia Heights and Georgia Ave-Petworth Metrorail stations.

 

Weekday off-peak service (9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) will operate every six minutes. Week night (after 7 p.m.), and weekend service will run every 7 1/2 to 10 minutes.

"We listened to what community asked and needed," said Jim Graham, Metro Board Member who represents the District of Columbia, and is the D.C. Councilmember for Ward 1.

 

Metro has signed a new contract with Flexcar and Zipcar enabling the two car sharing companies to continue providing services at Metrorail stations in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Flexcar and Zipcar have been awarded one-year contracts with one- one-year options.

Under the terms of the agreement, Flexcar and Zipcar will roll out a total of 89 vehicles available at 34 Metro Kiss & Ride lots over the next four months (a complete list of stations follows). In addition, there are 10 more stations where the car sharing companies will be able to place vehicles if they choose. Currently, the companies have 38 vehicles at 28 stations.