Expansion of the Public Transportation System
June 2003

by Tom Metcalf

To meet the travel demands of the growing District population and work force, the District's transit system will need to be expanded. While as Washingtonians we are justifiably proud of our Metrorail system, it was designed primarily to move suburban commuters to and from their downtown jobs. The focus now is how to improve mobility within the District and to redevelop languishing areas of the District using smart-growth ideas. Without transit there can be no transit-oriented development.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT), together with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), has identified four promising corridors as part of a transit expansion study. To serve these corridors, DDOT is studying several options, from expanded bus service (inexpensive but low capacity) to Metrorail (expensive but high capacity). The option that DDOT is most strongly considering, however, is light rail, which can achieve roughly half the passenger capacity of Metrorail's Orange line at a tenth the cost.

Light rail and trolleys are modern versions of the streetcars and interurban rail lines that at one time gave our streets the capacity to move four times as many people as they do now with a layout centered on the automobile. The vehicles are electrically powered and can carry about 130 passengers each. Trolleys usually run as single cars while light rail trains can have as many as four cars. Although light rail can be operated in a subway or on an elevated structure if need be, it is designed primarily to run at ground level. And unlike Metrorail, surface-level tracks do not need to be completely fenced off; light-rail tracks can be laid in streets, with trains running in mixed traffic.

In the past two decades, light-rail systems have spurred thriving redevelopment and smart growth in many cities. Sierra Club's recent report, "Smart Choices, Less Traffic" highlights several light-rail systems as forward-looking "Transportation Solutions for the 21st Century," including Hiawatha Light Rail in Minneapolis, Canal Street Streetcar in New Orleans, TRAX light rail system in Salt Lake City, and Main Street light rail in Houston. Other successes are in Portland, Oregon, where light rail and a modern streetcar complement each other, and Dallas - not usually thought of as a progressive city - where 77 percent of city residents recently voted for bonds to expand their DART light rail system.

Surface-level running would allow stations to be spaced closer together than on Metrorail, running underground. This would bring the benefits of transit-oriented development to more neighborhoods and create true transit corridors. The four corridors that have been identified as most promising all terminate at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station east of the Anacostia. One corridor begins in Georgetown and heads east to Union Station, where it joins another that begins at Woodley Park and proceeds southeast. (At present, DDOT isn't talking about specific streets, nor has it identified river crossing points.) These two lines then continue east through the northern part of Capitol Hill to the Minnesota Avenue station. A third line begins in Silver Spring and heads directly south all the way to the Southeast/Waterfront station, then heads east roughly along the M street SW/SE corridor, eventually crossing the river and ending at Minnesota Avenue. The fourth line connects the Minnesota Avenue to the Anacostia Metro station, then continues south.

This is a tall order, and the estimated price tag is $1.3 billion for a system with 35 miles of track and dozens of stations. For the same cost, only about five miles of Metrorail with five stations could be built. It would take about 10 years before a light rail system could actually be built. DDOT believes, however, that even if the District finances the entire project itself, the increased property, sales, and income tax returns that would result from redevelopment along the transit lines would more than cover the cost. As the District constructs its plans, we must keep a careful watch to ensure that the redevelopment is done in an equitable manner, without displacing lower-income residents in favor of uniformly high-priced development.

Three-car, light-rail trains running every four minutes could carry 6,000 passengers per hour, while one lane of city streets can handle only about 900 automobiles per hour. Nevertheless, many fear that the loss of an automobile traffic or parking lane will compound traffic problems and hurt businesses along the tracks. Those who live and work beside the proposed rights-of-way have legitimate concerns about how the new transit will affect them. DDOT should pay careful attention to what has worked and what hasn't in other cities that have built light rail. It should embark on a vigorous transportation demand management program and have parking solutions in place well before ground is broken.

Ten years is a long time to wait, but DDOT has two starter projects that could become operational within a few years. The first is to re-align K Street and include a two-lane busway that could eventually be upgraded to light rail. The combination of traffic-signal priority, an exclusive right-of-way, and a clearly defined route would provide a much improved bus service and attract more passengers. The second starter project is to make use of the existing but nearly abandoned CSX railroad tracks from Minnesota Avenue south to the Anacostia Metro station and further south through Bolling Air Force Base and the Naval Research Laboratory. Initially, service could be provided with a vehicle known as a Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) - fortunately, it can be built as a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle also. This is a self-propelled passenger vehicle that needs neither a locomotive nor electric wires and is certainly the fastest way to get rail transit service started on pre-existing railroad tracks. The standard model of the vehicle currently under consideration, however, while it has 30 percent more seats than a Metrorail car, only has one door, a configuration that is not well suited for short-distance transit with closely spaced stops. Whether a more appropriate configuration can be manufactured remains to be seen.

Whichever way DDOT decides to launch the new transit, it is important that the starter system be a success. Any rail-based operation will be immediately compared to Metrorail, and if the performance - speed, frequency, comfort, and convenience - is not comparable, it will not attract riders. If it cannot attract riders, the willingness of the public and of elected officials to fund any subsequent expansion will evaporate.

DDOT has been going to various civic groups - including Sierra Club - to explain the transit expansion plan. Dan Tangherlini, acting DDOT director, spoke at the public forum of the DC Chapter’s Air Quality and Transportation Committee in September, for example. The plan is still in the formative stages, giving Sierra Club members an excellent opportunity to provide input on the future of transportation in the District.