Jump to content

WMATA Washington


DCAreaTransitFan

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

 Late night service on Metro rail will be elimate starting on July 1, 2017 for two years. The new hours will be:

1. Monday to Thursday: 5 am to 11:30 pm.

2. Fridays: 5 am to 1 am.

3. Saturdays: 7 am to 1 am.

4. Sundays: 8 am to 11 am .

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Metro-Board-to-Vote-on-Suspending-Late-Night-Metro-Service-406753555.html

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/17/2016 at 1:59 AM, Blue Bus Fan said:

 Late night service on Metro rail will be elimate starting on July 1, 2017 for two years. The new hours will be:

1. Monday to Thursday: 5 am to 11:30 pm.

2. Fridays: 5 am to 1 am.

3. Saturdays: 7 am to 1 am.

4. Sundays: 8 am to 11 am .

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Metro-Board-to-Vote-on-Suspending-Late-Night-Metro-Service-406753555.html

They need to do NYC Fasttrack and close parts of the system for weekend work to speed up work on bringing the system up to good standard of repair.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

WMATA will be retiring its last high floor buses this year. The amount of 2000 Orion V's (numbered 2100-2231) in service has dropped steadily over the past year. The arrival of 100 new XN40's will complete their retirement.

Also, for anyone interested WMATA sent a restored bus to last week's inaugural parade. This bus is a 1953 GMC Old Look (number 1912), and it still has its original 6-71 engine.  

IMG_0216.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Eh. I liked WMATA's Orion Vs ok... but I always resented the 2100-2200 series. When they came in circa Summer of 2000, they killed off the last of Metro's 'variety' fleet.

Spring of 2000... a grab-bag of RTSs, GM New Looks, Flxible New Looks and first-gen Flxible Metros running around. A few months later, every last one replaced by a milquetoast Orion V with a limp-sounding Series 50 engine.

The 4200-4300 units had more character. And the 9600s with the roaring 6V92TAs... whoaaaa! On the topic, does anyone have pics of the 9600s in their native paint scheme? Those looked -really- sharp.

I'll kind-of miss Orion Vs in DC -- but I won't miss the 2100-2200s.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Border City Transit said:

Eh. I liked WMATA's Orion Vs ok... but I always resented the 2100-2200 series. When they came in circa Summer of 2000, they killed off the last of Metro's 'variety' fleet.

Spring of 2000... a grab-bag of RTSs, GM New Looks, Flxible New Looks and first-gen Flxible Metros running around. A few months later, every last one replaced by a milquetoast Orion V with a limp-sounding Series 50 engine.

The 4200-4300 units had more character. And the 9600s with the roaring 6V92TAs... whoaaaa! On the topic, does anyone have pics of the 9600s in their native paint scheme? Those looked -really- sharp.

I'll kind-of miss Orion Vs in DC -- but I won't miss the 2100-2200s.

They still have a pretty variety in WMATA's fleet just low floor with NABI, Orion, and New Flyers still in the fleet with CNG, Diesel and Hybrid powered fleet too.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, TheAverageJoe said:

They still have a pretty variety in WMATA's fleet just low floor with NABI, Orion, and New Flyers still in the fleet with CNG, Diesel and Hybrid powered fleet too.

Agreed. It's still a great fleet. They even manage to achieve variety within the same basic model of New Flyer.

I can't think of a single fleet with more variations of the NFI Xcelsior...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Border City Transit said:

Agreed. It's still a great fleet. They even manage to achieve variety within the same basic model of New Flyer.

I can't think of a single fleet with more variations of the NFI Xcelsior...

 

 

Your also forgetting LF, LFA and LFR in their fleet as well

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Border City Transit said:

Eh. I liked WMATA's Orion Vs ok... but I always resented the 2100-2200 series. When they came in circa Summer of 2000, they killed off the last of Metro's 'variety' fleet.

It was also the 100 2000 Orion VI that retired the classic older buses. They weren't built as well, and that combined with bad maintenance caused several bad fires, and the whole fleet was retired in 2012 after 12 years of service (which is young for WMATA standards). It was king of ironic because one series of bus they replaced were the 1961 GMC new looks originally bought by AB&W Transit (which WMATA took over in the 70s). Those and the RTS lasted much longer. Really what did them in was the disability requirements. 

17 hours ago, Border City Transit said:

The 4200-4300 units had more character. And the 9600s with the roaring 6V92TAs... whoaaaa! On the topic, does anyone have pics of the 9600s in their native paint scheme? Those looked -really- sharp.

 

They were actually repowered with Detroit S50s in the early 2000s but kept their original voith transmissions.

If you look them up there are a few photos on ttmg. 

Also, they recently overhauled a single 4200 series bus for road purposes and even gave it a new local brand paint scheme. Unfortunately, it replaced the previous road painted bus, which was an L10 powered Flxible.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I thought I'd post a few updates:

There is still no sign of the 100 new XN40s on order for this year, so around 50 Orion V's remain in active service.

WMATA is also looking into replacing the 2000 and 3000 series cars with a new 8000 series. They are interested in open gangway designs, but any trainset would need to be split up into two car sets for maintenance, since that is all their shops can handle. They are still a year or two away from the order being placed. Most of the 1000 and 4000 series cars have been replaced by 7000 series cars. WMATA is reportedly looking into preserving car 1000, their first ever subway car. Some 1000s are used for money trains and maintenance, but a majority should meet the scrapper. None of the 4000 series cars will be spared. 

8K series: https://www.wmata.com/about/business/procurement/solicitations/documents/Expression of Interest - 8000 Series Railcars.pdf

Finally, Metrobus has begun non-service testing of bus 1001, a 2016 New Flyer XE40. It was kept idle for a while, but I spotted it on a test run this morning. Note that the white stripe's location is colored green on this bus (because its a "green" electric vehicle). It also has the new style rear HVAC.

IMG_0418.thumb.JPG.b67ff306b7e0fa3247ae410ccf1d4db1.JPG (sorry for bad pic)

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

WMATA retired the last 1000 and 4000 series cars on June 23rd, a week ahead of when they had originally planned to do so. In a press release, they confirmed that 1000-1001 will be preserved for historical purposes, and that several 4000 series cars will be used for emergency training. Also, car 4089 was cut into several pieces and used in a "pop-up" shop next to the Grosvenor Stop (http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2017/New-Pop-Up-Shops-Unveiled-at-Grosvenor-Strathmore-Metro/) There are still a couple of 1000 sets in service as money trains, but some rumors I've heard indicate they may be on borrowed time as well.

Here's the press release: https://www.wmata.com/about/news/1000-4000-series-railcars-retired-July1.cfm

Here are a couple of 4000 series videos I took within the last 6 months. I always loved the buzzing and humming noises they made, and they will certainly be missed. They were very unreliable though. As for the 1Ks they were at the end of their lifespans, and were unsafe in collisions (although so are the 2000, 3000, and 4000 cars). 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

[scratch that, I thought this was a Seattle thread and you were visiting from DC. My bad.]

Anyway, other than what is on the DC Metro, the Metroway in Arlington is a fun and odd little BRT system. Same goes for the interface between the X2 and H Streetcar line, which is pretty reminiscent of what happens on Broadway back in Seattle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Fox Computer said:

Hi, I am visiting Washington DC from Seattle for a few days, is there are any places/recommendation for bus fanning and photos? I stay in Mt Pleasant close to Downtown. Thanks! 

Mt. Pleasant's a decent place, I used to bike through there a lot. As far as buses go you've got routes run by the Bladensburg, Northern, and Western divisions nearby. There's a good amount of action just to the south at Columbia Heights, including the DC Circulator (and there's a green line metro stop).

Downtown DC is the best place to see a wide variety of buses. I'd recommend looking at Federal Triangle or the Archives, as many routes converge down there from all directions. 

I sometimes use the bus eta interactive map on the WMATA website if I'm fanning down there. It shows all bus stops nearby,  vehicle locations, and vehicle numbers. Transee is set up for WMATA as well. Those might be of use to you. 

Hope you have fun! Is there anything particular you're looking to see?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, SounderBruce said:

[scratch that, I thought this was a Seattle thread and you were visiting from DC. My bad.]

Anyway, other than what is on the DC Metro, the Metroway in Arlington is a fun and odd little BRT system. Same goes for the interface between the X2 and H Streetcar line, which is pretty reminiscent of what happens on Broadway back in Seattle.

Yeah H street and Union Station have some good action as well. 

NABI and InekonUnited Streetcar

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

WMATA has begun the procurement process for bus purchases between 2019-2023. The contract covers 40' and 60' buses in both diesel and CNG configurations with order quantities listed below. The tender stipulates WMATA can reduce these quantities by up to 15% without any penalty. It also asks for BRT styled buses but these days that's basically a standard production model with frameless windows and maybe extra fairings added to the roof. 

Tender closing date is November 8, 2017 and the award is expected by July 2018 or earlier.

Year 1 - Delivery by June 2019

Base - 75 40' CNG buses

Base - 25 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' diesel buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 2 - Delivery by June 2020

Base - 75 40' CNG buses

Base - 25 40' diesel buses

Base - 22 60' CNG buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' diesel buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 3 - Delivery by June 2021 

Base - 100 40' diesel buses

Base - 22 60' CNG buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 4 - Delivery by June 2022

Base - 25 40' CNG buses

Base - 75 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 5 - Delivery by June 2023

Base - 100 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

----------

Technical Specifications - 40 Foot/60 Foot Clean Diesel and 40 Foot/60 Foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Style Heavy Duty Transit Buses

Terms and Conditions - 40 Foot/60 Foot Clean Diesel and 40 Foot/60 Foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Style Heavy Duty Transit Buses

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw this earlier in the week and was surprised that they want diesel buses. A while ago there were rumors that WMATA wanted a 50/50 Hybrid to CNG ratio in the future, but they've clearly changed their minds. Aside from a few baby Orions, they haven't bought any diesel buses in over 10 years. Now Diesel buses do have a much cheaper purchase price (which is important given WMATA's funding issues), and I've also heard about some reliability issues with older hybrids. 

The proposed delivery schedule seems to indicate that: 

-The 2005-2006 Orion VII CNGs (40ft units, not sure what they'll do with the 30 footers), 2005 DE40LFs, and 2006 DE40LFRs will be replaced in the 2019-2020 range.

-The 2006 D40LFRs will be replaced between 2021 and 2023.

-The 2007 C40LFRs and 2008 NABI 60 BRT CNGs will be retired between 2021 and 2022.

The other parts of this planned order appear to be for fleet expansion, unless WMATA decides to retire other buses prematurely. The only base arctic orders are CNG, meaning they will likely be based at the Bladensburg division. I hope that they can exercise some of the 60' diesel options, (there are many routes that could use a capacity boost) but I'm skeptical. On the last big order, they did not exercise any options for additional XDE60s. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/9/2017 at 6:04 AM, Silly Tilley said:

WMATA has begun the procurement process for bus purchases between 2019-2023. The contract covers 40' and 60' buses in both diesel and CNG configurations with order quantities listed below. The tender stipulates WMATA can reduce these quantities by up to 15% without any penalty. It also asks for BRT styled buses but these days that's basically a standard production model with frameless windows and maybe extra fairings added to the roof. 

Tender closing date is November 8, 2017 and the award is expected by July 2018 or earlier.

Year 1 - Delivery by June 2019

Base - 75 40' CNG buses

Base - 25 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' diesel buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 2 - Delivery by June 2020

Base - 75 40' CNG buses

Base - 25 40' diesel buses

Base - 22 60' CNG buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' diesel buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 3 - Delivery by June 2021 

Base - 100 40' diesel buses

Base - 22 60' CNG buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 4 - Delivery by June 2022

Base - 25 40' CNG buses

Base - 75 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

Year 5 - Delivery by June 2023

Base - 100 40' diesel buses

Option - up to 20 additional 40' buses

Option - 10 60' diesel buses

----------

Technical Specifications - 40 Foot/60 Foot Clean Diesel and 40 Foot/60 Foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Style Heavy Duty Transit Buses

Terms and Conditions - 40 Foot/60 Foot Clean Diesel and 40 Foot/60 Foot Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Style Heavy Duty Transit Buses

Interesting for Diesel Bus Orders, they are going to straight clean diesels after the past 10 years of Hybrid Bus orders.

Based on this link, having a fleet of half CNG and half Hybrid is expensive in terms of operating cost. Looks like their goals is now focus on CNG and Clean Diesel this upcoming fleet plan. As seen here.

 

https://www.wmata.com/about/business/procurement/solicitations/documents/2016 Metrobus Fleet Management Plan V2.1 - (05 Jul 17)1.pdf

For CNG 60ft artic (unless others including Nova Artic join in CNG artic market), likely New Flyer may get the order.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...