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Fairfax Connector


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  • 2 months later...

MTB IIRC also rebuild some V's for them. MTB has done work on systems from the USA fleets before.

Were any of the 1985-91 Orion I's from Fairfax (the original 35-foot models, units 7700-7732, 7733-7739, 7740-7744, 7745-7754 and 7755-7761; and 30-foot models, units 7800-7809) also refurbished by MTB for their second lives in Canada? I'm talking about. . .

This. . .

And this. . .

User "OrionVIII" on YouTube claims that, in the video the 2nd link takes you to, he had seen some of these get refurbished by MTB.

~Ben

Edited by Benjamin
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  • 3 years later...

Fairfax Connector seems to be an overlooked stepchild among transit agencies in the greater Washington DC, no doubt due to the abundance of peaks only routes that makes it a tough agency to fan on.  However, it is a substantially sized agency in its own right.  In fact,  the size of its network is a far cry from my 2008 and 2010 visits; thanks to the new routes associated with the Metrorail Silver Line and the reorganization of the bus services in the Vienna area.  It has started a whopping 37 more new routes compared to the 54 routes it had in 2008.

Fleet-wise, while New Flyer LFR's and Xcelsior's now mostly dominate the fleet except 30ft. Orion VII NG's, Orion was in a much stronger position in its fleet during my visits, as the New Flyer's were a fledgling appearance back then (I've only spotted the LFR's).  30ft, Orion V buses 7904 (spotted at West Falls Church Metrorail) and 7909 (spotted at Reston Town Center Transit Station) were the oldest buses I've spotted at the agency, as they were new in 1998.  Bus 7904 was also the only high floor bus in the current livery.  Buses 7913 and 7924 (both spotted at the same location as 7909 on internal Reston routes) were their 1999 and 2002 sister buses respectively.  Inexplicably, the agency retrofitted LED head-signs for their pre-2000 Orion V's (see also 40ft. bus 7869 attached here), but did not do so for similar buses new in 2000 or later.

FC-r425-7904-2.JPGFC-RIBS2-7909-1.JPGFC-RIBS4-7913-1.JPGFC-RIBS1-7924-3.JPG

Onto the 40ft. Orion V's, bus 7869 was the final 1999 bus, while 2000 buses 7799 and 7889 were the final and penultimate buses for their batches respectively.  All were spotted at Huntington Metrorail.  Rounding up the Orion V fleet was bus 7895 from the smallest batch of eight 35ft. buses.  It was spotted at Franconia-Springfield Metrorail.

FC-r152-7869.JPGFC-r152-7799.JPGFC-r152-7889.JPGFC-r380-7895.JPG

As for the low-floor buses, the only Orion's were 26 Orion VII's NG 30ft. buses new in 2008, as exemplified by bus 9795 (the agency's last-ever Orion) spotted at Huntington Metrorail.  The New Flyer fleet back then were represented by D35LFR's buses 9764 (spotted at Franconia Springfield Metrorail) and 9769 (the final D35LFR spotted at Huntington Metrorail); and D40LFR buses 9703 (spotted at Franconia Springfield Metrorail) and 9737 (spotted at Reston Town Center).  All were new in 2007.

FC-r310-9795-1.JPGFC-r332-9764.JPGFC-r310-9769.JPGFC-r322-9703.JPGFC-r505-9737.JPG

Bonus pictures: the City-University Energysaver/CUE Bus transit system is operated by the City of Fairfax.  At my March 2008 visit, 30ft. Gillig Phantoms like buses 823 and 824 new in 2003 were the staple of the services.  They have since been largely supplanted by Gillig BRT 35ft. hybrids and diesel new in 2009 and 2015 respectively.

IMG_3083.JPGIMG_3085.JPG

Here is my Fairfax Connector gallery:

Fairfax Connector

And the CUE buses are featured at the gallery below:

Various Transit Vehicles in Greater Washington DC Area

 

 

Edited by Buzz2kb
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1 hour ago, Buzz2kb said:

Fairfax Connector seems to be an overlooked stepchild among transit agencies in the greater Washington DC, no doubt due to the abundance of peaks only routes that makes it a tough agency to fan on.  However, it is a substantially sized agency in its own right.  In fact,  the size of its network is a far cry from my 2008 and 2010 visits; thanks to the new routes associated with the Metrorail Silver Line and the reorganization of the bus services in the Vienna area.  It has started a whopping 37 more new routes compared to the 54 routes it had in 2008.

Fleet-wise, while New Flyer LFR's and Xcelsior's now mostly dominate the fleet except 30ft. Orion VII NG's, Orion was in a much stronger position in its fleet during my visits, as the New Flyer's were a fledgling appearance back then (I've only spotted the LFR's).  30ft, Orion V buses 7904 (spotted at West Falls Church Metrorail) and 7909 (spotted at Reston Town Center Transit Station) were the oldest buses I've spotted at the agency, as they were new in 1998.  Bus 7904 was also the only high floor bus in the current livery.  Buses 7913 and 7924 (both spotted at the same location as 7909 on internal Reston routes) were their 1999 and 2002 sister buses respectively.  Inexplicably, the agency retrofitted LED head-signs for their pre-2000 Orion V's (see also 40ft. bus 7869 attached here), but did not do so for similar buses new in 2000 or later.

FC-r425-7904-2.JPGFC-RIBS2-7909-1.JPGFC-RIBS4-7913-1.JPGFC-RIBS1-7924-3.JPG

Onto the 40ft. Orion V's, bus 7869 was the final 1999 bus, while 2000 buses 7799 and 7889 were the final and penultimate buses for their batches respectively.  All were spotted at Huntington Metrorail.  Rounding up the Orion V fleet was bus 7895 from the smallest batch of eight 35ft. buses.  It was spotted at Franconia-Springfield Metrorail.

FC-r152-7869.JPGFC-r152-7799.JPGFC-r152-7889.JPGFC-r380-7895.JPG

As for the low-floor buses, the only Orion's were 26 Orion VII's NG 30ft. buses new in 2008, as exemplified by bus 9795 (the agency's last-ever Orion) spotted at Huntington Metrorail.  The New Flyer fleet back then were represented by D35LFR's buses 9764 (spotted at Franconia Springfield Metrorail) and 9769 (the final D35LFR spotted at Huntington Metrorail); and D40LFR buses 9703 (spotted at Franconia Springfield Metrorail) and 9737 (spotted at Reston Town Center).  All were new in 2007.

FC-r310-9795-1.JPGFC-r332-9764.JPGFC-r310-9769.JPGFC-r322-9703.JPGFC-r505-9737.JPG

Bonus pictures: the City-University Energysaver/CUE Bus transit system is operated by the City of Fairfax.  At my March 2008 visit, 30ft. Gillig Phantoms like buses 823 and 824 new in 2003 were the staple of the services.  They have since been largely supplanted by Gillig BRT 35ft. hybrids and diesel new in 2009 and 2015 respectively.

IMG_3083.JPGIMG_3085.JPG

Here is my Fairfax Connector gallery:

Fairfax Connector

And the CUE buses are featured at the gallery below:

Various Transit Vehicles in Greater Washington DC Area

 

 

Have you seen or rode their 1994 TMC RTS's when they were in service? Also, why were the 1997-2000 40ft Orion Vs retired so early compared to their WMATA counterparts?

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On 4/21/2019 at 3:15 PM, Chris.A said:

Have you seen or rode their 1994 TMC RTS's when they were in service? Also, why were the 1997-2000 40ft Orion Vs retired so early compared to their WMATA counterparts?

First, for the RTS's, I haven't spotted any during my visits, as they were restricted to peaks-only buses if not retired by then.

As of the Orion V's, my only theory is that Fairfax Connector is so impressed with the New Flyer Xcelsior's that it makes a push to standardize it's fleet to this model.  No doubt that woes with newer types like the Orion VI and the NABI 42-BRT helped the Orion V's to enjoy much longer careers in WMATA.

I also forget to mention if it still replace it's buses at 12-13 years, the New Flyer LFR's are next in line to be replaced, presumably with more Xcelsior's in both lengths.  The key question is the 26 Orion VII NG's 30ft. buses new in 2008 when they are due to be replaced in 2020-21, as New Flyer does not produce a 30ft. Xcelsior.  Unless they convert all Orion VII routes to XD35's to result in a 100% Xcelsior fleet, it bound to buy the Orion VII replacements from a rival manufacturer that does make a low-floor transit bus of that size.  I simply don't believe it will buy anything from New Flyer subsidiary Arboc, as any possible products from that company would be huge downgrades from the Orion VII's.

Edited by Buzz2kb
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On 4/21/2019 at 7:20 PM, Buzz2kb said:

First, for the RTS's, I haven't spotted any during my visits, as they were restricted to peaks-only buses if not retired by then.

As of the Orion V's, my only theory is that Fairfax Connector is so impressed with the New Flyer Xcelsior's that it makes a push to standardize it's fleet to this model.  No doubt that woes with newr types like the Orion VI and the NABI 42-BRT helped the Orion V's to enjoy much longer careers in WMATA.

I also forget to mention if it still replace it's buses at 12-13 years, the New Flyer LFR's are next in line to be replaced, presumably with more Xcelsior's in both lengths.  The key question is the 26 Orion VII NG's 30ft. buses new in 2008 when they are due to be replaced in 2020-21, as New Flyer does not produce a 30ft. Xcelsior.  Unless they convert all Orion VII routes to XD35's to result in a 100% Xcelsior fleet, it bound to buy the Orion VII replacements from a rival manufacturer that does make a low-floor transit bus of that size.  I simply don't believe it will buy anything from New Flyer subsidiary Arboc, as any possible products from that company would be huge downgrades from the Orion VIIas.

They COULD get Gillig Advantages...

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4 hours ago, Chris.A said:

They COULD get Gillig Advantages...

Or ElDorado National EZ-Rider II BRT's, given its lack of previous history with Gillig.  Too bad the 30ft. or under heavy-duty bus market is practically a duopoly between these two.  Don't see an opening for Vicinity here.

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4 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

I would expect Gillig to make a strong push for the Fairfax business, given their history in the area with Alexandria's DASH, Montgomery County's Ride-On, etc.

Nearby Prince William County's PRTC OMNILink and OMNIRIDE.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ok, so it seems we have some BIG Fairfax Connector news! This is a few weeks old (April 25th), but it has been announced over at the Transit magazine that Transdev (that's right, TRANSDEV!) is going to be assuming Fairfax Connector operations starting July 1 later this summer, replacing MV transportation (who I think have done a wonderful job with the bus system, not sure why the county is not renewing their contract. Starting to remind me of the whole MTA Long Island bus fiasco from earlier in the decade). TBH, it doesn't surprise me THAT much considering that Transdev had already recently had been contracted by WMATA to operate Metrobus service out of the nearby Cinder Bed bus depot. Considering that buses out of that garage are starting to see breakdowns more than other metrobus depots, I fear that Fairfax Connector could also be hit with the same problems that are hitting NICE bus and now parts of WMATA. I am honestly shocked that the county would select them. Wonder who they will bid on next.. (PRTC and Arlington Transit are the next likely candidates IMO). Any thoughts?

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2 hours ago, Chris.A said:

Then common sense takes a backset. Why can't the county operate their own bus service? Alexandria owns and operates DASH bus afterall. 

Ahh, if only that were so.

Even by transit standards, DASH is a pretty complex organization. Behind the friendly, reasonably well respected DASH identity is a motley line-up of quasi-public entities, vague subsidiaries, shell corporations and distant private contractors.

Check out this document -- especially Page 13:

https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/tes/info/Chapter 1.pdf

The short version: For all practical purposes, DASH is operated by First Transit.

...

18 hours ago, Chris.A said:

it has been announced over at the Transit magazine that Transdev (that's right, TRANSDEV!) is going to be assuming Fairfax Connector operations starting July 1

 

Wow. Personally, I always thought MV bit off more than they could chew with Fairfax Connector. I have a contact who used to work for Fairfax County DOT; this person reported that the County's own staff had to teach MV a lot about operating a large, growing system with a sprawling service area.

Also worth noting... this will be a case of Fairfax returning to their old vendor. Before MV operated Fairfax Connector, it was Veolia. The lion's share of Veolia's contracts, staff and techniques went over to Transdev some time around 2012. So although the name of the vendor will have changed, in many ways this will be a "reunion".

...

All that said, I agree -- it's probably time for Fairfax County to explore bringing Connector in-house.

It's not easy to do in Virginia, due to a host of labor laws.

Throughout the Commonwealth, the majority of transit systems rely on contractors, arms-length corporations or other workarounds to actually operate their service. Some smaller publicly operated systems simply have non-union workforces. As far as I know, only Hampton Roads Transit "really" runs their own service with an in-house union workforce. I'm not quite sure how they pull that off...

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8 hours ago, Border City Transit said:

Ahh, if only that were so.

Even by transit standards, DASH is a pretty complex organization. Behind the friendly, reasonably well respected DASH identity is a motley line-up of quasi-public entities, vague subsidiaries, shell corporations and distant private contractors.

Check out this document -- especially Page 13:

https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/tes/info/Chapter 1.pdf

The short version: For all practical purposes, DASH is operated by First Transit.

...

 

Wow. Personally, I always thought MV bit off more than they could chew with Fairfax Connector. I have a contact who used to work for Fairfax County DOT; this person reported that the County's own staff had to teach MV a lot about operating a large, growing system with a sprawling service area.

Also worth noting... this will be a case of Fairfax returning to their old vendor. Before MV operated Fairfax Connector, it was Veolia. The lion's share of Veolia's contracts, staff and techniques went over to Transdev some time around 2012. So although the name of the vendor will have changed, in many ways this will be a "reunion".

...

All that said, I agree -- it's probably time for Fairfax County to explore bringing Connector in-house.

It's not easy to do in Virginia, due to a host of labor laws.

Throughout the Commonwealth, the majority of transit systems rely on contractors, arms-length corporations or other workarounds to actually operate their service. Some smaller publicly operated systems simply have non-union workforces. As far as I know, only Hampton Roads Transit "really" runs their own service with an in-house union workforce. I'm not quite sure how they pull that off...

I thought I heard rumors years ago that Veolia did at one time managed Fairfax Connector buses, but I always thought that it was just that.. a rumor. As for DASH bus, I'm shocked about that. I been down here in the DMV since 2005 and it's only know that I learn of this. I suppose that explains why PRTC Omniride just gave DASH most of their Phantom buses (also first transit).

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