WMATA 2040

[Septa9739]

WMATA recently released its proposals for expansions by 2040. All seem to focus on resolving the so called “Roslyn problem,” that is that trans-Potomac capacity is a serious problem, especially through the tunnel that carries the Orange, Blue, and Silver Lines from Foggy Bottom to Roslyn. It sounds a lot like the trans-Hudson problem in New York. The trade off seems to be a question of adding as many riders as quickly as possible versus adding as many trains as possible, allowing for more future expansions. Adding more trains, or at least train slots, involves deinterlining, pulling apart lines that run on the same tracks. The two leading proposals are a blue line loop or a Silver Line separated from the Orange Line and adding significant service to the Northeast, or converting the Blue Line to a loop, adding service to National Harbor. The Silver Line project adds more trains. The Blue adds more riders. Greater Greater Washington (which rarely convinces me of anything since Matt Johnson left the helm) has for the moment convinced me that the Silver Line Express is the best project, but I think at some point deinterlining the Blue and Yellow Lines in Virginia and the Green and Yellow Lines in the city will be necessary to truly maximize capacity.

https://dcist.com/story/23/07/10/will-metro-expand-more/
https://ggwash.org/view/90310/metro...e-riders-one-will-work-better-than-the-others