Regional Transit News Service Alerts | ART News | Subscribe Latest News Metro announces July 4 service plans and free fares after 5 pm Keep your eye out for our special July 4-wrapped train, buses and MetroAccess vehicle debuting today. These Independence Day themed vehicles will run on the system through July. You can track the train and bus in real time at WMATA.com/live and click on “special edition.” June 30, 2025, WMATA Montgomery County's Flash BRT on 355 will reduce travel times, if and when it is completed The project depends on the federal government awarding funds. Based on discussions with the Federal Transit Administration, Montgomery County Department of Transportation officials have expressed a cautious optimism that they’ll be successful. Ethan Goffman, June 27, 2025, Greater Greater Washington Cash-strapped Maryland revives plan for trains to Virginia and Delaware Under a proposal released last week by the Maryland Transit Administration, trains would run north to Wilmington and south to Alexandria, connecting MARC with regional rail systems in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Rachel Weiner, June 29, 2025, The Washington Post Metro begins Better Bus Program, biggest change to system in half-century Clarke said this program took three years of staff work to complete and it creates an entirely new route-naming system, remakes and adds 7,000 new signs and consolidates more than 500 stops, some of which Metro said were just a few hundred yards from each other. Dan Ronan, June 29, 2025, WTOP How the Metrobus overhaul, launching Sunday, will affect Fairfax service The first Metrobus overhaul since 1973 started rolling out earlier this year with the introduction of approximately 7,000 new signs, starting in Fairfax County. Vernon Miles/Angela Woolsey, June 27, 2025, FFXNow Art installation at Reston Town Center Metro station competes for international award For the project, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) commissioned Bates to create artwork for the glazing along the escalators at the north and south entrance pavilions of the Metro station. Scott McCaffrey, June 27, 2025, FFXNow Metro launches Better Bus Network Redesign on June 29, transforming bus service across the DMV The newly redesigned bus network introduces a modernized bus system designed to make trips faster, reduce transfers, and simplify schedules. Starting June 29, all Metrobus routes will feature new, intuitive names – such as “C” for crosstown DC, “P” for Prince George’s County, or “A” for Arlington/Alexandria – making it easier for riders to navigate. June 27, 2025, WMATA Metro sees 16 signal issues since June, sparking urgent infrastructure upgrade calls Clarke says even if Metro receives sufficient funding to upgrade and replace its signaling system, it “will take a long time to do. But the earlier we can get going on that, not only will it be cheaper, but it’ll be safer and more reliable.” Tom Roussey, June 26, 2025, ABC7 News Metro's major changes to bus stops & routes start soon | Here's what riders need to know Metro said back in May that eliminating nearly 530 bus stops would make its bus service “faster and more direct.” The transit agency also said that many of the stops it is eliminating are 660 feet or less from other stops and are not heavily used. Jessica James/Rebecca Turco, June 27, 2025, ABC7 News Fairfax County leaders still uneasy with VDOT's I-495 Southside Express Lanes plan The unanimous vote to send the letter to Richmond came after VDOT shared plans to add two toll lanes on the Capital Beltway from the I-95/I-395 interchange in Springfield to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Alexandria at a series of community meetings earlier in June. Scott McCaffrey, June 26, 2025, FFXNow Fifteen projects awarded $39.5 million to help reduce congestion in Northern Virginia This Program of Projects includes 12 bus service enhancements for Arlington Transit, Alexandria Transit Company, Fairfax Connector, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrobus and OmniRide; one new Metrobus route; the improvement of Virginia Railway Express' Leeland Road Station; and future implementation of bus rapid transit on Route 1 in Fairfax County. June 25, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine City of Alexandria wins top regional honor for employee transportation benefits Alexandria’s program offers a multi-faceted approach to alternative transportation. The city subsidizes employees who use public transit and qualified vanpool services through SmartBenefits, while cyclists and pedestrians can access shower facilities, lockers, and covered bike racks at most worksites. June 25, 2025, ALXNow Metrobus to eliminate 500+ stops and rename routes: Here's what riders need to know Tools like the Trip Planner and Bus Network Tool are now live to help commuters navigate upcoming changes. Miracle Gross, June 25, 2025, FOX 5 News AI will aid transit, not transform it Some transit vehicles will become autonomous, as well, and future iterations may well include Waymo-style vans and shuttles. More immediate are AI applications that optimize routes, signals, and back-office support for human-operated buses. Some transit systems are already using them. John Hood, June 25, 2025, The Carolina Journal OmniRide ridership surges, prompting overcrowding concerns on key commuter routes Commissioners raised questions about how ridership trends align with overall population growth. Staff explained they track commuter lot capacity and development trends — not just raw population figures — to guide service decisions. Uriah Kiser, June 24, 2025, Potomac Local News DASH and WMATA secure $14.9 million for Alexandria transit projects This funding, part of the I-395/95 Commuter Choice Program, aims to reduce traffic congestion in Northern Virginia by enhancing public transit options. Ryan Belmore, June 24, 2025, ALXNow Alexandria City Council receives update on proposal to use DASH buses for high school student transportation The initiative, which has been under study for five months through a joint City Council and School Board subcommittee, aims to provide student transportation that is safe, reliable, effective, and efficient while supporting environmental goals and potentially reducing costs. Ryan Belmore, June 24, 2025, ALXNow Which American cities are becoming bike-friendly the fastest? America has a new most-bikeable city, according to a prominent ranking — but the real story may be the dozens of communities that are sparking a revolution in rapid cycling investments, even if they haven't claimed a spot in the top 10 just yet. Kea Wilson, June 24, 2025, Streetsblog USA A manifesto for a next-generation streetcar The lack of fast and direct east-west connections has been frequently noted as a particular problem for the District’s transportation system. Scott Burger, June 24, 2025, Greater Greater Washington Challenges for drivers and walkers in Silver Spring with Purple Line construction It’s part of ongoing construction on the Purple Line in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties that’s made it hard to access some areas. That work has led to financial losses for some businesses; MDOT has offered grants to some of the impacted small businesses. Kyle Cooper, June 24, 2025, WTOP Metro's faster trains and "Better Bus" launch mark biggest overhaul in decades WMATA aims to make bus the backbone of the D.C.-area's transportation system by 2030. Many of the changes are an attempt to solve transportation disparities and provide access to underserved communities, given 60% of Metrobus riders are low-income and 83% are people of color. Anna Spiegel, June 23, 2025, Axios Blue Line closures to disrupt Alexandria Metro Service in July Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield stations will be out of service during this time. WMATA is offering free shuttle buses to replace train service at these stations, along with free parking. Ryan Belmore, June 23, 2025, ALXNow New data suggests increased flooding risks for D.C. region's roads and transit systems The FEMA data previously used exclusively for the analysis found that, when counting both coastal/river flooding and urban flooding, about 14% of roads, 4% of bus stops, 7% of rail stops and 39% of rail line-miles were at risk. Scott McCaffrey, June 23, 2025, FFXNow Metro says it's so hot that train must go slower An excessive heat warning was issued for the DC Metro area on Monday. The extreme heat is expected to last through Wednesday. Alanea Cremen, June 23, 2025, WUSA9 Major Metrobus and Metrorail changes take effect across the DC region Later this month, Metrobus will undergo a full system redesign aimed at making routes faster, simpler, and more frequent without increasing fleet size. Miracle Gross, June 23, 2025, Fox 5 News Bikeshare Beat: Ridership shifts into high gear with over 690K rides May 2025 was the second-busiest month in Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) history, with a total of 691,727 trips recorded across the regional micromobility network. This marks a 34.2% increase over May 2024, continuing a strong springtime surge in ridership. Samuel Littauer, June 23, 2025, Greater Greater Washington Metro unveils new Metrorail map ahead of expansion to Red and Silver Lines starting Sunday Beginning Monday morning, Red Line trains will be more frequent, running every four minutes, compared with five minutes now during weekday rush periods, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced in a statement. Dan Ronan, June 21, 2025, WTOP Metrorail making service expansion changes beginning Sunday Beginning Monday morning, Red Line trains will be more frequent, running every four minutes, compared with five minutes now during weekday rush periods, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced in a statement. Dan Ronan, June 21, 2025, WTOP E-bike trips surge by 47% – the key findings from the 2025 Lyft Multimodal Report Its 2025 Multimodal Report highlights a series of programme milestones celebrated by the operator and its partners last year. These include 15 years of operation for Washington D.C’s Capital Bikeshare programme – a system that continuously exhibits year-on-year growth in the rapidly evolving shared micromobility industry. Sela Musa, June 19, 2025, Zag Daily MDOT MTA publishes BMORE BUS plan The agency conducted community engagement sessions to gather feedback and confirm the top priorities of riders and non-riders. MDOT MTA says the BMORE BUS plan reflects not only the latest travel data, but also incorporates nearly 1,000 comments from the public. June 18, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine 'Car culture' still dominates in the US, survey finds Survey respondents saw private vehicle ownership as a necessity, with more than 42% saying public transit is difficult or impossible for them to use. Benton Graham, June 17, 2025, Smart Cities Dive WMATA begins automatic train operation on entire rail system This development marks the first full return to ATO since 2009. The full rollout followed internal training and testing and concurrence from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. June 17, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine The entire D.C. bus network is changing June 29. Here's what to know. On June 29, every Metrobus line in the D.C. area will change. Some will disappear, others will go farther than they used to or down different streets. Hundreds of stops are disappearing, and all the routes have new names. Rachel Weiner/Dylan Moriarty, June 18, 2025, The Washington Post Ride On Reimagined bus service changes begin Sunday, June 29 The Ride On bus service changes will bring streamlined connections to Metrorail, prevent overlap with routes serviced by Metro Bus and allow for more reliable service where demand is high. The Metro Bus changes are based on recommendations derived from responses to the WMATA Better Bus network study. June 16, 2025, MCDOT With protected lanes, 460% more people commute by bike The study author notes that “while standard bike lanes increase the number of bicycle commuters compared to streets with no bike infrastructure, protected bike lanes and buffered bike lanes encourage even greater numbers of bicycle commuters.” Diana Ionescu, June 16, 2025, Planetizen VA: Bus service coming through Danville sets record for ridership “This record-breaking ridership is a testament to the growing demand for safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options across Virginia,” Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Director Tiffany Robinson said. “Virginians are choosing the Virginia Breeze because it is a service they can count on, operating 365 days a year. June 17, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine After a decade of delays, Potomac Shores VRE station nears construction start At a June 5 meeting of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), officials confirmed that the parking garage and station access infrastructure—critical components of the overall project—are “just about to get wrapped up.” June 17, 2025, Potomac Local News Metro's first weekday with automated trains on all lines met with weather challenges Monday afternoon, 7News asked Metro if the agency was using ATO due to the day's rainy weather. A spokesperson responded that trains were operating manually in areas with above-ground stations, but were using ATO in tunnels. Tom Roussey, June 17, 2025, ABC7 News If the Rock Creek Parkway reversible lanes end, how will traffic spillover be managed? Of all these options, the northern DC to Foggy Bottom commuters are, fortuitously, both the easiest to serve with improved transit and bicycling and the most common. Investments should be focused on their needs first. David Edmondson, June 16, 2025, Greater Greater Washington