Why creating a unified regional rail in DC is harder than you think

Comments · 383

• IN

  @InventorZahran · 10 months ago

  MARC + VRE is one of the few railroad mergers I would actually support!

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• MA

  @marcove3 · 10 months ago

  Weekend service from DC to Harpers Ferry is all I want so I can do a day trip without driving.

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• LO

  @louiszhang3050 · 10 months ago (edited)

  So great to see such a comprehensive video on this topic. I do think turning MARC/VRE into a through-running, all-day frequent regional rail is probably one of, if not, THE most important rail expansion project that we can tackle as a region long-term. In my opinion, extending the Metro deep into the suburbs is both ineffective and expensive. But we also need a way to get transit to the ever-expanding suburbs. The SEPTA and S-Bahn systems also weren't built overnight, but I think if we move at a reasonable pace, we can get this done in 20 years, not 50+ years.

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• ST

  @SteveGettingAroundPhilly · 10 months ago (edited)

  Really excellent explanation of the problems this all faces, Thom! Ultimately, a lot of the legal and regulatory issues cited strike me as some of the biggest handicaps for better trains and public transport in general in the US, particularly the spectrum between apathy and apprehension that transit agencies have with working together at all, even within a state. It's something I'm discovering more with making transit better in my home state of Pennsylvania and is definitely the biggest paradigm shift that needs to happen in government to get transit to where it ought to be. Interstate compacts for rail service would be a great "final boss" to clear at a governmental level, but creating one for the whole of the Northeast could, in my view, be one of the most effective changes one could make to both make the current services on the NEC and surrounding lines amazing, but make meaningful expansion to places where rail service was lost. It would certainly get rid of the power struggles and territorial attitudes that the current agencies have, which hurts everybody.

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• KJ

  @kjrehberg · 10 months ago (edited)

  Fun historical fact:  VRE had contracted with Amtrak for its service for 18 years, but, somehow, Keolis underbid them in 2010.  From news reports it wasn't a smooth transition, but Keolis was able to hire away most of of the Amtrak staff after the contract was won.

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• WA

  @Washmielevators · 10 months ago

  Regional Rail could likely be a possibility one day, but it just needs good planning and funding, and great negotiations with Freight Railroads and Amtrak.  Also I love the idea of expanded service. It's gonna make these commuter railroads feel like a form of urban transport rather than a service just for 9-5 commuters.

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• PE

  @peterfrey6062 · 10 months ago

  great commentary, and workable solutions---- not unlike Septa's combination of the old Reading and Pennsy into a unified system.  Beautiful photography too, Thom.

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• HA

  @hawktb9 · 10 months ago

  I agree with you 100% regarding the lackadaisical scheduling for both MARC and VRE as commuter services. Especially when it comes to the Brunswick and Camden Lines, of which both have ZERO mid-day service. MDOT had proposed all-day service with limited numbers of trains on both lines to offer more options for travelers from Baltimore or Martinsburg, WV. I have a feeling that those plans will meet severe resistance because the NIMBYs/NTFTs (No Tax For Tracks) will always be the most vocal at town halls. I have lived in a lot of places around this country, and sadly, I see so MUCH that could have been done. Granted, the Washington DC area is a prime example of what CAN work, but it took so many decades and sacrifices to get everything to where they are now. WMATA still has a LOT of work to do to get their services up to levels comparable to that of Europe. Reverting back to the topic of through-running with either MARC or VRE, I have a feeling that there will be a LOT of pushback from both CSX and Amtrak for through-running (CSX: your trains are too many and are disrupting our freight schedules! Amtrak: you're taking money away from us, and you're running too many trains on OUR tracks in the Northeast!). Sure, we can be optimists regarding through-running on both services, but reality, as you say, will prove otherwise. :(

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• EX

  @expojam1473 · 10 months ago

  One of my dreams for DC is a REM-like or Elizabeth Line-like system. Old passenger rail ROWs are upgraded like hell to support frequent, fast express services around the region

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• PE

  @Per2zero · 10 months ago

  Saw a recent vid about NYC and throughrunning and the study from the 1920s suggesting it. Glad to see you are tackling the current status in the DMV area!

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• PI

  @pilates68 · 10 months ago (edited)

  I’ve heard it said in recent years that transportation analysts and planners have said that the removal of the Washington & Old Dominion mainline between 1967-69 was a costly mistake. Dominion Power now owns most of it and it’s now a popular trail for cyclists and runners. A short cited decision that was protested at the time.

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• DA

  @davinp · 10 months ago

  Now that Virginia Rail has bought the Manassas Line, VRE has got a new storage facility in Alexandria. Amtrak want the Ivy City yard back and so VRE has to move out to a new location

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