The Kiss & Ride Lot at Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride will be moving to a new temporary location, effective Monday.

Construction activity for Metro’s Silver Line phase 2 is expected to begin this weekend.

Crews will be clearing the area needed for the installation of the water and sewer utilities that will serve the future Herndon Metro Station now under construction in the median of the Dulles Toll Road/Airport Road.

A temporary Kiss & Ride lot will be will be located in the surface lot directly across from the Park & Ride facility’s garage entrance. Ten parking spaces have been reserved for Kiss & Ride Drop-Off.  Vehicles entering the temporary Kiss & Ride Lot will turn right and follow a counter-clockwise pattern through the lot.

Here is what you need to know:

To access the Temporary Kiss & Ride Lot from Sunrise Valley Drive take the first right into the surface parking lot and bear right.  Follow the circulation pattern to the reserved parking spaces or continue around the lot to the Kiss & Ride Drop-Off curb.

To access the Temporary Kiss & Ride Lot from the Eastbound Dulles Toll Road, take Exit No. 11 and stay to the right.  Follow the directional signage to the Temporary Kiss & Ride Lot.

To return to Dulles Toll Road eastbound from Temporary Park & Ride Lot, turn right out of the lot and turn left at the intersection.  Follow the roadway around to the Dulles Toll Road Toll Booth.

Phase 2 of the Silver Line, including stations at Reston Town Center, Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn, is expected to open in early 2019.

Herndon Monroe Kiss & Ride/Credit: FCDOT

Now that Metro has come to Reston, the biggest challenge is getting pedestrians, cyclists and drivers easily connected with public transportation.

That was the theme of a legislative forum sponsored by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce at Reston Station on Wednesday.

Officials at the state, county and Reston level gave their thoughts on moving Reston forward as it becomes a transit-oriented community.

However, issues, even temporary ones such as a crash, affect the region overall, said Marty Nohe, chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

“There is no such thing as a Reston or Fairfax transportation problem,” he said. “At 5:15 p.m., a small fender bender in Prince William County can cause delays in Arlington. … Congestion relief is a top priority.”

Nohe said the NVTA has gotten nearly a half-billion dollars in new projects approved for Northern Virginia in the last three years.

At the county level, some of the most critical future projects include new crossings for the Dulles Toll Road; widening the Fairfax County Parkway; and implementing bus service to link this part of the county with the Springfield area, said Tom Biesiadny, director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

Biesiadny also said the following are of high importance: bicycle and pedestrian improvements, walkways and sidewalks on such roads as Fox Mill, Glade, North Shore, Soapstone, Sunrise Valley and Sunset Hills; and a bike/pedestrian overpass at the W&OD Trail at Wiehle and Sunset Hills.

He said the latter is currently moving forward with a design plan. Meanwhile, there will be an update on the Soapstone crossing of the Dulles Toll Road at a community meeting Monday evening at South Lakes High School.

“The Reston Comprehensive Plan, approved in 2014, includes significant enhancements in transportation,” he said. “That includes four toll road crossing areas and mixed-use development [around the Metro stations] and a grid of streets around the stations.”

Reston Association CEO Cate Fulkerson says RA is placing a high priority on “what we need to do to address connectivity” for pedestrians and cyclists using RA paths and roads.

Comstock Partners spokeswoman Maggie Parker said developers need to work together with government and RA to reach those goals.

“We need to pay attention to development, enhance the urban grid and not put impediments into that process,” she said.

Fulkerson agrees teamwork is necessary as transportation develops.

“An impediment would be not having all the people at the table when talking elements that need to go in.”

Offloading. Trains out of service. Delays. Complaints about the Wiehle-Reston East Kiss-and-Ride.

Just another morning on Metro these days. Fifteen months after the Silver Line opened in Reston, it seems many daily commuters have joined the chorus all over the DC area bemoaning the many rail service issues.

There has been no shortage of headlines lately about problems with the Metrorail system, not to mention real-time tweets of frustration during rush hour. A Metro riders union has also recently formed.

Metro says it’s trying to catch up, but even the maintenance is causing problems. This weekend alone, “reconstruction of the Metrorail system” will result in “service adjustments” on every line other than the Green Line. The Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow and Red lines will all see 24 minute lags between trains.

Metro acknowledged last week that service breakdowns may be responsible for steadily decreasing ridership.

The rail system also announced Thursday it has formed Amplify, a “customer community” where riders can share opinions and help shape the direction of Metro, WMATA said in a statement.

Are you sticking with Metro or are you driving to work more often this year as a result of less reliable service? Take our poll and tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Photo: August Metro offloading at Arlington Cemetery/Credit: Katie Watson via Twitter

Metro has planned more service changes that may affect Silver Line riders beginning tomorrow.

Metro will implement an additional service change — affecting Stadium-Armory Station only — as another step to reduce “stop and go” rush-hour rides and congestion on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines following last week’s transformer fire.

Metro says that during weekday rush hours, Stadium-Armory will be served by Blue Line trains only, while all Orange and Silver line trains will pass through the station without stopping. Customers traveling to or from Stadium-Armory will be able to use Blue Line trains at all times.

Orange and Silver trains will bypass Stadium-Armory weekdays from system opening until 10:00 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Only Blue Line trains will stop at the station during these times. All trains (Orange, Silver and Blue) will service the station at all other times, including midday hours, evenings and weekends.

The changes come in response to issues last week. On Monday, a transformer fire at a power sub-station near Stadium-Armory disrupted service and caused delays for hours. On Friday, Metro began running Orange and Silver line trains every eight minutes during rush hours, rather than every six minutes, to reduce the number of trains in service at any one time.

Says Metro:

“While the impact of this change is limited to one station, the benefit will be realized by tens of thousands of riders. “

Last week’s fire fire knocked offline a nine-megawatt power substation that converts commercial power to D/C electricity that is used to run trains via the third rail. Metro is currently “feeding” power to the area of Stadium-Armory from smaller substations farther away and that are already at their output capacity. To avoid overloading the system or disrupting service, Metro says it has been forced to reduce train speeds and limit the number of trains passing through the Stadium-Armory area.

Fixes are not going to come quickly though:  Metro’s engineering and power departments are working to demolish and rebuild the damaged substation and replace equipment on an expedited basis — a process that is estimated to take more than six months, says Metro.

To accommodate customers who travel between Stadium-Armory and Orange Line stations east of Stadium-Armory (e.g. Minnesota Avenue- New Carrollton), Metro will offer free shuttle buses between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Avenue during the hours Stadium-Armory is bypassed.

A transformer fire earlier this week near the Stadium-Armory Metro Station will temporarily affect service on the Silver, Orange and Blue lines, Metro announced Friday.

Metro said this in a statement:

Metro today announced a temporary service change to help ease delays and “stop and go” train rides for Orange, Blue and Silver line customers whose trips have been impacted by operating restrictions following Monday’s transformer fire outside Stadium-Armory Station.

During rush hours, Orange and Silver line trains will run every 8 minutes, rather than every 6 minutes, to reduce the number of trains in service at any one time. The move is intended to create more time and distance between trains and prevent them from bunching up in the area of Stadium-Armory, where operating restrictions are in place due to lower electrical capacity.

The fire knocked offline a 9-megawatt power substation that converts commercial power to 750 volts of D/C electricity that is used to run trains via the third rail.

Metro is currently “feeding” power to the area of Stadium-Armory from smaller substations farther away and that are already at their output capacity. To avoid overloading the system, Metro must reduce train speeds and limit the number of trains passing through the Stadium-Armory area to one train at a time on each track. This, in turn, has caused stop-and-go travel conditions for many riders, especially during rush hours this week.

Metro plans to increase the number of 8-car trains on the Orange and Silver lines during this time by using cars made available by the reduced number of trains in service.

Metro’s power and engineering departments are working to rebuild the damaged power substation and replace equipment on an expedited basis – a process that will take months. Metro will provide updates on the repair process as additional information is known.

Photo: Metro file photo

Metro riders commuting to D.C. from Virginia are having a slow morning, after a fire in the District caused a wave of delays on the Blue, Silver and Orange Lines.

A fire at a substation owned by Metro, near RFK Stadium in Southeast D.C., at approximately 7:30 a.m. this morning closed the Stadium Armory and Potomac Metro stations.

As a result, Metro has suspended service between the Eastern Market and Minnesota Avenue stations on the Orange Line and the Eastern Market and Benning Road stations on the Silver Line.

Trains on the blue line are running only between the Franconia and Rosslyn stations. Riders are being told to transfer at Rosslyn to the Orange or Silver Lines to continue their trip.

Metro is warning riders that there will be delays on all three lines.

This is an op-ed by Terry Maynard of Reston 2020. It does not represent the opinion of Reston Now.

As you were enjoying your summer, probably including a family vacation, our County leaders were — and are — planning to increase the allowable density in Reston’s transit station areas (TSAs) again through amendments to the zoning ordinance.

The reason: Fairfax County is running out of ways to generate taxes to cover its expenses as job growth and development falter. At this point, so close to another local election, they are neither ready to increase our taxes nor cut well-liked programs (other than parks and libraries, of course).

They have to add more taxable property — residential and commercial — to drive up revenues. And Reston and Tysons are the places they intend to do it.

The County’s Zoning Staff is preparing to allow increased Reston density in two ways.

In Reston alone, the County staff is planning to increase (or eliminate) the maximum allowable population per acre in the Reston Planned Residential Community (PRC) — a zoning category.

According to the Fairfax County’s demographer’s count, Reston now has a population of less than 62,000, about 10 people per acre. Reston’s current limit is 13 persons per acre for a total population of about 81,000 according to a county briefing. Using absolutely absurd “household population factor” values (ostensibly the typical number of people in a household by type of household), the zoning staff has put Reston’s population at more than 73,000 people or 11.7 people per acre (10 percent available capacity).

We are, in fact, more than 30 percent short of that capacity. Yet, if the “cap” is increased or deleted, it creates more “flexibility” for developers, which as the next paragraph will show, is the goal. Read More

It could be a long afternoon rush hour on “Traffic Tuesday” — even on public transportation.

Just after 2 p.m., Metro said it is having problems on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines and that it has suspended train service on part of those lines.

Trains are not servicing stations between the Smithsonian and Farragut West stops. Crews were already single tracking in that area due to track work. But a train had a brake problem at the McPherson Square station and became disabled, causing the bigger delay.

As of 2:30 p.m., crews were working to move the disabled train off the line at McPherson Square. Metro says expect delays of at least 20 minutes in both directions.

“Traffic Tuesday” usually refers to the day after Labor Day, when most school buses return to the roads and commuters return in full force after staggered weeks of summer vacation.

Were you a Blue, Orange or Silver line Metro rider caught in delays Friday for the second day in a row this week?

Then you may be eligible for a SmarTrip card credit.

Metro Interim General Manager/CEO Jack Requa says the Washington Area Metro Transit Authority will issue a credit to all riders using Smartrip cards who traveled on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines today.

Each rider who used a SmarTrip card to enter and exit the system and traveled on the Blue, Orange or Silver lines between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday will automatically receive a credit on their card for the fare they were charged at the gates. Qualifying riders will receive the credit on their SmarTrip card early next week when they tap their card at a Metro faregate or fare machine.

The credits will be processed automatically to SmarTrip cards, no action is required by customers to receive the credit.

“We absolutely understand the frustration among our Blue, Orange and Silver line customers,” said Requa. “Given the significant service disruptions that inconvenienced riders over multiple commutes this week, we are taking this step to thank everyone for bearing with us. I also offer a sincere apology to everyone who was inconvenienced.”

On Thursday, Blue, Silver and Orange lines were in chaos during morning rush hours after an empty train car derailed near Smithsonian station. That was followed by single tracking through the afternoon and evening, resulting in evening rush delays.

Friday, Orange and Silver line service was disrupted due to a loss of third-rail power on the inbound track outside East Falls Church Station, says Metro. The passengers aboard a Silver Line train in the area without power had to be assisted by emergency responders to East Falls Church Station.

Rail service was suspended for about 30 minutes and then followed by single tracking until just before noon, says Metro.

Metro commuters generally had a horrendous Thursday morning after an empty train car derailed near the Smithsonian, throwing Blue, Silver and Orange line schedules into chaos.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.-11th), who represents Reston, sent this Tweet  Thursday afternoon:

“While the cause of the derailment is still unknown, today’s Metro incident is yet another example of why we must retire and replace the old series rail cars and make immediate system and safety upgrades.”

As of 2:30 p.m., here is what Metro is saying about the evening rush home.

Metro has restored limited rail service using a single track between McPherson Square and Federal Center SW stations. The restoration of service follows the successful re-railing of two railcars from the non-passenger train that derailed this morning at a switch location outside Smithsonian.

Customers on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines may experience longer waits for trains due to single tracking. Trains will run in one direction for approximately 15 minutes, and then the flow of traffic will be reversed to run in the opposite direction for approximately 15 minutes.

Trains will operate as follows:

Silver Line: Trains will run ONLY between Wiehle-Reston East and East Falls Church. Silver Line riders traveling between DC and Virginia should transfer to/from Orange Line trains at East Falls Church

Orange Line: Trains running in both directions between Vienna and New Carrollton. Trains will run less frequently than normal due to single tracking and will bypass Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stations.

Blue Line: Trains running in both directions between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center. Trains will run less frequently than normal due to single tracking and will bypass Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stations.

Federal Triangle & Smithsonian Stations Remain Closed — In the interest of reducing train delays through the single tracking area, two stations — Federal Triangle and Smithsonian — will remain closed.

All Orange and Blue line trains will run non-stop between Metro Center and L’Enfant Plaza (bypassing Federal Triangle and Smithsonian).

Free shuttle buses will run in a continuous loop between Metro Center, Federal

Triangle, Smithsonian and L’Enfant Plaza. (Federal Triangle is a 0.3 mile walk to Metro Center. Smithsonian is a 0.4 mile walk to L’Enfant Plaza.)

NOTE: Only riders traveling to/from Federal Triangle or Smithsonian need to use shuttle bus service. All other riders can remain on the train.
What to Expect

At Metro Center and L’Enfant Plaza, all trains — both directions — will arrive on the eastbound (to New Carrollton/Largo) track.

There will be no Silver Line trains between East Falls Church and Largo Town Center. Use Orange or Blue line trains instead.

Platform Information Displays (i.e. “Next Train” signs) will not show accurate predictions during single tracking.

Additional Travel Tips & Ways to Avoid Delays

If traveling between DC and Virginia: Consider using the Yellow Line if possible. Board Yellow Line trains at Gallery Place (Red Line transfer point), Archives or L’Enfant Plaza stations.

If traveling between Red Line stations and Blue/Orange/Silver line stations in Virginia: Transfer between lines by using Farragut Crossing. For example, riders can exit at Farragut North, walk one block to Farragut West and re-enter the Metrorail system at no cost.

Consider bus service: Metrobus and Circulator bus service may provide an option for some riders. To check, use theTrip Planner at wmata.com and select the “bus only” option. For example, Metrobus 38B route provides service from Downtown DC to several Orange Line stations in Virginia.

Metro crews continue work to complete re-railing work at the site of this morning’s derailment. A cause has not yet been determined.

Photo: Thursday morning Metro train offloading at Arlington Cemetery/Credit: Katie Watson via Twitter

A derailed Metro train is causing major delays on all rail lines Thursday morning.

The train, with no passengers aboard, derailed early Thursday morning at a switch point outside of Smithsonian Station

From Metro:

Silver Line trains will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and East Falls Church only to reduce congestion downtown. Silver Line riders should transfer to Orange Line trains to continue their trip.

Rail service on the Blue and Orange lines has been suspended between Federal Center SW and McPherson Square stations.

Smithsonian and Federal Triangle stations are closed.

Lower level platforms at Metro Center and L’Enfant Plaza stations are closed.

Riders will experience significant delays on the Blue/Orange/Silver lines and should consider alternate travel options this morning.

Yellow Line may provide an alternate for riders traveling from Virginia to Downtown DC

Metro personnel are working to restore normal service as quickly and safely as possible.  However, at this time there is no estimate on when normal service will be restored.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Metro’s Silver Line is turning one July 26.

In honor of the anniversary, the Silver Line Express is offering free rides to Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday and Monday.

The ride from Wiehle-Reston East to Dulles usually costs $5 each way.

Metro says more than 272,000 riders have used the bus service since it began on July 26, 2014. That is an 80-percent increase over previous service that ran between the airport and the East Falls Church Metro Station.

“This special promotion of free rides marks one year of enhanced passenger experience for travelers to and from Dulles International on the Silver Line Express bus,” Airports Authority Deputy Vice President for Planning and Revenue Development Chryssa Westerlund said in a release. “Dulles is the gateway to the world, and we are marketing the Silver Line Express bus to make sure travelers are aware that, with this service, the world is easier to get to than ever.”

The Silver Line Express operates every 15 minutes during weekday peak hours and every 20 minutes off-peak between Dulles the parking garage at the Wiehle-Reston East.

For schedules, maps and additional information visit the Silver Line Express website.

Phase 2 of the Silver Line, expected to be completed in early 2019, will take passengers all the way to Dulles, as well as stops in Loudoun County.