Posts tagged Trains
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The future of Union Station includes new destinations
Amtrak just announced more DC-NYC services. But let’s think even bigger: by the time the massive redevelopment of Union Station has finished, DC could be connected to scores of new destinations across the country. Thank a series of federal grants to study 69 corridors for passenger rail, plus a slew of new commuter connections across the Washington region. Keep reading…
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This holiday, get on board this tour of train gardens
For over a century, in between blazes, cat rescues, and chili cook-offs, Baltimore-area firefighters have apparently spent their winter downtime arranging elaborate model train sets. Keep reading…
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National links: How concrete threatens the cities we build with it
Climate-warming concrete shapes our cities. A $100 billion lesson on how not to build transit. Short-term rentals creating small town problems. Keep reading…
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How the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad and the Penn Line shaped the region’s suburbs
Much of DC beyond the original L’Enfant city and Georgetown consists of “streetcar suburbs,” namely late-19th and early-20th Century communities that grew up around streetcar lines. While electric streetcars didn’t extend to Maryland until the 1890s, Washington’s first steam railroad line, to Baltimore, opened in 1837, and commuters from Maryland rode trains into the city as early as the Civil War. Keep reading…
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A 1944 proposal for a DC streetcar subway would have been the largest in the US
In 1944 there was a proposal for a DC streetcar subway that would be twice as long as other US systems. Keep reading…
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MARC wants to spend $1.6 billion to replace its trains. It should replace them with the fastest option.
The Maryland Transit Administration needs to purchase different MARC trains. A new model by the author shows how and why. Keep reading…
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Imagine being able to take a train to Great Falls. That was once reality.
Today, the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) is a paved bicycle trail used for fun and for commuting across Northern Virginia. Of course, the Washington & Old Dominion was originally a railroad — one with a long and convoluted history that helped form communities along it including Dunn Loring, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn. Keep reading…
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Imagine being able to take a train to Great Falls. That was once reality.
Today, the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) is a paved bicycle trail used for fun and for commuting across Northern Virginia. Of course, the Washington & Old Dominion was originally a railroad — one with a long and convoluted history that helped form communities along it including Dunn Loring, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn. Keep reading…
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This 1944 proposal for a DC streetcar subway would have been the largest in the US
A swelling population in the District between the late 1930s and the early 1940s resulted in a lot of traffic congestion — as well as calls to fix it. Many officials and companies were excited in particular about the prospect of building a subway system. Keep reading…
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Walksheds help planners make routes to transit stops better for people on foot
Planners are using this tool to understand the barriers people face on when walking to a central destination, such as a train station. Analyzing a “walkshed,” the area around a transit stop that’s reachable on foot for the average person, can help planners understand how to make them more accessible. Keep reading…