Photo by o palsson on Flickr.

Group forms for Purple Line

Prince George’s politicians and business leaders formed the Purple Rail Alliance to support the Purple Line. Officials say it will not be able to begin construction on time  in 2015 without state funding by 2014. (Gazette, Post)  

Metro escalators keep moving

The rate of out-of-service escalators has fallen by half, to under 10%, over the past year. It will take 5 years for Metro to address all 94 escalators targeted for replacement. (WAMU)  

Fee pushes riders to SmarTrip

The dollar fee for using paper Metro tickets has increased SmarTrip sales by 27% over its first 3 months, and SmarTrips now account for 84% of all rides. Paper farecard purchases have fallen by 11%. (Examiner)  

WMATA announces Inauguration Day service

Metro will extend service on Inauguration Day, running trains from 4 am until 2 am. Metro will also charge peak rates from opening until 9 pm and weekday rates for parking. (Post)  

GOP win bad for DC real estate? No

Conventional wisdom is that a Republican administration would spell doom for the DC real estate market. It’s totally false. Republicans like living in DC too, and U Street “got cool under Bush.” One factor that is better for DC real estate: a Congress that passes more bills. (City Paper)  

DC school population grows

Enrollment in DC schools rose by more than 4000 students over the past year, the most growth in 45 years. The increase was led by charter schools, which grew by 11%. (DCist)  

DC shares surplus with charter schools

DC will allocate a $7 million of its $140 million surplus to support charter school facility costs. This funding will replace federal money, which charters will now be able to use for other purposes. (Post)  

Why Parkmobile hates Dodd-Frank

Don Whiteside explains what is going on with Dodd-Frank and credit card swipe fees, and notes that Parkmobile’s parent company might have some ulterior reasons to attack financial regulatory reform. (We Love DC)  

And…

Halloween is the second most dangerous holiday for pedestrians, mainly thanks to drunk drivers. (Patch) … WMATA adds a disclaimer to the controversial “Defeat Jihad” ad. (DCist) … Is it possible to build a green downtown parking garage? (Grid Chicago)