Breakfast links: Demand is hot for VRE and housing

Stay cool during surge #5

Starting today through July 31, there is continuous single-tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston on the Orange and Silver Lines. Meanwhile, Metro says high temperatures waylaid plans to finish work during the third SafeTrack surge. (DCist)

Roads and VRE use up

Traffic was 10-15% worse during SafeTrack’s first surge, but effects were smaller in subsequent surges. (TPB) … VRE saw record ridership during SafeTrack’s third surge, about a 30% increase. (WAMU)

Enough housing?

Over the past three years, the number of apartments in DC has grown more rapidly than the population. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the region is building enough housing for demand. (District Measured, UrbanTurf)

Cabbie fortunes flip

DC’s taxi industry has lost a significant share of customers to ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, and needs a major regulatory overhaul if it wants to remain competitive, according to a new study. (WAMU)

Potomac Yard gets a boost

A $66 million grant from NVTA will help Alexandria build the Potomac Yard Metro station. NVTA also funded a VRE parking lot, a better pedestrian connection at I-66 and Route 28, and Metro power upgrades. (Post)

SafeTrack work woes

Signals and switches near Stadium Armory have malfunctioned eight times following SafeTrack maintenance. (NBC4) … Construction dust from SafeTrack work clouded the Crystal City and Pentagon City stations yesterday. (Fox5)

Trainspotting gets easier

Metro’s new data feed will help third party app developers give riders more detailed and accurate information on where trains are in the system. (Post)

Baltimore housing is in distress

The Baltimore area housing market is the most distressed in the nation, with nearly 20% of all homes sold in April foreclosures or short sales. (WTOP)

And…

The Arlington County Board voted “no” to moving a historic fire station. (Post) … Hot? Here’s a list of every indoor and outdoor public pool and sprayground in DC. (Washingtonian) … Pokemon Go is harder to play in black neighborhoods because there are fewer gameplay locations. (Belleville News-Democrat)