Fairfax Connector will roll out some notable service changes later this month, including the launch of its first-ever direct connection to Montgomery County in Maryland.
The new Express Route 789 between Tysons and Bethesda will begin operating on Sept. 16, providing weekday, rush-hour service to five stops using the Capital Beltway (I-495) and American Legion Bridge.
On this day 10 years ago, Metrorail arrived in Tysons and Reston, connecting two growing communities in Fairfax County to D.C. by train for the first time.
Decades in the making, the Silver Line’s Phase 1 launch on July 25, 2014 represented the D.C. region’s biggest rail expansion since the Green Line opened in 1991 and set the stage for a connection to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County that came to fruition with Phase 2 on Nov. 15, 2022.
The price of taking Fairfax Connector is officially going up.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the bus system’s first fare increase in seven years without discussion at a meeting today (Tuesday). Starting on July 29, fares will jump about 12% from $2 to $2.25 for the base rate and from $4.25 to $4.80 for express fares.
In the D.C. area, the summer solstice has brought a reminder that heat doesn’t just make people sluggish. It can affect transportation infrastructure too.
Metro has instituted a systemwide speed restriction, limiting all trains to a maximum of 35 mph when they’re above ground due to rail temperatures exceeding 135 degrees Fahrenheit. The limit took effect today (Thursday) at 2 p.m.
The cost of riding Metro trains and buses will go up, starting July 1, when the transit agency’s new budget takes effect.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) board of directors approved a $4.8 billion fiscal year 2025 budget yesterday (Thursday) that will increase fares by 12.5%, including by ending the flat $2 rate for weekend and late-night rides introduced in 2021 and expanded in 2022.
(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) Fairfax Connector is now in its sixth consecutive day without service, as workers continue their strike for better pay, benefits and working conditions.
More than 600 bus drivers and mechanics ceased working last Thursday (Feb. 22) when their union — Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 — called for a strike after months of negotiations with Transdev, the private company that operates Fairfax Connector, for a new labor contract to replace one that expired on Nov. 30.
A proposed commuter ferry system for the Potomac River in Northern Virginia has gained attention from regional officials, but the price tag has dampened enthusiasm.
With budget shortfalls looming and a projected recession ahead, local and state leaders have turned their attention elsewhere, leaving it to the private sector to consider investing in the costly project.
Fairfax Connector’s operator and workers remain far apart in their negotiations for a new labor contract, says the union representing drivers and other employees of Northern Virginia’s largest public bus system.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 accused contractor Transdev of “clearly not [being] serious about bargaining in good faith” in a strongly worded statement issued last Wednesday (Nov. 22), just before Thanksgiving.
(Updated at noon) Trains are taking off at the Dulles Airport Metro station one year after the opening of Phase Two of the Silver Line — but ridership at the other five stations of the $3 million project has a long way to catch up.
In the backdrop of post-pandemic recovery, ridership for stations beyond the airport is modest, according to Metro data.
Some good news is on the horizon for local Metrorail riders: the West and East Falls Church stations are set to reopen on Monday (June 26) after a 23-day closure.
The bad news? The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will remain closed through July 16.
