TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN: FISCAL YEARS 2014-2019 Update The following will replace Chapter 5 of the Arlington Virginia Transit Development Plan: Fiscal Years 2011-2016 5.0 SIX-YEAR TRANSIT SERVICE AND FACILITY PLAN This chapter identifies the cost-feasible transit service and capital needs that are recommended for inclusion in the TDP time period (FY 2014 through FY 2019). An unconstrained list of potential service and capital needs were identified in the prior chapter of this TDP. Recommended improvements presented in this chapter are financially constrained, based on anticipated funding availability during the TDP time period. Chapter 6 details the TDP Capital Investment Program and Chapter 7 establishes the Financial Plan for Arlington County s Six-Year TDP. 5.1 Transit Service Recommendations The transit service improvements identified in this TDP Six-Year Transit Service and Facility Plan are designed to support the goals, policies, implementation actions and performance measures put forth in the adopted Arlington County s Master Transportation Plan (MTP) 1 (as summarized in Chapter 2 of this TDP). Chapter 4 of this TDP identified the Arlington County transit service needs categorized by the following seven types of improvements: Systemwide Connectivity connections between major activity centers / employment sites and higher density residential areas 1 Master Transportation Plan, Goals and Policies Summary, Arlington County, Virginia, Adopted November 13, 2007. Arlington County Page 5-1 DRAFT November 2012
Re-structured Fixed Route Service route alignment modifications, some of which promote connectivity, others enable improved on-time performance, and of course increased patronage. On-Time Performance adjustments made to route running times to ensure high levels of ontime performance Transit Service Levels service frequency, new service hours or service periods (e.g., midday service), days of service, service productivity related changes. Project Specific transit service improvements and modifications required to accommodate a new transit investment or major development project. Primary Transit Network Improvements Primary Transit Network (PTN) of high-frequency and quality transit services along major corridors to encourage a low-auto-usage lifestyle and higher all-day patronage. The PTN would extend beyond the established Metrorail corridors and include new surface transit services, such as streetcar and bus rapid transit. Transit services should operate at 15-minute intervals or better every day for about 18 hours. Paratransit Services Grouped standing order paratransit services as well as Flex Route and Zone Feeder services may offer those with disabilities a mobility option that better meets their needs in a manner that is less costly to the County than the current services, MetroAccess and Specialized Transit for Arlington Residents (STAR). 5.1.1 Arlington County Transit Service Plan This TDP Six-Year Transit Service and Facility Plan utilizes the transit service needs identified in Chapter 4 as a Needs Plan and identifies those priority transit service improvements which are financially feasible within the six year timeframe of the TDP. Transit service initiatives have been selected from all seven types of transit service improvements. Following is a description of each transit service improvement by Fiscal Year including improvements during the year just elapsed and the current year (2012 2019). Table 5-1 presents a listing of bus-hours, bus requirements and annual O&M costs associated with each identified bus service improvement. Tables in Appendix E present service plan tables for each year of the six-year TDP time period. Arlington County Transit Service Plan This TDP Six-Year Transit Service and Facility Plan utilizes the transit service needs identified in Chapter 4 as a Needs Plan and identifies those priority transit service improvements, which are financially feasible within the six year timeframe of the TDP. Transit service initiatives have been selected from all seven types of transit service improvements. Following is a description of each transit service improvement by Fiscal Year (2012 2019). Table 5-1 presents a listing of bus-hours, bus requirements and annual O&M costs associated with each identified bus service improvement. Tables in Appendix E present service plan tables for each year of the six-year (FY 2014-2019) TDP time period. Arlington County Page 5-2 DRAFT November 2012
FY 2012 Transit Service Improvement Plan ART Route 41 Columbia Pike/Ballston/Court House Metro Weekends - Adjustments to running times and service enhancements were made in August, 2011. The span of service was extended on this route both earlier in the morning and later at night, creating consistent 15 minute service frequencies in the afternoon and 30 minute service mornings and nights to meet demand. ART Route 42 Ballston/Pentagon Metro Weekdays Added a fourth bus in the peak periods to accommodate ridership demand with more frequent service, implemented in April, 2012. ART Route 45 Columbia Pike/DHS/Sequioa/Rosslyn On August 15, 2011, this route was extended on the western end further into the Columbia Heights West neighborhood to provide a direct connection for low-income primarily Latino residents to the County s Dept. of Human Services offices. The eastern end of the route was realigned to add Court House Metro as a destination. A third bus was added to maintain 30 minute service frequencies. ART Route 62 Court House Metro/Lorcom Lane/Ballston Metro Weekdays This route was realigned to serve Clarendon Metro and the YMCA and to enhance service performance in January, 2012. ART Route 75 Shirlington/Wakefield H.S./Carlin Springs Road/Ballston Metro Weekdays midday and evening service to approximately 10:30 p.m. at 30 minute service frequency was added in April, 2012. ART Route 77 Shirlington/Lyon Park/Court House Metro Saturdays new service from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at 30 minute frequency was added in April, 2012. Metrorail Service Change Weekdays Every third peak period Blue Line train was rerouted in June, 2012 to become a Yellow Line train, resulting in less frequent connections between Rosslyn Metro and South Arlington/Alexandria. Metrobus Route 3Y Weekdays additional peak period service to accommodate demand and allow for running time adjustments was implemented in June, 2012. Metrobus Route 4A & 4B Weekdays running time adjustments in June, 2012 resulted in hourly midday frequencies on each of these routes. Metrobus Route 9E Weekdays peak period service was extended in June, 2012 to Rosslyn in response to the Metrorail Blue/Yellow Line realignment described above. Arlington County Page 5-3
Metrobus Route 10E Weekdays peak period service was extended in June, 2012 to Rosslyn in response to the Metrorail Blue/Yellow Line realignment described above. Metrobus Route 22A Weekdays new peak period off-peak direction service was added in August, 2011 and revised in June, 2012 between Ballston Metro and Columbia Pike. Service is provided from 5:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and between 2:50 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. to provide a combined 12 minute frequency between Ballston Metro and the Army National Guard Readiness Center/National Foreign Affairs Training Center sites at Arlington Hall. Metrobus Route 25A Weekdays midday service was restructured in December, 2011 to withdraw service to Shirlington and offer service to a neighborhood in Alexandria. FY 2013 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route 42 Ballston Pentagon Weekdays and Saturdays Running time adjustments, effective January 7, 2013 Route Change in Clarendon to use N. Highland St. instead of N. Garfield St., effective January 7, 2013. ART Route 53 Old Glebe/East Falls Church Metro Weekdays Running time adjustments, effective October 1, 2012. Weekdays - Add a 3 rd bus in the peak periods with a possible route change to improve service frequencies and increase ridership to be implemented in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. ART Route 74 Arlington Village/Arlington View/Pentagon City Weekdays add later PM peak trip effective October 1, 2012. ART Route 77- Shirlington/Lyon Park/Courthouse Route Change in Clarendon to use N. Highland St. instead of N. Garfield St., effective January 7, 2013 ART Route 84 Douglas Park/Nauck/Pentagon City Weekdays reroute to serve the center of the Nauck neighborhood, a predominantly African-American neighborhood with low household incomes. Improve service frequencies from 30 to 20 minutes with an additional peak period bus, effective October 1, 2012. New ART or STAR Midday Circulator Service Study feasibility of implementing flexible, possibly point-deviation midday service rotating on a two-day per week basis in neighborhoods with substantial senior Arlington County Page 5-4
populations connecting to a main-line transit stop as well as nearby shopping, medical and recreational facilities. FY 2014 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route 45 Columbia Pike/DHS/Sequoia/Rosslyn Weekdays Re-route to continue on 8 th Road S to S. Dinwiddie St. to service subsidized senior and affordable family apartments located on 8 th Road S. Discontinue service on S. Greenbrier Street, effective July 1, 2013. ART Route 75 - Shirlington/Wakefield H.S./Carlin Springs Road/Ballston Metro Weekdays reduce off-peak service frequencies from 30 to 45 minutes, effective July 1, 2013. Metrorail new Silver Line Service Weekday, Saturday and Sunday services will be provided Metrobus Route 9S Weekdays Extend 9S to Potomac Yard; add later service weeknights Weekends - add Saturday service 6:30 AM - 1:00 AM and Sunday service 7:30 AM 11:30 PM. New Metrobus Limited Stop Route 9X, Braddock Rd Metro-Crystal City Metro via Crystal City Potomac Yard transitway Weekdays 5:30 AM - 1:00 AM, 12 minute frequencies peak; 15 off-peak Weekends - Saturday service 6:30 AM - 1:00 AM and Sunday service 7:30 AM 11:30 PM with 20 minute frequencies Metrobus Route 23 A&C Weekdays restructure service to improve frequencies, in conjunction with the new Silver Line Metrorail service. FY 2015 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route 41 Columbia Pike/Ballston/Court House Metro Weekdays improve evening service from 30 to 20 minute frequency until 11:00 PM and extend 30 minute service to 1:30 AM. Saturdays begin service one hour earlier, improve evening service from 30 to 20 minute frequency until 11:00 PM and extend 30 minute service to 1:30 AM. Sundays - begin service one hour earlier and extend service to 11:00 PM. Arlington County Page 5-5
ART Route 45 Columbia Pike/DHS/Sequioa/Rosslyn Weekdays add 45 minute service until 10:30 p.m. ART Route 42 Ballston/Pentagon Metro Saturdays - improve midday service from 60 to 30 minute frequencies until 8:00 pm; Consider redirecting weekend service from Pentagon Metro to Pentagon City Metro Sundays - new service from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 30 minute frequencies New ART Route 93 Pentagon/Long Bridge Park/Crystal City Metro Weekdays new transit service connecting the Pentagon Metro Station, Long Bridge Park and Crystal City Metro and VRE Stations, operating approximately at 15 minute peak and 30 minute midday and evening service frequencies New Metrobus Limited Stop Route 2Y East Falls Church Metro Ballston McPherson Square Weekdays peak periods every 30 minutes New Metrobus Limited Stop Route 4Y Arlington Forest or a site in Fairfax County Ballston McPherson Square Weekdays peak periods every 30 minutes Metrobus Route 3Y Weekdays Extend service to East Falls Church Metro Metrobus Route 25B Weekdays Improve peak period frequencies from 36 to 20 minutes New Metrobus Limited Stop Route 38X Weekdays Peak periods only, 24 minute frequencies, same route as the 38B FY 2016 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route 51 Langston/Ballston Metro/Virginia Hospital Center/Culpepper Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays extend route alignment north to the Langston Community Center and south to Culpepper Community Center Sundays extend Sunday night service until 12:30 a.m. ART Route 52 Ballston Metro/East Falls Church Metro Saturday new service from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 60 minute frequency ART Route 53 Ballston Metro/Glebe/East Falls Church Metro Saturday new service from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 60 minute frequency, providing combined 30 minute service frequencies with the ART 52 to East Falls Church Metro Arlington County Page 5-6
ART Route 77 Shirlington/Lyon Park/Court House Metro Weekday and Saturday extend route alignment to the Rosslyn Metro station and improve peak period service from 30 to 20 minute frequency Sundays Add service from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 45 minute frequency ART Route 87 Pentagon Metro to Shirlington Station Weekday extend evening service hours until 12:30 a.m. Saturday extend evening service hours until 12:30 a.m. ART Route 93 Pentagon/Long Bridge Park/Crystal City Metro Weekends new service from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 30 minute frequency to coincide with opening of the Long Bridge Park Natatorium Metrobus Route 3Y Weekdays extend service to East Falls Church Metro as a peak-period skip-stop route. FY 2017 Transit Service Improvement Plan + New ART Route 43 Shirlington/Dominion Hills/East Falls Church Metro Weekdays peak service with 30 minute frequencies ART Route 74 Arlington Village/Arlington View/Pentagon City Weekdays Extend service to the County s Dept. of Human Services offices and add hourly midday service ART Route 75 - Shirlington/Wakefield H.S./Carlin Springs Road/Ballston Metro Saturday Add service from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at 45 minute frequency ART or STAR Community Circulator Service Weekday Midday Only new service between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. serving neighborhoods with substantial senior populations two days each week, on a rotating basis. FY 2018 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route41 Columbia Pike/Ballston/Court House Metro Weekdays In conjunction with the initiation of Columbia Pike Streetcar Service, begin service 30 minutes earlier, add two peak buses to achieve ten minute service frequencies and improve off-peak service before 11:00 PM to a consistent 15 minute frequency Arlington County Page 5-7
Weekends In conjunction with the initiation of Columbia Pike Streetcar Service, begin service one hour earlier and operate at 15 minute frequencies. Extend Sunday night service until 12:30 a.m. and improve Saturday night service from 30 to 20 minute frequency ART Route 45 Columbia Pike/DHS/Sequioa/Rosslyn Weekdays In conjunction with the initiation of Columbia Pike Streetcar Service, improve peak service frequencies from 30 to 22 minutes; improve night service to 30 minute until midnight. Weekends In conjunction with the initiation of Columbia Pike Streetcar Service, add new service from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at 30 minute frequency ART Route 53 Ballston Metro/Glebe/East Falls Church Metro Divide the route in two, with coordinated arrivals at the Madison Center. Extend service from Ballston Metro to Westover. ART Route 74 Arlington Village/Arlington View/Buckingham Weekdays In conjunction with the initiation of Columbia Pike Streetcar Service, transform the ART 74 into a crosstown route connecting the original neighborhoods to the County Dept. of Human Services offices and the Buckingham neighborhood. FY 2019 Transit Service Improvement Plan + ART Route 75 - Shirlington/Wakefield H.S./Carlin Springs Road/Ballston Metro Sundays Add service from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 45 minute frequency 5.2 Transit Capital and Facility Recommendations TDP capital improvement recommendations for FY 2014 through FY 2019 are consistent with the capital improvement projects in Arlington County s recently adopted Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for FY2013 FY2022. Capital improvement recommendations are categorized into four types: vehicles, maintenance facility improvements, passenger facility improvements, and WMATA Capital Program (WMATA-Federal-State-Local Partnership Capital Investment Program). The updated Table 7-2 reflects the latest approved Arlington CIP. 5.2.1 Vehicle Recommendations Arlington Transit owns and operates a fleet of 44 active transit buses for fixed-route revenue service. Model years for these vehicles range from 2002 to 2013. Table 5-2 identifies Arlington Arlington County Page 5-8
Transit s fleet composition and proposed fleet replacement and expansion plan. ART retired 12 vehicles in Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013. These have been replaced with three (3) 35-foot heavyduty low-floor electric hybrid compressed natural gas (CNG) buses as well as six (6) 28-foot midduty low-floor CNG buses and six (6) 35-foot heavy duty CNG buses. Eight more 35-foot heavyduty CNG buses will be needed in 2016 to provide additional service. A total of 8 pending and 14 additional bus purchases are reflected in this six-year TDP. These buses will maintain an adequate spare ratio and expand the fleet to accommodate future service changes / expansion plans (described earlier in this section). This past summer Arlington County added a new project, ART fleet rehabilitation, to the Capital Improvement Plan and approved annual funding for the mid-life rehab of the ART heavy-duty buses CNG buses. Arlington plans to rehab two to four of the 35 NABI buses each year during the next 10 years. Table 7-2 updates include the addition of ART fleet rehab project to Arlington s TDP financial plan. The projected state funding shown in Table 7-2 reflects a conservative 30% reimbursement rate of local dollars. 5.2.2 Maintenance Facility Recommendations ART House (operations office, bus wash and CNG fueling facility) Currently funded ART House improvements consist of a new administrative and operations office, a CNG fueling facility, bus wash and a light duty maintenance bay for the ART bus services and fleet. The development of the ART House facilities will be completed in phases. The initial phase is under construction to develop permanent offices for administration and operations at 2900 S. Eads Street to be completed in FY13. The next phase will include site improvements to the existing site on 2900 Jefferson Davis Highway and the addition of utilities, a CNG fueling station, a bus wash facility, and a light duty maintenance bay. Subsequent phases will include purchase of additional land and the design and construction of a major maintenance facility. Total project capital costs are estimated to be $15.4 million. 5.2.3 Passenger Facility Capital Improvement Recommendations The passenger capital improvements included in the TDP update are consistent with Arlington s recently approved FY2013-FY2022 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Following is a list of transit capital investments included in the TDP update. Table 7-2 identifies annual capital investment requirements and funding source assumptions for these projects. WALKArlington Program Rosslyn Metro Station Access Improvements Columbia Pike Streetcar Columbia Pike Super Stops Fairfax Drive Sidewalk, Pedestrian and Bus Stop Improvements (Ballston Station Area) Bus Stop and Shelter Program Transit ITS & Security Program Planning and Implementation Pentagon City Pedestrian Tunnel Restoration Pentagon City Station Second Elevator Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway Crystal City Interim Multimodal Center Arlington County Page 5-9
Crystal City Station Access Improvements Route 1 Streetcar Courthouse Station Second Elevator 5.2.4 WMATA Capital Program The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA/Metro) is a unique federal-statelocal partnership formed to provide mass transit service to the Washington Metropolitan region. Since 2004, WMATA has utilized a multi-year funding strategy, the Metro Matters Agreement, to fund its capital improvements. Metro Matters expired June 30, 2010 and was replaced by a Capital Funding Agreement, adopted on July 1, 2010, aimed at meeting critical capital needs for the Metro system. This six-year funding agreement requires Metro to reconcile actual and planned financial transactions for major expenditure and revenue items.. The WMATA Board adopted a $5.3 billion six-year FY2013-FY2018 Capital Plan as part of this new Capital Funding Agreement in June, 2012. This Capital Plan includes a Capital Needs Inventory, a listing of major capital projects, and a financial plan. More than 93 percent of the planned investment is focused on safety, rehabilitation and replacement of Metro s infrastructure, facilities, equipment, railcars, buses and paratransit vehicles. Arlington County Page 5-10