This project represents what BeyondDC thinks our rapid transit network ought to look like for the next generation of Washingtonians. We hesitate to call it a fantasy, because there are really no good reasons something of this scale can't be built over the course of the next 30 or so years. What it requires is a re-thinking of our transportation priorities, meaning we as a culture must move away from the subsidization of sprawl and toward a more efficient and sustainable model. Indeed, full build-out of this Vision would almost certainly cost less than continuing the cycle of leap-frog road building for another three decades.

While a complete re-thinking of our transportation priorities may be a lot to ask (though BeyondDC doesn't think so, given the grave situation of our cities), this Vision is anything but a pipe dream. Many of the individual projects exist in some level of official planning, either in the form of current proposals or as components of longer-term master plans, while those that aren't are, in our opinion, within the realm of reason.

BeyondDC isn't a decision-making organization, though, we're simply an interested party doing a little brainstorming, and despite our attempts to stay realistic there are some pretty radical ideas here. Eliminating the Yellow Line, for instance. This Vision, therefore, is meant to incite discussion. We want to know what you think of our ideas, and what your Metro dreams are made of. We're calling this a Draft because hopefully, after some responses from readers, we'll have enough good ideas to make revisions. Don't be shy, tell us what you think.

A word on mode:
Keeping in mind the fact that we're trying to remain within the realm of reality, most new lines are proposed as light rail (Baltimore's Central Line) or trams (Portland's streetcar) rather than the much more expensive heavy rail (the current Metro system). The simple fact is we could build most (or perhaps even all) of these proposed light rail lines for the same cost as a single new downtown subway line. Light rail isn't only cheaper, though, it's also easier. It allows us to place lines along existing streets with no more difficulty than simply adding a lane, eliminating the problem of right-of-way that can severely restrict heavy rail. If we were starting from scratch, and Washington had no Metro, light rail probably wouldn't be sufficient, but since we're supplementing an existing system that can only be described as very successful, a less intensive mode along secondary corridors is appropriate. We picture a future where MetroRail serves the heavy trunk lines, while MetroTram (what we're calling the overlaid light rail system) generally serves either more local or less-trafficked routes.

Route nomenclature:
For MetroRail extensions, we're keeping the existing system of color-based line names, though some modifications have been made. For MetroTram, however, there are more lines than there are primary colors, so we're grouping several routes together as a single color and adding a second identifier based on the geographic location of the line. For example, a line connecting the Woodley Park and Brookland Metro stations that's part of the Brown color group would be called "Brown-Crosstown", or "B-Crosstown" for short.

Route priorities:
Obviously this entire system can't be built overnight. Therefore we're assigning a numerical priority to each line, or in some cases, each leg of a line. Priorities will be broken down as follows:

1 = Extremely       High	Lines that should exist already, the absence of which represents a major hole in our transportation network.
2 = Very High	Lines that are badly needed, providing access in severely underserved areas.
3 = High	Lines where access improvements are crucially needed, but not as desperately as priority 1 and 2 corridors.
4 = Medium	Lines serving secondary corridors or providing connections to areas less inclined to transit use.
5 = Low	Lines with limited potential ridership or less consequential connections.

System map:

Specific route data:
(Click for more information)

  Metro lines:
   Red
     Extensions to Germantown and Olney
   Orange
     Extensions to Prince George's Stadium, Largo and Chantilly
   Yellow
     Eliminated, replaced by S-Southside light rail
   Green
     Extension to Laurel
   Blue
     Extensions to Leesburg and Woodbridge

  Light Rail lines:
   Silver Routes:
   S-Georgia
     Calverton, MD to Minnesota Ave Metro via Geogia Ave
   S-Southside
     Fort Belvoir, VA to La Plata, MD via Downtown DC
   S-Anacostia
     National Harbor to Minnesota Ave Metro

   Brown Routes:
   B-Crosstown
     Woodley Park Metro to Brookland Metro
   B-Florida
     Woodley Park Metro to Minnesota Ave Metro via Florida Ave

   Teal Routes:
   T-Wisconsin
     Tenleytown Metro to Minnesota Ave Metro via Georgetown
   T-Columbia
     Backlick Road VRE to Minnesota Ave Metro via Columbia Pike

   Purple Routes:
   P-Loop
     Circumferential route via Beltway and Leesburg Pike
   P-Potomac
     Silver Spring Metro to Tysons Galleria Metro

   Yellow Routes:
   Y-Fairfax
     Tysons North to Burke VRE via Route 123
   Y-Upcounty
     Damascus, MD to Norbeck Metro
   Y-Techway
     Norbeck Metro to Broad Run VRE via the Techway and Route 28

< Back to BeyondDC Home Page