Stanley Allan, one of the original designers of DC’s Metro system sketched out a map (with what looks like paper cutouts and tape) of what he thinks Metro will look like in the future. Keep in mind, we aren’t asking “who’s paying for all of this?” But pretend that our local governments have limitless resources and check out this concept map. Sorry about the image quality — the source graphic wasn’t that great.
In my opinion, this map addresses certain deficiencies that we’ve all come to complain about in the current Metro system: suburb-to-suburb commuting without going through downtown Washington, new stops in Georgetown, Kennedy Center, Tysons Corner, Dulles Airport and a line running along Columbia Pike reaching out towards Burke.
From a geographic standpoint, it looks desirable, but it still doesn’t address my fundamental problem with the system — that it is a two-track system. Unlike NYC’s system with four tracks running in parallel, a two-track system can’t support express trains, which I think is critical for this system to work properly. A commute from the outermost points of the DC system to downtown takes just as long or sometimes longer than sitting in traffic because of the frequent stops, and then there’s the problem with the overcrowded trains. Four tracks also provide redundancy so that if a train gets stuck, there are still three tracks in service. Compare that to our existing two-track system where a breakdown results in both inbound and outbound trains sharing the remaining operational track (with passenger wait times sometimes beyond 30 minutes). I understand building four tracks costs more than building two tracks, but the provision for additional tracks was not even in the original design. Anyway, adding new stops won’t solve the transportation problem here, it will just make the system seem conceptually cooler on a map. (Maybe this goes back to Tufte — the map as it is does not provide a representation of how the system works, rather only where the system goes.)
I used to be very pro public transportation and I still use it (in any city) when I think it’s convenient and useful, but I’m definitely backtracking on my stance on always supporting public transportation efforts. Do I have a better solution for DC Metro? No, not yet. Do I support the toll increases on the Dulles Toll Road for building Metro to Tysons Corner and Dulles? No, not with the current design (not just number of tracks, but I don’t like the station placements either). Can things be better than they are now? Absolutely, I just don’t think that design by legislation, NIMBY actions, and popular politics is the way to go about it.
