Metroway
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) opened the Metroway, a bus rapid transit route, in 2014.[1] Pentagon City is its northern terminus.
The Metroway runs 4.5 miles south from Pentagon City to Alexandria, Virginia.[1]
It was built to use its own dedicated roadway - one not shared with other traffic.[1] It has 17 covered stations, like light rail line. According to Arlington Now the line cost $42 million to construct.
In 2021 officials discussed plans to extend the route 1.1 miles north, to connect to Pentagon City Metro station, near the massive new Amazon HQ2 complex.[1]
As of 2021 service along the route is infrequent - with buses arriving more than ten minutes apart.[1] Compared with more popular routes, in other cities, ridership is very low. According to Arlington Now daily ridership was only 3,000 passengers per day, almost one twentieth of the riders on Toronto's King Street streetcar.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Matt Blitz. Seven years since debut, how’s the region’s first rapid bus transit system faring?, Arlington Now, 2021-11-29. Retrieved on 2022-03-23. “What’s more, the county is investing further into the needed infrastructure. In September, the county unveiled designs to extend the Transitway by an additional five stations and 1.1 miles so that it connects with the Pentagon City Metro station (not to mention areas close to Amazon’s new HQ2).”