Do any above ground WMATArail stations have any heat?

[Tritransit Area]

This comes to my mind as I remember my last trip coming from Virginia.  In typical Yellow Line fashion, I ended up missing my K6 home by 5 minutes, and had to wait "forever" (30-ish minutes) for the next one.  T'was a cold night, and bitterly I thought: "They spend goodness knows how much on this station/transit center in the 'middle of nowhere' and they can't even put up a heated waiting room for it's patrons?  Even in the suburb of Norristown, PA there is a building where people can wait for the bus and be protected from the elements!"

This thought pops into my head as I wait for the Ride-On bus at Silver Spring (especially today where I have to trek up that wretched hill) and at Takoma.  WMATA talks about the "new metrobus" with fancy buses and schemes and routes...but what about the passengers out in the cold?

Are there any above ground/surface stations that even provide a little wind screen for the bus patrons?

[Tristan]

Ray, didn't your home bus stop once have a heat lamp?  Does it still work?

Brandon, I can't think of any place that has a "transit-oriented" waiting area.  Landmark Mall has the mall during business hours so you can stand in there and kind of duck out when you see your bus.  Same for Ballston.  Shirlington Station is the only enclosed waiting area that was built for transit (that I can think of), but that is closed on Sundays and some holidays (why, I don't know).

My eyes lit up when I noticed that Chicago had heat lamps on the rail platforms, but then I found out why.  Here, not so much, as if it doesn't get cold.

[Scrabbleship]

My eyes lit up when I noticed that Chicago had heat lamps on the rail platforms, but then I found out why.  Here, not so much, as if it doesn't get cold.

You hit the nail right on the head, Tristan! In a place like DC where there usually is one bitter cold snap a year (it just happened that last winter's was when throngs of people were in town), there really isn't a need for platform heaters.

Oddly enough, while Chicago does have them none of the outdoor stations in Boston have them and their climate is similarly cold.

[Tristan]

Waiiiiit a minute, don't put me in the "NO" crowd!  I've spent many a freezing morning on an elevated rail platform with my skin changing from brown to purple to blue wondering why the PIDS sign hasn't changed from "4" in the last 5 minutes.  I'm all for some heat lamps or at least better windscreens in stations.  I wonder how much such a thing would cost...

[Scrabbleship]

Waiiiiit a minute, don't put me in the "NO" crowd!  I've spent many a freezing morning on an elevated rail platform with my skin changing from brown to purple to blue wondering why the PIDS sign hasn't changed from "4" in the last 5 minutes.  I'm all for some heat lamps or at least better windscreens in stations.  I wonder how much such a thing would cost...

What I wonder is why this wasn't put into the original specifications of the system to begin with. There should have been some provisions to start, but would any designs have conflicted with Harry Weese's master plan?

[C40LF_2464]

That would be nice to see one of those here. The PRTC Transit Center in Woodbridge has one. And a high tech public, portable, bathroom thingy!

[Tritransit Area]

I honestly haven't seen platform heaters anywhere but the coldest of the coldest of places, like in Minneapolis on the LRT platforms.  The good thing is that WMATA has those pseudo shelters for the platform.

However, my gripe is that there is NOWHERE in the station where you can hang out to remain warm until your train or bus is ready to depart.  Is the Silver Spring Transit Center going to at least have a place where I can wait for the next bus to Langley Park in some sort of comfort?  If not, the walk up Ramsey Street really isn't worth it .

[aznboy4305]

However, my gripe is that there is NOWHERE in the station where you can hang out to remain warm until your train or bus is ready to depart.

I usually just wait inside the elevator, they have glass walls for a reason  . And yes, there are about 3 bus shelters on Rockville Pike in the White Flint region that have heat lamps. They're activated by a push button that keeps them turned on for 10-15 minutes at a time. However, they do turn it on/off seasonally. The last few times I used one of those stops was during the summer, so I wouldn't know if they still currently work.

[rideonrulez]

However, my gripe is that there is NOWHERE in the station where you can hang out to remain warm until your train or bus is ready to depart.

I usually just wait inside the elevator, they have glass walls for a reason  . And yes, there are about 3 bus shelters on Rockville Pike in the White Flint region that have heat lamps. They're activated by a push button that keeps them turned on for 10-15 minutes at a time. However, they do turn it on/off seasonally. The last few times I used one of those stops was during the summer, so I wouldn't know if they still currently work.

That's the exact set up in Chicago on the rail platforms. They only work from November 1 to March 31 and turn on with a press of a button. But  they need it up here and it definitely keeps you warm while your waiting for the train.