If WMATA got the money it needed to expand the bus routes and.........

[79MetroExtraMD]

Instead of a having routes 70 and 79, I'd just say "merge" the two and have a 70/70L. To me, the 79 is bordering on the line of service duplication.

It's bad enough now you got people who get on the 79 thinking its the 70. I wouldn't do a 70 and 70L just because alot of people will only see that 70 and think its local. Also, it kinda would go against the numbering system that's already in place (sans 89M, S80, S91, Y31). The 79 isn't really service duplication, its more along the lines of congestion relief (somewhat). During rush hour, the 70 used to be packed to the brim going up and down Georgia (although it still is). The 79 has helped congestion somewhat by getting those people who get off at the major stops along Georgia get to their destinations quicker than on the 70. After a year and a half since its inception, this line has been very successful and with the addition of midday service, it's truly become a good rapid line. All we need now is signal priority because alot of the signals along Georgia have a mind of their own.

[Tristan]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

[orionvii2680]

Call me whatever you like but i think it would be cool if they made a 9a/10a express lol to D.C..

[OrionFlyer]

Call me whatever you like but i think it would be cool if they made a 9a/10a express lol to D.C..

9X and 10X 

[Tristan]

Actually following recent nomenclature, it would probably be the 9Y and 10Y (3Y, 11Y, 16Y are your precedents).

[79MetroExtraMD]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

I second that. Of course, you'd have to expand service hours in PG to operate past 10pm, but then there is the thing about late night rail service vs. owl service.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

I second that. Of course, you'd have to expand service hours in PG to operate past 10pm, but then there is the thing about late night rail service vs. owl service.

I think it would be less expensive and easier to set up an owl system of buses for the rail lines instead of running the Metro 24/7.  Of course, the Metrorail Owl routes could be complemented by service on some other key routes, especially those where there is already 21 or 22 hour service.

[WES]

I'll recommend some increases in service and we'll go from there, we'll do PG first.

T18 rush every 10 minutes, non rush every 20 minutes

P12 rush only every 12-15 minutes with short trips leaving Southern Avenue Station to and from Addison Road.

C22 every 30 minutes during non rush hour, 20 minutes every rush.

F4 every 20 minutes during non rush hour, MAYBE 10 every rush.

Just a beginning.

[LandoverDivision]

I'll recommend some increases in service and we'll go from there, we'll do PG first.

T18 rush every 10 minutes, non rush every 20 minutes

P12 rush only every 12-15 minutes with short trips leaving Southern Avenue Station to and from Addison Road.

C22 every 30 minutes during non rush hour, 20 minutes every rush.

F4 every 20 minutes during non rush hour, MAYBE 10 every rush.

Just a beginning.

I agree with everything, but the F4 SHOULD be every 10 minutes. Also, get some night service for the Bowie and Laurel buses at least. The A12 should run every 30 minutes on Saturdays, and every 40 minutes on Sundays. Give the T18 some extended night service on weekends. Also, give the F4 some night service and run the F6 on weekends. Run the F8 every 30-40 minutes non rush instead of every hour and every 20 minutes rush.

Just my opinion.

[WMAveteran]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

I second that. Of course, you'd have to expand service hours in PG to operate past 10pm, but then there is the thing about late night rail service vs. owl service.

I think it would be less expensive and easier to set up an owl system of buses for the rail lines instead of running the Metro 24/7.  Of course, the Metrorail Owl routes could be complemented by service on some other key routes, especially those where there is already 21 or 22 hour service.

I agree with you about instituting owl runs.  When I worked for WMA Transit (BM-Before Metro) I drove owl runs on the "J" and "K" routes that operated between 11th & Pennsylvania Ave NW and Andrews AFB and I was always amazed how many people rode those busses.  That is a great solution.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

I second that. Of course, you'd have to expand service hours in PG to operate past 10pm, but then there is the thing about late night rail service vs. owl service.

I think it would be less expensive and easier to set up an owl system of buses for the rail lines instead of running the Metro 24/7.  Of course, the Metrorail Owl routes could be complemented by service on some other key routes, especially those where there is already 21 or 22 hour service.

I agree with you about instituting owl runs.  When I worked for WMA Transit (BM-Before Metro) I drove owl runs on the "J" and "K" routes that operated between 11th & Pennsylvania Ave NW and Andrews AFB and I was always amazed how many people rode those busses.  That is a great solution.

The only problem is that these types of services in other cities haven't been all that successful from what I understand.  In Boston, they ran buses after the subway closed on Friday and Saturday nights and that was discontinued due to low ridership when they needed to find routes to cut in a budget deficit.

[Tritransit Area]

24-hour service...I'm in favor of Owl buses if that's what it takes to get service on major corridors at all times.

I second that. Of course, you'd have to expand service hours in PG to operate past 10pm, but then there is the thing about late night rail service vs. owl service.

I think it would be less expensive and easier to set up an owl system of buses for the rail lines instead of running the Metro 24/7.  Of course, the Metrorail Owl routes could be complemented by service on some other key routes, especially those where there is already 21 or 22 hour service.

I agree with you about instituting owl runs.  When I worked for WMA Transit (BM-Before Metro) I drove owl runs on the "J" and "K" routes that operated between 11th & Pennsylvania Ave NW and Andrews AFB and I was always amazed how many people rode those busses.  That is a great solution.

The only problem is that these types of services in other cities haven't been all that successful from what I understand.  In Boston, they ran buses after the subway closed on Friday and Saturday nights and that was discontinued due to low ridership when they needed to find routes to cut in a budget deficit.

And yet in Philadelphia the two owl routes are well utilized...

The only thing is that it would be difficult to have Metrorail Owl Service for the mere fact that:

a) It's rather suburban and travels a lot of miles outside of DC

b) I don't believe the lines follow the streets as closely as, let's say, SEPTA's Market Frankford Line or Broad Street Lines.  Following the raillines may be difficult.

I do think there needs to be owl service on certain bus routes, though, to cover areas that need 24 hour service.  The question is: does DC need that?

[WMATAGMOAGH]

SEPTA's Owl Service was a "temporary" replacement for what was formerly 24 hour service, whereas the MBTA service was an "extension" of service hours.  I think that is why SEPTA's was so sucessful.

I once drew out potential routes for WMATA night buses, but you are right, they don't follow the streets that well.  What I would do is have timed transfers at Metro Center, and have buses operating on the following routes serving all inclusive stations:

1.  Shady Grove-Metro Center-Gallery Place-Glenmont
2.  Vienna-Metro Center-L'Enfant Plaza-New Carrollton
3.  Franconia-Van Dorn Street-Huntington-Eisenhower Avenue-King Street-Pentagon-L'Enfant Plaza-Gallery Place-Metro Center
4.  Metro Center-L'Enfant Plaza-Largo
5.  Greenbelt-Gallery Place-Metro Center-L'Enfant Plaza-Branch Avenue

Routes 3 and 4 could be interlined if demand warranted or to better utilize buses.  Another idea would be to split routes 1, 2, and 5 into separate routes as follows to make the routes shorter and perhaps more efficient:

1A: Shady Grove-Union Station
1B: Dupont Circle-Glenmont
2A: Vienna-L'Enfant Plaza
2B: Rosslyn or Farragut West-New Carrollton
5A: Greenbelt-L'Enfant Plaza via Metro Center
5B: Metro Center-Branch Avenue via Gallery Place

Tenleytown would not get bus service, nor would Arlington Cemetery.  Not sure if any other stations are skipped, but I don't think they are.

As to whether DC actually needs all this is a separate question.

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

Here's some possibilities (remember the topic question btw - if it's low ridership, then WMATA could put 30' buses on them or whatever)

66 and 68 extend to Pentagon (I thought that's a great idea)
-and if not, then other possibilities would be the 50 line or N line

Restore the N11 line (King St to Branch Ave or maybe National Harbor), or not even N11 but maybe it could be called something else, like the NH-2 (I think that's what Ken suggested)

A George Mason Ave line via Skyline City and Ballston Station
(I'll post a link to Google Maps when I can figure out how)

[Scrabbleship]

Tenleytown would not get bus service, nor would Arlington Cemetery.  Not sure if any other stations are skipped, but I don't think they are.

Couldn't Western at least shuttle a 30' Orion V or a DE37BRT between Friendship Heights and Tenleytown in this hypothetical? It at least doesn't cut Tenleytown out of the scheme of things and it'd be a straight run on Wisconsin that hurts nobody.

I wonder what the routing between Silver Spring and Union Station would be. That would be a bear and a half of a route with no major route linking the two.

As for George's post, the 66/68 to Pentagon and the hypothetical NH2 would make more than enough $en$e to run, but would the NH2 get people who right now are paying the $14 round-trip the water taxi between Alexandria and National Harbor? Would people go over for something slower but a fraction of the price?