Doubling Down on Bus Rapid Transit in Northern Virginia

Arlington County plans an expansion of the D.C. region's first Bus Rapid Transit line.

1 minute read

December 2, 2021, 12:00 PM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Metroway bus

MJW15 / Metroway bus

Seven years after its launch, local officials say Arlington County's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line has shown promising results, writes Matt Blitz. According to Lynn Rivers, Arlington County’s Transit Bureau Chief, the Metroway "is doing what it’s supposed to be doing": getting more people out of cars and onto public transit. The Metroway launched in 2016 as the region's first "real foray into BRT."

Despite lower-than-expected ridership and challenges posed by the pandemic, the county will continue to invest in the project, with plans to add five stations and connect with Pentagon City by late 2023. "Officials say that the current low ridership numbers does not change at all their plans for Metroway or completing the Transitway extension. Rivers notes that Metroway is 'holding its own' in terms of ridership and fully expects to rebound to 2019 numbers and beyond," writes Blitz.

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