Shirlington Station when it was under construction MetroExtra, WMATA’s brand for limited routes

Washington and New York are the only two metropolitan regions in the country in which rail carries more people than buses. In New York that’s because the rail system is so extensive. In Washington it’s partly because we have a good Metro, but also partly because we’ve never given our bus system the support it needs to meet its potential. For a long time buses have been the stepchild of our regional transit network. Sure, they exist, and sure, they carry a lot of riders, but for decades they’ve been largely ignored, and bus facilities have been low quality.

In recent years regional leaders have come around to notice that we’re not using buses as efficiently as we could, and have begun making plans to do something about that. That thinking was one of the reasons WMATA picked bus expert John Catoe as agency CEO in 2007.

This week, two big bus initiatives are coming to fruition. Arlington is opening its new Shirlington station, and WMATA is launching its overhaul of the 30s bus line, the agencies busiest.

Shirlington Station, opened for business on June 25, is the first enclosed bus station in Arlington, and one of a very few in the region. Along with the Columbia Pike streetcar and the Potomac Yard Transitway the station is part of a concerted effort on Arlington’s part to bring quality transit facilities to the more urban parts of the county not served directly by Metro. A climate controlled waiting room with restrooms, a Commuter Store, and an off-street loading area is certainly a big step up from the curb.

WMATA’s 30s line runs across the length of the District on Wisconsin and Pennsylvania Avenues and carries more than 20, 000 daily riders. The overhaul of the 30s line, which begins on June 29, will provide local shuttles and cross-town limiteds in addition to the trunk local route currently operating. The limited routes will only stop at a handful of locations, speeding long-distance riders across town much more quickly than the locals. The limiteds, which as WMATA buys new buses will eventually be branded as MetroExtra, are part of a program to provide more rail-like rapid bus service on major corridors. MetroExtra is already running on Georgia Avenue, and we can expect to see it on other trunk corridors in the future. The model is Metro Rapid, a highly successful program in LA that Catoe had a hand in.