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Planned location for an Eisenhower Valley infill station. Eisenhower ValleyĮisenhower Valley is one of the areas where WMATA planned for a potential infill station from the start, preserving an area with sufficient space for a station, located near the eastern edge of the Alexandria rail yard. Likewise, if there’s a need to minimize vertical circulation to save cost, you could arrange to change the track geometry here to fit an island platform in. Test fit of side platforms at Franconia Road.Īdditionally, having platforms straddle Franconia Road’s overpass allows for headhouses along both the Eastbound and Westbound travel lanes, creating a chance for easy and direct bus connections.Īlternatively, the platforms could be entirely on one side of the overpass or another there’s plenty of space. Adding side platforms to the existing rails ought to be a simple design. The WMATA tracks are straight as an arrow, with plenty of space between the CSX/VRE right of way and adjacent development. However, with modest suburban retrofits, this area could be transformed.Įase of Construction: One potential benefit is that a station here ought to be easy (and cheap) to build. The existing streetscape along Franconia Road itself isn’t friendly to walking. Assuming that the residential uses are unlikely to change, the remaining areas offer only modest redevelopment potential. Land use: The area is surrounded by mostly single-family residential uses (a combination of detached houses and townhouses), with a mix of auto-oriented retail and institutional buildings. There is limited existing bus service across this stretch of Franconia Road, but adding a station here (and the potential connections it can offer) would open the door to a rider range of services. Existing east-west travel in the area along Franconia Road provides potential for connecting transit and last-mile trips. VRE launched service in 1992 and added a station at Franconia-Springfield in 1995.Īside from the Capital Beltway, the only street to cross the tracks between Van Dorn and Franconia-Springfield is Franconia Road, reflecting the age of the corridor.Ĭonnections: Franconia Road sits more than a mile from Franconia-Springfield station and more than two miles from Van Dorn Street. Today’s transit services are much newer – the Blue Line was extended to Van Dorn Street in 1991 and to Franconia-Springfield in 1997. The Blue Line follows the existing RF&P railroad corridor, first built in the 1870s. Today’s Franconia-Springfield Station hyphenated after the system’s original plan to serve each location with a separate branch fell through. The Virginia portion of the Blue Line features several long stretches without stations.
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The scheme intends to accommodate for the city’s fast-growing population, which is currently expanding by around 35,000 new residents a year.įor detailed data on fleet orders from around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.Diving into some details about infill station locations, starting with the Blue and Yellow Line. Stockholm’s new rolling stock is part of the city’s plan to expand metro capacity, which includes extensions to the Blue and Yellow lines. In addition, the trains are equipped with six sliding doors per car to maximise accessibility from the platforms and feature air conditioning. The trains have seating for 140 passengers in a four-by-four configuration, as well as standing areas and multi-purpose spaces which are arranged to optimise passenger flow and comfort. The 750V dc third rail trains are equipped with Bombardier Mitrac propulsion system and Orbiflo remote condition monitoring systems for diagnosing maintenance issues.Īdditionally, they are manufactured from 98% recyclable material and incorporate Bombardier’s Flexx Eco bogies, which are designed for energy efficiency and reduced maintenance. The trains will undergo trials before beginning regular service. The new four-car trains will replace ageing C6 and C14 metro trains currently operating on the Red Line, which connects the north-eastern and south-western suburbs with the city centre. The remaining 90 trains are currently being assembled at Bombardier’s site in Hennigsdorf, Germany. The company subsequently ran endurance tests before transferring ownership to SL this month. The six trains were originally imported into the country in 2018 by Bombardier Sweden and were approved for passenger service in June 2019.
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The batch is part of an order for 96 trains made by SL in 2013.
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