Blue Line Loop: Blue/Orange/Silver capacity study

JDC wrote: ↑Sun Jul 30, 2023 8:15 am John - do the WMATA railyards even have the capacity to store enough trains? I know the new railyard at Dulles is very, very large, but would it (or the other yards) have enough capacity to satisfy any of these build options? Or, would these build options need to include more railyards?

I would think WMATA would need another railyard that's "close by". The problem here is that there's no room on the west side of the Potomac. You gotta locate it on the east side...

...and build for a bit of expansion again, down to Waldorf. Which is going to make things weird.

JDC post_id=1626542 time=1690722951 user_id=271975
John - do the WMATA railyards even have the capacity to store enough trains? I know the new railyard at Dulles is very, very large, but would it (or the other yards) have enough capacity to satisfy any of these build options? Or, would these build options need to include more railyards?

All options, with the exception of the turn back no build option, were built without inclusion of an additional servicing and inspection yard facility, no.

Blue line loop option:

1/3 of the slots between Rosslyn and Largo / New Carrollton would become available with the Blue line loop, Dulles, Falls Church, New Carrollton yards and the Largo tail track do not have enough capacity for the train that would use those slots. Alexandra Yard does not have the capacity for all of the Blue line loop trains along with the existing Yellow line train.

Mind you WMATA typically spots trains at terminal station platforms overnight lessening the need for additional yard storage capacity. In addition to that, there is the terminal station tail tracks at New Carrollton 2 8 car trains, Franconia - Springfield 3 8 car trains, Vienna and Ashburn 4 8 car trains each.

That is likely not enough without additional yard storage capacity.

Blue line or Silver line Express to Greenbelt option:

The combined capacity of Alexandra and Greenbelt yards / Dulles and Greenbelt yards plus the tail tracks is not enough.

Silver line to New Carrollton option:

WMATA has proposed a project to increase storage capacity at New Carrollton by lengthening and adding parallel tracks to the tail tracks that is separate from the Blue/Orange/Silver capacity study. That would not be enough capacity for Silver line plus the 1/3 of the slots used by the Blue and Orange lines.

The no build turn back option:

No effect on storage capacity.

John, as always your knowledge is immense!

I had a follow up question that occurred to me as I was riding the Silver Line yesterday past the tracks that lead to the Dulles railyard. Of the existing Metro railyards, which ones have the room to expand? I assume Dulles because it's surrounded by nothing, though maybe WMATA would need to buy more land from WMAA. The only other yard I am intimately familiar with is the one in Alexandria, and I know that's basically hemmed in on all sides now so it probably cannot grow any larger.

That would be a look at Google maps.

Greenbelt can grow. Others: Glenmount (but there's a park possibly), Branch Ave (a little, not much), and maybe Dulles? However, there's not much room and I think for the numbers needed, a new large yard is needed.

I thought about using Google maps, but realized I'd first need to track down a list of all of Metro's railyards because I do not know that information offhand. If an entirely new, large railyard is needed, then I wonder where Metro would place it under any of these proposals. The ones extending the system to National Harbor may pass through some undeveloped areas, but I do not know if there is that much unused land surrounding most of Metro's ROW.

JDC
John, as always your knowledge is immense!

I had a follow up question that occurred to me as I was riding the Silver Line yesterday past the tracks that lead to the Dulles railyard. Of the existing Metro railyards, which ones have the room to expand? I assume Dulles because it's surrounded by nothing, though maybe WMATA would need to buy more land from WMAA. The only other yard I am intimately familiar with is the one in Alexandria, and I know that's basically hemmed in on all sides now so it probably cannot grow any larger.

Within the existing yard footprints, the layout of these as built yards allowed additional tracks to be added:

• New Carrollton has room for 2 tracks between track 16 and Garden City Drive, 16 cars.
• Falls Church had its room used for the Annex Shop and 5 new tracks, 50 cars.
• Dulles has room for 2 track between track 16 and Rail Operation Drive, 30 cars .
• Shady Grove has room for 3 tracks between track 21 and the south loop track 1, 22 cars.

Most of the other yards are constrained to allow the addition of new storage tracks outside their existing footprints.

Greenbelt sacrificed tracks 17 and 18 to allow the building of the Acceptance and Commissioning facility.

WMATA has looked at placing new storage tracks inside the north loop at Shady Grove roughly 64 to 80 cars. They also have plans to add a 4 bay Service and Inspection Facility at Glenmont north of track 1.

With mitigation 4 tracks, 32 cars, could be added to Branch Avenue east of track 15 and 6 to 8 tracks, 48 to 60 cars could be added to Greenbelt with a ladder to the north on the east side of track 2.

I imagine it would be prohibitively expensive to build a new underground yard, or an underground second level for an existing yard?......

What about the opposite option - partially or fully decking over an existing above ground yard? That would be a lot less expensive than digging underneath an existing yard, and wouldn't require any new real estate either. It's not like the trains can't run under cover....

jamoldover
What about the opposite option - partially or fully decking over an existing above ground yard? That would be a lot less expensive than digging underneath an existing yard, and wouldn't require any new real estate either. It's not like the trains can't run under cover....

The yard that are are most suited for an upper level deck for additional storage tracks are the ones that have yards ladders attaching to their turning loop tracks.

• Shady Grove
• Greenbelt
• New Carrollton
• Fall Church (Tracks 1 - 4, 1A - 1-C)
• Dulles

The tuning loops can easily accommodate the need elevation change.

Branch Avenue could have its ramp placed between the car wash and the south end of the yard ladder east of track 2.

Note: All of the storage tracks in the yards are on a down grade to the bumper posts. This was done to prevent cars from rolling out of the storage tracks. The storage tracks in Brentwood Yard that have ladders on both ends are dished to prevent cars from rolling out from either end of those storage tracks.