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Union Station to Georgetown

Want to catch a streetcar and be in Union Station in 15 – 20 minutes during morning rush? The District of Columbia is scoping alternative analysis for premium transit service between Union Station and Georgetown?

Recently, Georgetown stakeholders from the Georgetown BID, Georgetown Business Association, Citzens Association and Georgetown University met to discuss values and requests for DDOT’s Union Station to Georgetown premium transit analysis. The meeting participants all agreed that if the study could expand to include connecting areas to the west of Georgetown such as the Palisades and Fox Hall, with a longterm goal of areas to the north of Georgetown such as upper Wisconsin Avenue, NW to Cathedral these routes would be optimal for connecting Georgetown with mass-transit.

The key points submitted by Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown BID, to DDOT are as follows:

1. Travel time between Union Station and Georgetown should be as fast as possible – and a goal of travel time should be established.

2. Headways should be as frequent as possible.

3. The alternatives analysis should provide a chart listing the costs and trade-offs for faster and more frequent service.

4. The study area must include Georgetown University in order to connect the Georgetown campus with the Law School and SCS (Georgetown Downtown bldg.).

5. Georgetown should not be the end of the line (westbound). The analysis should ensure that the line can be extended to the west in the future.

6. The analysis should include alternatives for interconnectivity between the K Street line and public transit that runs north on Wisconsin Avenue from K Street to both the Safeway and Tenleytown Metro.

Meeting participants included Joe Sternlieb of GBID, Susan Armstrong of Georgetown University, Greg Casten of GBA, Nick Cibel of GBA, Hazel Denton of CAG, Josh Hermias, GBID, Janine Schoonover of GBA, and Jim Wilcox of GBA. The ANC Commissioners were also invited, however, unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. The Georgetown Business Association Board of Directors voted “All in Favor” to support the scope of the study with many of the small business owners excited at the prospect of making it easier for residents and tourists to get to Georgetown to shop and dine. Greg Casten proposed making a dedicated street car route connecting Book Hill to the Georgetown Waterfront with a stop at Wisconsin & M.

Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown BID stated, “As more people move to our city and region, we need solutions that connect neighborhoods without worsening traffic. It is in everyone’s interest to ensure that the Georgetown Streetcar route can be extended easily west past the University and into the Palisades and beyond. We want to make sure that as many neighborhoods as possible can eventually be connected to premium transit services in the District.”

For more information on the proposed streetcars and their route, please visit www.unionstationtogeorgetown.com.

Written by Janine Schoonover, CEO of JSW Group