Metro News Release
For immediate release: October 14, 2010
Replacement of Royal Street Bus Garage advances
Metro committee approves agreements leading to closure of 65-year-old facility in residential neighborhood
About a month after getting authorization to issue contracts to rehabilitate three old bus garages, Metro’s modernization efforts continue with the development of a project to construct a new bus garage in Fairfax County, Va., that will replace the 65-year-old Royal Street Bus Garage.
Metro’s Finance and Administration Committee endorsed development cost control actions during a meeting today (Oct. 14) that will keep the new bus facility project moving forward. The full Board of Directors will vote on the proposal on Oct. 28.
If approved, the new bus facility will be located on Cinder Bed Road in Fairfax County. It will feature new and more reliable equipment and amenities that will improve maintenance turn-around time and service reliability for the buses, which ultimately means better customer service. The new facility also will make working conditions safer and more comfortable for employees. An additional feature of the new facility will be its location in an industrial area away from residential neighborhoods.
Replacement of the Royal Street Bus Garage, which opened in 1945, is necessary to accommodate many of the newer, alternative-fuel Metrobuses. These vehicles require space and equipment that doesn’t exist at Royal Street Garage, which hinders fleet maintenance operations. For example, higher ceilings and special fire-protection devices are necessary for CNG buses. Expansion or retrofitting of the Royal Street Bus Garage is not possible in its current residential location.
The Board Committee voted for proposed revisions to project agreements, including amending the master development agreement and extending the property sales agreement by 120 days.
Initial building designs under the master development agreement aren’t detailed enough yet to offer accurate estimates of construction costs. With the amendment, the developer will produce more detailed designs, which will provide accurate cost estimates and help control project costs.
The extension of the sales agreement also gives the developer more time to finalize the Fairfax County Planning Process before Metro purchases land that has been designated for construction. Metro had originally agreed to purchase the land by the end of the year on the condition that the planning process would be completed by then.
Metro operates nine bus garages that house and service a fleet of about 1,518 buses, including 460 compressed natural gas (CNG), 355 diesel-electric hybrid buses, 117 clean-diesel buses and 586 diesel buses.
News release issued at 9:11 am, October 14, 2010.