MONTHLY COMMISSION MATERIALS October 2019 MEETING OVERVIEW – October 3, 2019 Action Items Include: • Notice of Direct Contributions to the Jurisdictions • Letter Commenting on the Long Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Statement • 2019 Report on the Performance and Condition of WMATA • Letter Commenting on the Bus Transformation Project • Commuter Choice FY2019 Annual Report to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) • Commuter Choice FY2020 Program of Projects Referred to the CTB • VRE Preliminary FY2021 Operating and Capital Budget Referred to the Jurisdictions • Submission of Two VRE Projects for NVTA Six-Year Program Update Funding Other Meeting Highlights: • Report from the NVTC WMATA Committee Chair and Virginia WMATA Board Members • Commuter Choice Program Update • Reports from the VRE CEO and DRPT Director • NVTC Transit Resource Center Update TABLE OF CONTENTS NVTC September 5, 2019 Commission Agenda ............................................................................ 3 Agenda Item 1 Pledge of Allegiance and Opening Remarks Agenda Item 2 Minutes ....................................................................................................... 5 Agenda Item 3 Consent Agenda ..........................................................................................15 Agenda Item 4 Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) ...........................19 Agenda Item 5 Commuter Choice Program ..........................................................................85 Agenda Item 6 Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) ................................. 105 Agenda Item 7 Virginia Railway Express (VRE) .................................................................... 111 Agenda Item 8 NVTC Transit Resource Center ..................................................................... 163 Agenda Item 9 Executive Director Report ........................................................................... 189 NVTC COMMISSION MEETING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 MAIN FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM 2300 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 7:00 P.M. 5:50 P.M. Dinner will be available for Commissioners and staff 6:00 P.M. Executive Committee Meeting – First Floor Small Conference Room 7:00 P.M. Commission Meeting – First Floor Large Conference Room AGENDA 1. Pledge of Allegiance and Opening Remarks 2. ACTION ITEM: Approve the Minutes of the September 5, 2019 NVTC Meeting 3. ACTION ITEM: Approve the CONSENT AGENDA (Subject to Approval of the Chairman) A. Authorize the Notice of Direct Contributions to the Jurisdictions B. Authorize the Chairman to Send a Letter Endorsing Action Alternative A in the Long Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Statement 4. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) A. Report from the Chair of the NVTC WMATA Committee • ACTION ITEM: Authorize the Executive Director to Send the 2019 Report on the Performance and Condition of WMATA to the Governor and the General Assembly and to Send an Updated Version with NTD Data if Needed • ACTION ITEM: Authorize the Chairman to Send a Letter to the Project Team Providing Comments on the Bus Transformation Project B. Report from the Virginia WMATA Board Members C. Other WMATA News D. Virginia Ridership and Parking Facility Utilization 2 5. Commuter Choice Program A. Commuter Choice Program At Large i. ACTION ITEM: Authorize the Executive Director to Submit the NVTC Commuter Choice Program FY2019 Annual Report to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) B. I-395/95 Commuter Choice Program i. ACTION ITEM: Approve Resolution #2392: Approve the Inaugural I-395/95 Commuter Choice Program of Projects and Forward to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and Authorize the Executive Director to Execute the Standard Project Agreements C. I-66 Commuter Choice Program i. Commuter Choice Program Revised Criteria ii. Proposed Schedule on Approach to Round Four of the I-66 Commuter Choice Call for Projects 6. Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) A. DRPT Monthly Report B. Commonwealth’s Relationship to the Virginia Railway Express 7. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) A. VRE CEO Report and Minutes B. ACTION ITEM: Approve Resolution #2393: Authorize the Referral of the Preliminary FY2021 VRE Operating and Capital Budget to the Jurisdictions C. ACTION ITEM: Approve Resolution #2394: Approve and Authorize the Submission of Two VRE Projects to NVTA for FY2024-FY2025 Six-Year Program Update Funding Consideration D. VRE Customer Service Survey Results E. Amended VRE Passenger Tariff F. VRE Crystal City Station Improvement Project 8. NVTC Transit Resource Center A. FY2019 4th Quarter Ridership Report B. FY2019 Annual Transit Performance Report 9. Executive Director Report A. Executive Director Newsletter B. NVTC Financial Report Agenda Item #2: Minutes of the September 5th Meeting MINUTES NVTC COMMISSION MEETING – SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 NVTC Suite #230 – 2300 WILSON BLVD. ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA The meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission was called to order by Chairman Letourneau at 7:16 P.M. Members Present Canek Aguirre Elizabeth Bennett-Parker Richard Black Sharon Bulova Katie Cristol John Cook Christian Dorsey Adam Ebbin John Foust Libby Garvey David LaRock Matt Letourneau Jeff McKay David Meyer Jennifer Mitchell (Alternate, Commonwealth of Virginia) M. David Skiles David Snyder Raul “Danny” Vargas Members Absent Catherine Hudgins James M. LeMunyon Ron A. Meyer Paul Smedberg Staff Present Kate Mattice, Executive Director Matt Cheng Andrew D’huyvetter Matt Friedman Allan Fye Rhonda Gilchrest Dan Goldfarb Patricia Happ Scott Kalkwarf Tenley O’Hara Zach Smith Doug Allen (VRE) Alex Thorup Karen Finucan Clarkson (VRE) Jae Watkins Joe Swartz (VRE) 2 Opening Remarks Chairman Letourneau welcomed everyone to the September 5th NVTC meeting. He thanked Commissioners for attending the just concluded Open House and Public Hearing for the I-395/95 Commuter Choice program. Chairman Letourneau noted that the meeting is being streamed on YouTube Live and the public can also access the feed through a link on NVTC’s Facebook page. He reviewed highlights and the action items for the meeting. Minutes of the July 11, 2019 NVTC Commission Meeting Senator Black moved, with a second by Ms. Bulova, to approve the Minutes of the July 11, 2019 meeting. The vote in favor was cast by Commissioners Aguirre, Black, Bulova, Cook, Dorsey, Ebbin, Foust, Garvey, LaRock, Letourneau, Mitchell, Skiles and Snyder. Commissioners Bennett- Parker, Cristol, McKay, Meyer and Vargas abstained. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Report from the Chair of the WMATA Committee. Chairman Letourneau stated that since NVTC’s WMATA Committee Chair Cathy Hudgins could not attend the meeting, he would provide a brief update on committee activities. The WMATA Committee has met twice to work on the development of the 2019 Report on the Performance and Condition of WMATA. The committee provided staff with guidance on strategies regarding the WMATA Board, parking, fare policy, fare pass products and the role of Metrobus in the region. He explained that NVTC is responsible for reporting on the performance and condition of WMATA annually by November 1st to the Governor and General Assembly. He stated that the Commission will be asked to take action on the 2019 Report at the October meeting. Chairman Letourneau asked Mr. D’huyvetter to give a staff presentation on the 2019 Report. Mr. D’huyvetter reviewed the work that has been accomplished for the 2019 Report. He acknowledged the hard work of Dinah Girma and Zach Smith of NVTC staff, who were instrumental in the research and peer system benchmarking of fare policies for children, low- income fare pass, parking utilization and policy and complementary paratransit service in Northern Virginia. Mr. D’huyvetter stated that the 2019 Report includes new strategies as well as strategies carried over from the 2018 Report. The Strategies Chapter of the report provides policy recommendations developed by staff with direction from the NVTC WMATA Committee. Strategies include: 1) Maximize Use of Eight-Car Trains 2) Improve Weekend Rail Service 3) Develop Parking Pass Products 4) Optimize Parking Facilities 3 5) Expand and Enhance Fare Products 6) Rebuild Ridership and Improve Efficiency of Metrorail and Metrobus 7) Increase Non-Fare Revenues 8) Control Cost Escalation and Enhance Efficiency of the Workforce and Contracted Services Mr. Skiles asked about the status of WMATA’s development of a mobile ticketing app. Ms. Mattice replied that NVTC has requested WMATA staff brief the Commission on WMATA’s progress on its regional fare collection program. Mr. Skiles observed that if WMATA does not do something soon, the local governments will start making decisions about mobile ticketing. Mr. Cook asked why on-time performance is worse on the weekends. Mr. Dorsey explained that WMATA often single tracks service on the weekends for maintenance, which impacts on-time performance. Mr. McKay stated that he would like to see the strategies in “4) Optimize Parking Facilities” be applied to all the parking facilities, regardless if they are WMATA-owned or where local governments control the policies. Ms. Garvey asked if there is data showing a pattern of when parking prices drop then ridership and demand goes up. She stated that it would be helpful to share this information, if available, with the jurisdictions, especially with those that control the parking policies. Mr. McKay agreed that the goal is to grow ridership. Chairman Letourneau stated