Passenger Trains > Washington D.C. Metro's Silver Spring Transit Center

On Friday, Washinton D.C.'s Metro filed a $166 million lawsuit against the three companies, that were responsable for the Silver Spring (,MD) Transit Center's construction. This facility was supposed to have opened in September, 2010, but due to the companies cutting corners, the capital project was declaired unsafe until now, when it will finally open, this coming Sepetember, after 5 years of Washinton residence' anger, behind the whole mess.

To what extent has MARC been frustrated with the malpractice of the 5 year delay?

Matthew

As noted recently elsewhere in the media, METRO can't even correct identified rail defects without an associated derailment.  What makes you think they could successfully oversee a multi-million dollar construction project?   

Good question. 

The project was made for Metro rail, bus and audo traffic. Not to say that MARC has been one of the major inner city transportation services, but it has a station in Silver Spring too, between Metro rail and the SS Transit Center. That having said, it seems like they could have been heavily involved in the whole thing as well. Also, the Washington Post stated that Metro's lawsuit is the first of a number to come.

Matthew

hazegray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As noted recently elsewhere in the media, METRO
> can't even correct identified rail defects without
> an associated derailment.  What makes you think
> they could successfully oversee a multi-million
> dollar construction project?   

Responding to hazegrey, Cumberland wrote, in part:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good question. 
>
> The project was made for Metro rail, bus and audo
> traffic. Not to say that MARC has been one of
> the major inner city transportation services, but
> it has a station in Silver Spring too, between
> Metro rail and the SS Transit Center. That having
> said, it seems like they could have been heavily
> involved in the whole thing as well.

Knowing the paucity of Metro's project management skills, and probably aware that too many cooks spoil the broth, MARC may have wisely decided to allow Metro to receive all the credit for this project.  In their shoes, I wouldn't have touched it with a barge pole.

Metro had nothing to do with the management of this proect. The county was in charge of the project and just turned it over to WMATA. The real question is, where was the county's third party QC company? I work for one and if they had a good QC company, this would have never happened.

We're coming to the end of a big light-rail project here in Los Angeles County--the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority is going to turn the East Pasadena to Azusa segment over to Metro next month.  The job was completed on time, a bit under budget, and with no major worker injuries.  At the dedication ceremonies, due recognition is given to the contract management company.

Seems to be a lot of blame to go around on this one. Their is rarely a single party to blame when construction projects go this far off the rails--starting with an overly complex design, with all those spirals, that are supposed to carry heavy vehicles. Apparently a ground level design with a bunch of bus bays would have been just too simple...

Yes, the county contracted for the work, however, since Metro was to operate the facility, they would have been intimately involved in writing the requirements--and possibly muddling the process with changes.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Governor Hogan of Maryland took a lot of criticism when he said government doesn't often do a good job of managing many large  projects. Too many "connected people", influence peddlers, campaign contributors who expect special deals, etc.

Maybe that's why the voters elected him following a string of Maryland governors tied in with crony capitalism and rush to build projects. Like this project...

Under Hogan, the other ridiculous extreme, there may well have been no project, not that what they built was all needed.
If Hogan dislikes government projects, it does not stop him from doing so with highways.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Under Hogan, the other ridiculous extreme, there
> may well have been no project, not that what they
> built was all needed.
> If Hogan dislikes government projects, it does not
> stop him from doing so with highways.

He ran on a platform of building more (free) highways. The voters elected him, by a good margin.

Whether the Democrats choose to run somebody like Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake against him should be interesting.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Under Hogan, the other ridiculous extreme,
> there
> > may well have been no project, not that what
> they
> > built was all needed.
> > If Hogan dislikes government projects, it does
> not
> > stop him from doing so with highways.
>
> He ran on a platform of building more (free)
> highways. The voters elected him, by a good
> margin.
>
> Whether the Democrats choose to run somebody like
> Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake against
> him should be interesting.

After the debacle in April with the riots she wouldn't have a chance at governor.  No matter how badly MD house/senate want to get back to one party politics, she isn't the one.  Hogan is doing what he said he would if elected for the most part.  That's rare these days in politics.  The city politicians and their brethren in Annapolis were all upset when Hogan nixed the red line, but it would have had minimal benefit for the state and he doesn't make the entire state revolve around Baltimore.  I have heard that he is pro-commuter rail though.

Cole42 Wrote:
(snip)
>
> After the debacle in April with the riots she
> wouldn't have a chance at governor.  No matter
> how badly MD house/senate want to get back to one
> party politics, she isn't the one.  Hogan is
> doing what he said he would if elected for the
> most part.  That's rare these days in politics. 
> The city politicians and their brethren in
> Annapolis were all upset when Hogan nixed the red
> line, but it would have had minimal benefit for
> the state and he doesn't make the entire state
> revolve around Baltimore.  I have heard that he
> is pro-commuter rail though.

He said nice things about MARC during the campaign, and Lord knows he needs the suburban vote.  It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he adds some service to Perryville, maybe with some additional bus feeder routes. Relatively low cost, but good visibility