Is it finally time to have a Metro station running through the heart of Georgetown? It's been a debate for a long time -- but now there's more talk about it happening, and the talk is coming from Metro.
A new map being circulated by Metro's planning department shows a proposed loop around the downtown core of D.C., with a stop planned for Georgetown.
"I think it would be helpful," said Charlie Patterson, who works in the neighborhood . "We are sort of on an island out here, so I think it would be great." Patterson said he'd love to get off the streets and on a train. He rides the bus and sometimes gets stuck in in traffic.
But the changes wouldn't happen overnight -- not by a long shot. The date on the map: 2040.
The plan also calls for several other new stations, another line in Virginia, and trains to constantly circle the downtown core without have to go to the end of the line. Chicago has a similar system in place,
Metro says the downloop/Arlington loop -- which would incorporate some existing stations and add others -- would relieve crowding.
The loop's northern route would travel under M, N or P Street NW, Metro said. It would cross the Potomac River in two places, and in Arlington, would run from Rosslyn to the Pentagon. Its southern route would cross Hains Point and run south of I-695 in Southeast D.C. The loop's eastern route would travel under Capitol Hill.
Of course, any new line through the heart of D.C. would obviously cost a lot and create major construction delays. But planners say that with the way our region continues to grow, something has to be done to better handle the crowds on Metro.
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The plan would be developed with new, high-capacity travel corridors for above-ground transit, Metro said.
But some aren't so sure that the city, and Georgetown specifically, needs the changes.
"I also think that there's tons of buses and other ways to get around, so I'm not sure if I am for or against it," said commuter Rachel Brittin.
The new plans, plus high-capacity surface transit options, would require studies and alternatives would need to be considered, Metro said.
