WASHINGTON — Metro broke ground on a new bus garage, alongside local leaders such as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Wednesday that will step into an environmentally friendly future with an all-electric fleet.
The Northern Bus Garage Reconstruction Project will be the first of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) garages to have an all zero-emission bus fleet when it opens, Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke announced. The project is made possible through the rebuilding of the historic 14th Street garage, which is funded in part by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration. Construction is expected to be done in 2027.
“We are focused on providing a Better Bus experience for our customers, one that is environmentally friendly, more efficient, and better serves the region’s needs,” Clarke said. “This is just the start of our investment to bring zero-emission technology to #YourMetro as we replace fossil fuels with clean technology that will power our fleet of 1600 buses."
Metro is also purchasing 12 electric buses that will run out of the Shepherd Parkway Bus Division as part of their Battery-Electric Bus Test and Evaluation Program.
The conversion of the new bus garage and other Metro facilities to support zero-emission technology is a key part to achieving Metro’s goal of a zero-emission bus fleet. In 2021, Metro’s Board of Directors adopted goals to transition to all zero-emission buses by 2045, which aligns with the 2018 Clean Energy DC Act requiring 100% of public buses to be zero-emission by 2045, according to a news release.
“Ensuring we have a public transportation system that is safe, reliable, and efficient also means ensuring we have a system that keeps up with our environmental goals. And this new bus garage is helping us build a greener and cleaner D.C.,” Mayor Bowser said.
In addition to the Northern Bus Garage, the new Bladensburg and Western bus garages are also being designed to support the transition to a zero-emission fleet.
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