WMATA holds groundbreaking ceremony for Northern Bus Garage

Jan. 26, 2023

The facility will take four years to transform the 117-year-old former streetcar storage building into a modern facility that will host a zero-emission bus fleet.

Mischa Wanek-Libman

Representatives from WMATA, FTA, the District of Columbia and the community, marked reconstruction of WMATA's Northern Bus Garage with a groundbreaking event held on Jan. 25.

Work has begun to transform Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Northern Bus Garage, which was built in 1906, into a facility that will serve the authority’s future zero-emission fleet.

WMATA, joined by Federal Transit Administrator Nuria Fernandez, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, District Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and community members, held a groundbreaking event on Jan. 25 for the garage that will be the authority’s first to have an all zero-emission fleet when it opens.

The garage is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the $471 million project will preserve the exterior of the 14th Street building while rebuilding the interior to be a modern, environmentally friendly facility that will support zero-emission buses, which will be the only vehicles to operate out of the new facility. The facility will also see retail space added, streetscape improvements made and a community room built for local meetings.

“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,” said WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “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 1,600 buses.”

The interior of WMATA's Northern Bus Garage will undergo a rebuild to turn the facility into the authority's first garage dedicated to supporting an all electric fleet.

The facility is being constructed by Clark Construction Group and when it is completed in 2027, it will feature modern air filtration systems, solar panels and additional LEED characteristics, providing an environmentally responsible building for employees and community.

“WMATA is an important partner not just in our work to connect DC and the region, but in our work to build a more sustainable and resilient DC,” Mayor Bowser said. “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 DC.”

Zero-emission fleet transition

WMATA plans to fully transition its bus fleet to zero emissions by 2045 and will begin purchasing only low or zero-emission vehicles by 2023, as part of the WMATA Board approved phased transition plan. All new buses entering service will be zero emission by 2030.

The first phase of the plan includes the purchase of 12 electric buses that will operate out of the Shepherd Parkway Bus Division as part of WMATA’s Battery-Electric Bus Test and Evaluation Program.

In addition to the Northern Bus Garage, the new Bladensburg and Western bus garages are also being planned and designed to support the transition to a zero-emission fleet.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.