New Transit Bus Facility Now Open In Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Local officials celebrated the new Arlington Transit Light Maintenance Facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday morning.

Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette, senior County staff and officials from Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation got the opportunity to explore the new Arlington Transit (ART) Light Maintenance Facility Tuesday at 32nd Streets in Crystal City.

ART provided more than 3.4 million rides on 17 bus routes over the past year, officials said. Fleet and service expansion is planned for the next ten years. The two-story, state-of-the-art building is the first facility built specifically for Arlington's local bus system.

“Finding space for County services is one of the biggest challenges facing our growing community,” said Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette. “The opening of this multi-purpose facility represents our investment in the next generation of growth for our bus system – and represents one of our success stories.”

The facility provides ample storage space for 25 of 65 buses, along with fueling, maintenance and wash services for the entire ART fleet, officials said.

ART buses previously received washing and fueling services from an adjacent Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) facility at a higher cost and with restricted hours, officials said. The new facility now provides more flexibility for how ART fuels and maintains its vehicles.

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Photos: Arlington County/Flickr