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Capitol South (Washington Metro)

Capitol South (Washington Metro)

Capitol South is a Washington Metro station in Washington, DC on the Blue and Orange Lines. The station is located in Southeast Washington on 1st Street SE, with entrances at C Street and D Street. As this is the nearest station to the US Capitol and the Library of Congress, it is quite popular with tourists. Service began on July 1, 1977.

Notable places nearby


- United States Capitol
- House Office Buildings
- United States Supreme Court
- Library of Congress
- Folger Shakespeare Library
- Republican National Committee

External links


- WMATA: [http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/Stations/station.cfm?station=59 Capitol South Station]
- StationMasters Online: [http://www.stationmasters.com/System_Map/CAPITOLS/capitols.html Capitol South Station]
- world.nycsubway.org: [http://world.nycsubway.org/us/washdc/blue/wmata-blue-capsouth.html Capitol South Station]
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: [http://transit.schuminweb.com/rail/washington/stations/blue/capitol-south.asp Capitol South Station] Category:Washington Metro stations

Washington Metro

, hub of the system]] The Washington Metro is the public transportation system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Capital Beltway. In Maryland service is provided in Prince George's County and Montgomery County; in Virginia in Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria. The Metrorail (subway) system, as well as Metrobus (bus) services, are owned and operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) - a multijurisdictional, quasi-governmental agency. WMATA also operates a paratransit service for the disabled called MetroAccess. However, the expression "Washington Metro" usually refers to Metrorail exclusively. Since opening in 1976, the subway network has grown to five lines, consisting of 86 stations and 106 miles (170.5 km) of track. The original plan of 83 stations on 103 miles (165.5 km) was completed on January 13, 2001. There were 190 million trips on Metrorail in 2004, meaning about 520,000 passengers use the system every day. The system is the second busiest in the nation – behind only the New York City Subway. Washington's Metrorail is well known for its design by Chicago architect Harry Weese. Weese's design is an exemplar of late-20th-century modern architecture. With its heavy use of concrete, and the repetitive nature of its design motifs, it demonstrates aspects of Brutalism, which, in Washington, is also exemplified by the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building. Simultaneously, however, with its coffered groin and barrel vaults (seen here [http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?21102] in the Metro Center station), it reflects the neoclassical style of architecture that can arguably be described as the closest thing to an "official" federal style in Washington, D.C., as demonstrated in such buildings as the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the former U.S. Patent Office building (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum), by Robert Mills, the White House, by James Hoban, and the Beaux-Arts Lincoln Memorial, by Henry Bacon. The innovative design of Metro's stations additionally facilitates the cleanliness and safety which are are a hallmark of the system.

Metrorail network

Henry Bacon The network was designed with a spoke-hub distribution paradigm, which makes the subway ideal for getting from a suburb to any part of the city, or vice versa, but unattractive for suburb-to-suburb travel; a Purple Line has been occasionally proposed to remedy this (see below). The system is also noteworthy as a system with a limited number of lines that nevertheless makes extensive use of interlining (running more than one line on the same track). There are five lines, described from the south or west towards the north or east:
- Red Line: Runs from Shady Grove in Montgomery County, through downtown Washington, and back into Montgomery County ending at Glenmont. This is the busiest line and the only one which does not share its track with another line.
- Orange Line: Runs from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU in Fairfax County, through Arlington County and central Washington, ending at New Carrollton in Prince George's County. Shares the same tracks as the Blue line from Rosslyn (Arlington County) through Stadium-Armory (Washington).
- Blue Line: Runs from Franconia-Springfield in Fairfax County through Alexandria, Arlington County, and Washington, ending at Largo Town Center in Prince George's County. Shares the same tracks as the Yellow line from King Street (Alexandria) to Pentagon (Arlington), then shares the same tracks as the Orange Line from Rosslyn (Arlington) through Stadium-Armory (Washington).
- Yellow Line: Runs from Huntington in Fairfax County through Alexandria and Arlington, ending in Washington at Mount Vernon Square/7th St-Convention Center. Shares the same tracks as the Blue Line from King Street (Alexandria) through Pentagon (Arlington), then it crosses the Potomac River into Washington where it shares the same tracks as the Green Line from L'Enfant Plaza through the end of the line at Mount Vernon Square/7th St-Convention Center.
- Green Line: Runs from Branch Avenue in Prince George's County through eastern Washington, where it crosses the Anacostia River, and back out into Prince George's County ending at Greenbelt. Shares the same tracks as the Yellow Line from L'Enfant Plaza through Mount Vernon Square/7th St-Convention Center. Half of the system, including most of the stations in the District of Columbia, are underground, but most suburban stations are on elevated rails or at grade. In the case of the western Orange Line, the tracks run in the median of Interstate 66. However, the deepest stations in the system are not in Washington, but at the northeastern end of the Red Line, with Wheaton having the longest escalator in the western hemisphere at 230 feet (70 meters), and Forest Glen being even deeper than that; so deep, the only way to the surface is by elevator. Forest Glen 2000.]] The system is not centered on any single station, but Metro Center is considered the hub, as it is the busiest station, located at the intersection of the three busiest lines, and the Metro Information Center and Gift Shop are located there. Other notable transfer stations include Gallery Pl-Chinatown, which is located by the MCI Center; Stadium-Armory, which is located by RFK Stadium and has importance because the Washington Nationals and the DC United play there; and L'Enfant Plaza, the only station in the system with four lines, and supplies easy access between downtown Washington and Virginia. Smithsonian lies under the National Mall, and is the busiest station for tourists; however, it is closed down on July 4 every year since the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to its entrances being located within the security perimeter. Other stations of note for tourists are Capitol South, just three blocks from the United States Capitol, and McPherson Square is just two blocks from the White House. Even though Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan's name claims that it's the proper station to visit the National Zoo, Cleveland Park is not only a few feet closer, but uphill from the zoo, making it an easier walk. Several universities are accessible through the Metro, including the University of Maryland, College Park at College Park - U Md., Georgetown at Rosslyn, George Washington at Foggy Bottom, American University at Tenleytown, Howard University at Shaw-Howard, George Mason University at Vienna-Fairfax, and Catholic University at Brookland. Pentagon station offers direct access to the Pentagon; after the September 11, 2001 attacks, this entrance was closed and passengers must leave the station to get into the Pentagon. See also: List of Washington Metro stations.

History

List of Washington Metro stations] During the 1960s, there were plans for a massive freeway system in Washington. However, opposition to this freeway system grew and the funds to construct it were reallocated toward construction of the Metro system. Construction on the subway began in 1969, with groundbreaking on December 9. The system opened March 27, 1976 with 4.6 miles (7.4 km) available on the Red Line with five stations from Rhode Island Ave to Farragut North. The final 103 mile (166 km), 83 station system was completed with the opening of the Green Line segment to Branch Ave on January 13, 2001. This does not mean the end of the growth of the system, however: a 3.22 mile (5.18 km) extension of the Blue Line to Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard stations opened on December 18, 2004, the first in-fill station (New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U on the Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood) opened November 20, 2004, and plans are being discussed for an Orange Line extension to Dulles Airport. The system began in the District of Columbia, with Arlington, Virginia being linked to the system on July 1, 1976; Montgomery County, Maryland on February 6, 1978; Prince George's County, Maryland on November 20, 1978; and Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia on December 17, 1983. The highest ridership for a day was June 9, 2004, with 850,636 trips; thousands of people went to Washington to view the funeral procession of Ronald Reagan, and to the U.S. Capitol to view his body as it lay in state. Also, since many streets in Washington were closed that day, many people may have felt it wiser to use Metro just to get around. The previous recordholding days were January 20, 1993 (the first inauguration of Bill Clinton) and October 16, 1995 (the Million Man March).

Safety and Security

Rules and Regulations

Metro strictly forbids riders from eating or drinking while on board a Metrorail train or while in a station. On October 23, 2000, a 12-year old girl was arrested, searched, and handcuffed for eating a french fry while in the Tenleytown-AU Metro station. She was taken downtown where she was booked, fingerprinted, and detained until her mother arrived to pick her up. Another widely noted case occurred on July 16, 2004, when an EPA employee was entering the Metro Center station. Before passing through the faregates, she popped the last bite of a Payday candy bar into her mouth, continuing to chew the candy bar while in the station. She was subsequently arrested by Metro Transit Police. While sometimes seen as excessive, Metro's zero-tolerance policy when it comes to food, as well as trash and other forms of disorder, embodies the broken windows philosophy of crime reduction. Supporters argue that this, combined with how the station environments were designed with crime prevention in mind, has contributed to the fact that Washington Metro is among the safest and cleanest subway systems.

Accidents

crime prevention crime prevention There have been three collisions reported on the Metrorail system since its opening.
- On January 13, 1982, three people were killed and many more were injured when a train backed up and derailed at an interlocking near the Smithsonian Station. Coincidentally, this accident occurred on the same day as Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge during a major snowstorm, producing probably the worst transit situation in Washington history.
- On January 6, 1996, during the Blizzard of 1996, a train operator was killed when a train overran the Shady Grove station and crashed into a parked train. See 1996 Gaithersburg Metrorail Accident for more information.
- On November 3, 2004, an out-of-service train lost its brakes, rolled backwards into the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Station, and hit a revenue train servicing the station. No one was killed, but 20 people were injured. The 2004 accident reinforced the finding from the 1996 accident of the tendency of Metro rail cars built or rehabilitated prior to 2001 to telescope when involved in a head-on collision. The system is not immune from passenger suicide. There have been a number of suicides over the years; one was 18-year-old Victor Zoubak, who lay on the trackbed of the Blue/Orange Line in Metro Center in 2004 until a train came, which struck and killed him. According to Zoubak's sister, the young man would lose consciousness and would be dazed and disoriented when he returned to his normal state of mind. Officials later determined that he did not know what he was doing at the time . There have also been deaths at Grosvenor-Strathmore, Forest Glen, Union Station, Brookland-CUA, and Minnesota Avenue, among other stations.

Accountability

Since the turn of the century, Metrorail has been plagued with deteriorating quality of service and excessive delays, caused in part by the system's aging infrastructure. In addition to the November 2004 accident, other serious incidents included an electrical fire on March 18, 2004 during morning rush hour. The fire occurred deep underground, on the Red Line between the Woodley Park-Zoo and Dupont Circle stations. This caused a major disruption in service that sent thousands of stranded passengers onto Connecticut Avenue, with no good plan by authorities to deal with the situation. Occurring just days after the Madrid train bombings, this incident highlighted Metro's shortcomings when it comes to emergency preparedness. On July 27, 2004, storms flooded a control room that is located at the Silver Spring station, damaging electronic equipment that is used for operating Red Line trains between the Takoma and Forest Glen stations. As a result, Red Line trains were manually operated for two weeks, with speed reductions through the affected area, which caused delays for passengers. With aging infrastructure, the Metrorail system has experienced numerous incidents of rail cracks that have required single-tracking (trains in both directions sharing the same track) during rush hour. Unlike the New York City Subway and other systems, the original design of the rail system provides just two rail tracks (one in each direction) throughout the entire system; Therefore, when an incident occurs (no matter how minor, such as a sick passenger), trains will be single-tracked, causing trains to back up behind the affected train, and become significantly delayed. Another cause for delays are the frequent mechanical break-down of Metrorail trains, while they are in service. This causes the entire train to be offloaded, with passengers attempting to reboard onto subsequent trains that are often packed during rush hour. Further controversy surfaced in 2004, when it became known that employees of Penn Parking, the company contracted by Metro to collect parking fees at Metrorail stations, had stolen substantial amounts of cash. Metro terminated the contract with Penn Parking, and on June 28, 2004, implemented a cashless parking system, where customers are required to pay for parking with SmarTrip cards. These stored-value cards cost five dollars, available at Metro sales facilities, and are sold for ten dollars (five dollars for the card and five dollars in fare) at vending machines near the farecard machines. As the card is reloadable, customers can add additional money to the cards using SmarTrip-equipped farecard machines. As well, SmarTrip cards can be used to pay fares for Metrorail and Metrobus, saving time while entering stations and boarding buses. In 2005, WMATA CEO Richard A. White has led efforts to improve accountability and dialogue with customers. This has included independent audits, town hall meetings, online chats with the CEO and other management officials, and improved signage in stations.

Funding

While fares and advertising provide some revenue for Metrorail, the bulk of funding is contributed by each jurisdiction that is served by Metro, as well as by the states of Maryland and Virginia. Washington Metro is unique among major public transportation systems, in that it has no dedicated source of funding. Instead, each year, WMATA must ask each local jurisdiction to contribute funding, which is determined by a formula that equally considers three factors - (1) population density, as of the 2000 Census; (2) average weekday ridership; (3) number of stations in each jurisdiction. Under this formula, the District of Columbia contributes the greatest amount (34%), followed by Montgomery County (18.7%), Prince George's County (17.9%), Fairfax County (14.3%), Arlington County (9.9%), the City of Alexandria (4.7%), the City of Falls Church (0.3%), and the City of Fairfax (0.3%) . It is often argued that this formula places disproportionate burden on District of Columbia taxpayers. WMATA and District officials have pleaded that the Federal government should contribute more funding, reflecting the fact that a substantial portion of the Federal workforce use Metro to commute from the suburbs. Tourists also comprise a significant portion of ridership, and Metro provides an instrumental role in transporting people during special events, such as inaugurations. As well, a substantial number of stations located in the District serve these purposes, rather than serving local residents. In 2005, a bill has been introduced in Congress that proposes $1.5 billion, over ten years, for WMATA. This offer is contingent upon WMATA implementing more accountability measures and providing the Federal government two seats on its board of directors.

Future expansion

board of directors board of directors, 2004.]]Rumors have abounded for years about transit service out to Dulles and points west either by Metro or other systems. There was even a study in the early 1990s that proposed a series of civil tiltrotor stations as a possible commuting option from places such as Reston, Manassas, Leesburg, Columbia, and other points in the greater Washington area. Like many other plans, this stopped at the initial assessment stage for fiscal and political reasons. Light rail systems and express bus lines have also been floated as a possibility within the District or Northern Virginia. Plans to extend Metrorail to Dulles have been in the works since the beginning of the system's construction. A test station was built at the airport around 1970 and was located some 28 feet below the parking lot area, but until recently, rail transport there was not a reality. Finally, in 2002, plans were formalized to bring a 23-mile extension to the Orange Line from the West Falls Church station to Route 772 in Loudoun County, Virginia. This would mean a mass transit connection from Washington proper to the important business centers of Reston and Tysons Corner, and most importantly, provide a link to Dulles Airport. On June 10, 2004, the Federal Transit Administration approved the first phase of the project to begin. See also: Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project. Controversy has attended proposals to build a Purple Line (now designated the Bi-County Transitway by state planners), linking Bethesda and Silver Spring, Maryland, thereby connecting the two branches of the Red Line to the north of the city by rail. It would later be possibly extended around the whole district, linking the Metro endpoints together, as seen in a proposal from the Sierra Club. This line has been conceived as a light rail line traveling along a private right-of-way for at least some portion of its length, and also as a rapid bus line. The proposal has met fierce opposition from some of the residents along the certain areas of the line. Others have noted difficulties in obtaining the funds to build it. Metro broke ground on a light rail line in the Anacostia area on November 13, 2004. The project is a demonstration to examine the usefulness of building a light rail line that would help people who live too far away from subway stations by ferrying them to the main Metro network. The line consists of 2.7 miles (4.3 km) and six stations centered. Service is expected to begin in autumn 2006.

Rolling stock

2006 Metro's rail fleet consists of 952 75-foot rail cars, delivered in five shipments. The original order of 300 Metro cars was manufactured by Rohr Industries, with delivery in 1976. These cars are numbered 1000-1299, and were rehabilitated in the mid-1990's by Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie and WMATA at their Brentwood Shop in Washington, D.C. These cars originally used cam-controlled DC propulsion and contained rollsigns which have since been changed to flip-dot technology. The rehabilitation added exterior speakers in place of one rollsign on each side and also marked the first set of cars to have AC propulsion. The bulkhead windows on the ends of the cars are also distinguished by windows with aluminum frames that extend the full height of the train compared to other shipments. The interiors have a white grained appearance with orange and brown seats. Finally, the cars have 81 seats. Future orders would have seating reduced to 66 or 68 since seats next to the doors would be removed for additional standing areas. The second order, of 76 cars, was through Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie (Breda), with delivery in 1982. These cars are numbered 2000-2075, and were rehabilitated in 2003 and 2004 by Alstom in Hornell, New York. The cars as part of the rehabilitation project have received brand new AC propulsion systems with IGBT technology which replaced the original cam-controlled DC propulsion systems. Also included are new railcar monitoring systems, advanced ATC/ATS control systems, new exterior LED destination signs, new interior LED next stop signs, and improved emergency exit signage. They also received the new red, white, and blue interior found on the 5000-series cars. The third order consisted of 290 cars, also from Breda, with delivery in 1987. These cars are numbered 3000-3289 as originally delivered, and are currently undergoing rehabilitation by Alstom in Hornell, New York. The cars as part of the rehabilitation project have received brand new AC propulsion systems with IGBT technology, which replaces the chopper-controlled DC propulsion system. Also included in the rehabilitation is the addition of new railcar monitoring systems, advanced ATC/ATS control systems, new exterior LED destination signs, new interior LED next stop signs, and improved emergency exit signage. They also received the new red, white, and blue interior found on the 5000-series cars. Hornell, New York The fourth order consisted of 100 cars from Breda, numbered 4000-4099. These cars were delivered in 1991. They use all the original systems that the 2000/3000-series cars had prior to their rehabilitation. The only difference between these and the pre-rehabilitated Breda cars is that the bulkhead windows are rounded compared to squared. They still have the original flip-dot exterior destination signs, chopper controlled DC propulsion systems, and the original cream, orange, and yellow interiors. Rehabilitation of these cars will occur around 2011 at the earliest. The fifth order consisted of 192 rail cars from Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain. These cars are numbered 5000-5191, with delivery in 2001. These cars were the first shipment to have all AC motors from the start. They were also the first to have LED destination signs on the exterior and LED next stop indication signs on the interiors. Along with these improvements, they were also the first to have intercar safety barriers (which have since been added to all other rolling stock) and railcar monitoring systems. The 5000-series cars premiered the new red, white, and blue interior which contrasts to the original designs on earlier cars. This new interior design has since been used on the 2000/3000-series rehabilitation project. Most recently, Metro has ordered 182 rail cars from Alstom, the same company that is rehabilitating the Breda cars. Delivery is expected to begin in late 2005 with initial service expected in early 2006. These cars are currently undergoing acceptance testing. They will look nearly identical to the 5000-series cars built by CAF, but seat 66 instead of 68, and have two additional interior LED next stop indicators at the center of the car. They will also use the same propulsion systems and advanced cab signaling systems used in the Breda 2000/3000-series rehabilitation, which is also being performed by Alstom. Finally, the 6000-series cars from Alstom will feature a return to a [http://www.castsolutions.com/archive/feature_article_1105.html] cast truck design which is similar to the Rohr 1000-series and CAF 5000-series cars. All other cars in the 2000-, 3000-, 4000-series used fabricated trucks. The new cars will have their body shells built in Barcelona, Spain and have assembly completed in Hornell, New York. More information about rolling stock is listed below.

1000-Series


- Car Builder: Rohr Industries, Winder, GA, USA
- Rehabilitated by: WMATA Brentwood Shop/Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, Washington, DC, USA
- Dates Built: 1973-1976
- Rehabilitated: 1993-1996
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 1000-1299
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: General Electric AC Traction with solid-state controls
- Seating capacity: 81
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars

2000-Series


- Car Builder: [http://www.alstom.com/pr_corp/2005/corp/30167.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/pr_corp/2005/corp/&idRubriqueCourante=15445 Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, Pistoia, Italy]
- Rehabilitated by: Alstom Transportation, Hornell, NY, USA
- Dates Built: 1981-1983
- Rehabilitated: 2003-2004
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 2000-2075
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: [http://www.transport.alstom.com/home/Products_and_Services/RAIL_VEHICLES/Subsystems/traction_systems/7647.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/home/Products_and_Services/RAIL_VEHICLES/Subsystems/traction_systems/ Alstom ONIX 2000 AC Traction with IGBT Inverters (post rehab)]
- Seating capacity: 68
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars

3000-Series


- Car Builder: Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, Pistoia, Italy
- Rehabilitated by: Alstom Transportation, Hornell, NY, USA
- Dates built: 1984-1988
- Rehabilitated: 2004-2006
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 3000-3289
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: Alstom ONIX 2000 AC Traction with IGBT Inverters (post rehab)
- Seating capacity: 68
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars

4000-Series


- Car Builder: Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, Pistoia, Italy
- Dates Built: 1991-1993
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 4000-4099
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: [http://www.swigercoil.com/tractionMotorTransitMotorRepair_experience.asp Westinghouse 1462 DC motors with chopper controls]
- Seating capacity: 68
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars Alstom

5000-Series


- Car Builder: CAF/AAI, Zaragosa/Bessain, Spain and Hunt Valley, MD, USA
- Dates Built: 2001-2004
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 5000-5191
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: [http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=1_0&lang=en&file=/en/1_0/1_0.jsp Bombardier Mitrac DR1000 AC Traction with IGBT Inverters]
- Seating capacity: 68
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars

6000-Series (On Order)


- Car Builder: Alstom Transportation, Barcelona, Spain and Hornell, NY, USA
- Dates Built: 2005-2008
- Car Body: Extruded Aluminum
- Car Numbers: 6000-6181
- Car Length: 75 feet (23 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3 m)
- Car Height: 11.8 feet (3.59 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches (1.43 m)
- Maximum Operating Speed: ~65 MPH
- Propulsion System: Alstom ONIX 2000 AC Traction with IGBT Inverters
- Seating capacity: 66
- Total Capacity: 175
- Minimum Train Length: 2 cars
- Maximum Train Length: 8 cars

Signaling and Operation

During normal operation on revenue tracks, trains are controlled by an automatic train control system (ATC) which accelerates and brakes the train automatically without operator intervention. However, all trains are manned with train operators who operate doors, make station announcements, and supervise their train. The operator can switch a train into manual mode and drive by hand if necessary. Fixed signals are only present at interlockings. They show a red over red aspect for "Stop and Stay", a lunar (white) aspect for "proceed" and a flashing lunar aspect for "proceed on diverging route" (only present on newer interlockings; older interlockings are being updated with signals that show this aspect). Tracks are divided into block sections, which can only be occupied by one train at a time, a method to protect against collisions used by most railway systems worldwide, but there are no fixed signals to protect block sections. Virtual signal aspects are transmitted to the train by a cab signaling system and displayed to the operator in the cab, as well as transmitted to the ATC system. Entering of an occupied block is prevented by an automatic train protection system (ATP), which supervises both manual and ATC operation and stops the train well before it would enter an occupied block. Alstom Non-revenue tracks (storage tracks, yard tracks) are not equipped with ATC. Green signs with letters reading "START ATC" and "END ATC" mark the beginning and ending respectively of ATC (Automatic Train Control) territory. At switches entering into pocket tracks in a direction reverse to the normal operating direction, there is a "P Signal". The P Signal is a single lunar signal that displays the letter "P" and is found at the entrance to some but not all pocket tracks and other selected main line interlockings in the reverse direction of the normal flow of traffic. Below the P signal on the same post is a punch box to allow the train operator to manually set the switch to the diverting direction (reverse) when the P Signal is lit. The P signal is only lit when a train occupies the two track circuit approaching the P Signal and all possible routes into the interlocking are not occupied. Two trackside signs exist: The "S"-Sign is posted at revenue tracks and indicates to the operator that a station is ahead. It is located at a distance no greater than 1200 feet (365.75 m) before a station platform. The "TB"-Sign is posted to indicate to the operator that an eight-car train (the longest used in the system) is clear of an interlocking when the train front is flush with the sign, and that the train can turn back in the direction from which it came on the opposite track. Trains are usually four or six cars, usually six cars during rush hour and four cars during weekends and late evenings. Eight car trains are used on special event days or to help move more people past a major delay, while two car trains are sometimes used for very low ridership days like major holidays. Two car trains are only used in certain parts of the system, because each rail car has only one "shoe" or power coupler, connecting the train to the third rail carrying 700 volts of DC power, used to provide power to the trains. The third rail may be on one side of the track or the other depending on where the train is, but the rail will only be on one side; there are no places where there are overlapping third rail coverage. On a two-car train, both cars are placed so that the operator controls for each train face in the direction away from the other car; this allows the train to be driven forward in either direction depending on which way it has to go. However, this means that in some parts of the system, there are "gaps" in the third rail sufficient that the shoe from one car could leave connection with the third rail on its side before the other car reaches connection with the third rail on its side. This would result in the train being trapped "dead", between third rails and without power.

Intermodal transport

third rail WMATA has a stated goal of integration of its rail and bus networks. In 2004, SmarTrip readers were installed on all buses, enabling paperless transfers between lines and with the rail system. In December 2001 Metro initiated a relationship with Flexcar, a private company which operates car sharing networks in several North American cities. A competitor, Zipcar, began service in the region contemporaneously. With either service, cars are parked at major Metrorail stations and made available for rental on an hourly basis, with the goal of reducing car dependency and increasing transit ridership. Metrorail connects with both commuter rail and intercity rail systems.
- Connections to Amtrak are offered at Union Station in Washington, at New Carrollton Station in Prince George's County, at Rockville in Montgomery County, and at King Street Station in Alexandria.
- Virginia Railway Express trains terminate at Union Station in Washington. They also share stations with Metro at L'Enfant Plaza, Crystal City, King Street, and Franconia-Springfield.
- All three lines of Maryland's MARC train system begin at Union Station in Washington; service is also provided to New Carrollton, College Park — University of Maryland and Greenbelt stations in Prince George's County; and Silver Spring and Rockville stations in Montgomery County. Metrorail's Yellow and Blue Lines serve Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Express bus service from L'Enfant Plaza, West Falls Church and Rosslyn is provided to Washington Dulles International Airport. Baltimore-Washington International Airport is served by express bus from Greenbelt, and by rail from Union Station by MARC and Amtrak. Additionally, several Metrorail stations offer connections to HomeRide, a bus service which connects Virginia Tech, Radford University, James Madison University, and the University of Virginia to the northern Virginia area. Many students at these schools are originally from the northern Virginia area, and especially for freshmen and other students without cars, HomeRide offers an attractive method for getting home on weekends.

See also


- List of Washington Metro stations
- Congressional Subway
- SmarTrip
- Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project

References

# [http://www.wmata.com/about/metrofacts.pdf WMATA Facts] (PDF) # [http://www.wmata.com/about/history.pdf WMATA History] (PDF) # [http://www.clouse.org/metro.html#Dulles%20Airport%20Rail%20Tunnel Metrorail Track and Structures] at Clouse.org # [http://www.dullescorridorrail.com/default.htm Dulles Corridor] # [http://www.sierraclub.org/dc/sprawl/purple-line/ Purple Line proposal] from the Sierra Club # [http://www.gazette.net/200330/bethesda/news/169229-1.html Bickering over Purple Line could cause funding woe] — Gazette.net # [http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=569 WMATA press release — Metro and the District of Columbia break ground on the Anacostia light rail demonstration project] # [http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/1996/961029-2.htm Report of the 1996 crash] from the NTSB # [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17621-2004Dec21.html?sub=AR Man Killed by Train Identified as 18-Year-Old] — Washington Post # [http://transit.schuminweb.com/rail/washington/miscellaneous/miscellaneous.asp Information on the cars] from The Schumin Web Transit Center # [http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/track_schematic/wmata_track_schematic_nomenclature.htm Full System Track Schematic Legend and Nomenclature] # [http://www.wmata.com/about/MET_NEWS/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=466 WMATA press release — Entire Metrobus fleet now equipped with new SmarTrip fareboxes] # [http://www.wmata.com/about/metro_matters/subsidy_allocation.pdf WMATA Subsidy Allocation Methodology] (PDF)

External links


- [http://www.wmata.com/ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
- [http://www.stationmasters.com/ Neighborhood Maps and Panoramic Views of each station]
- [http://www.metroriders.org/ Metro Customer Advocacy Group]
- [http://www.urbanrail.net/am/wash/washington.htm UrbanRail.net Washington Metro]
- [http://world.nycsubway.org/us/washdc/index.html world.nycsubway.org Washington Metro]
- [http://transit.schuminweb.com/rail/washington/index.asp The Schumin Web Transit Center (Washington Metro)]
- [http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/track_schematic/sys_schematic_ars.gif Technical map of the Washington Metro, showing rail yards, track types, and line designations]
- [http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/track_schematic/wmata_track_schematic_nomenclature.htm Document describing line nomenclature, operation and signaling]
- [http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/ Various Documents, Pictures and Maps of Washington Metro]
- [http://dcrails.com/ DCRails.com | Google Maps representation of Metrorail with address lookup.]
- [http://www.dcist.com/map/ An alternate Google Maps representation showing all lines drawn in]
- [http://www.swigercoil.com/tractionMotorTransitMotorRepair_experience.asp Swiger Coil Systems]
- [http://www.castsolutions.com/archive/feature_article_1105.html Cast Solutions, Inc.] ja:ワシントンメトロ

Blue Line (Washington Metro)

The Blue Line of the Washington Metro consists of 27 subway stations from Franconia-Springfield to Largo Town Center. It has stations in Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Prince George's County, Maryland. Most of the line's stations are shared with the Orange Line, and another portion is also shared by the Yellow Line; only eight stations are exclusive to the Blue Line.

History

Service on the Blue Line began on July 1, 1977 on eighteen stations between National Airport in Arlington and Stadium-Armory in Washington, the first link of the Metro to Virginia. The line was extended by three stations to Addison Road on November 22, 1980. It started service south of National Airport on June 15, 1991 when Van Dorn Street was opened. The original plan for the line was completed when this link was extended to Franconia-Springfield on June 29, 1997. Two new stations in Maryland, Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center, opened on December 18, 2004. These two stations are the first beyond the original plan. The Blue Line was originally planned to follow a slightly different route than it now follows. The original plan would have sent Blue Line trains to Huntington, with Yellow Line trains serving Franconia-Springfield. This was changed due to a shortage of rail cars at the time of the completion of the line to Huntington. As less rail cars were required to operate Yellow Line service than it would be to run Blue Line service out to Huntington, due to the Yellow Line's shorter route, the line designations were switched. Currently, the Blue Line only operates to Huntington on July 4, as part of Metro's special service pattern on that day.

List of stations, west to east

July 4
- Franconia-Springfield
- Van Dorn Street
- King Street (Yellow Line joins on same track)
- Braddock Road
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- Crystal City
- Pentagon City
- Pentagon (Yellow Line diverges)
- Arlington Cemetery
- Rosslyn (Orange Line joins on same track)
- Foggy Bottom-GWU
- Farragut West
- McPherson Square
- Metro Center (Transfer station for the Red Line)
- Federal Triangle
- Smithsonian
- L'Enfant Plaza (Transfer station for the Yellow and Green Lines)
- Federal Center SW
- Capitol South
- Eastern Market
- Potomac Ave
- Stadium-Armory (Orange Line diverges)
- Benning Road
- Capitol Heights
- Addison Road-Seat Pleasant
- Morgan Boulevard
- Largo Town Center See also: List of Washington Metro stations Category:Washington Metro

Orange Line (Washington Metro)

The Orange Line of the Washington Metro consists of 26 subway stations from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU to New Carrollton. It has stations in Fairfax County and Arlington, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Prince George's County, Maryland. Half of the line's stations are shared with the Blue Line.

History

Service on the Orange Line began on November 20, 1978 between National Airport and New Carrollton, with five new stations being added to the existing network from Stadium-Armory. When the line from Rosslyn to Ballston-MU was completed on December 11, 1979, Orange Line trains began following this route rather than going to National Airport station. The line was completed on June 7, 1986 when it was extended by four stations to Vienna/Fairfax-GMU. There are plans to extend it by another 24 miles and about nine stations from West Falls Church-VT/UVA, linking Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County, Virginia to the system, known as the Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project.

List of stations, west to east

Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project
- Vienna/Fairfax-GMU
- Dunn Loring-Merrifield
- West Falls Church-VT/UVA
- East Falls Church
- Ballston-MU
- Virginia Square-GMU
- Clarendon
- Court House
- Rosslyn (Blue Line joins on same track)
- Foggy Bottom-GWU
- Farragut West
- McPherson Square
- Metro Center (Transfer station for Red Line)
- Federal Triangle
- Smithsonian
- L'Enfant Plaza (Transfer station for the Yellow and Green Lines)
- Federal Center SW
- Capitol South
- Eastern Market
- Potomac Ave
- Stadium-Armory (Blue Line splits)
- Minnesota Ave
- Deanwood
- Cheverly
- Landover
- New Carrollton

Planned stations

These names are from the Locally Preferred Alternative (December 2004) of the Dulles Rail Corridor. This branch will emerge from West Falls Church-VT/UVA as the Silver Line, following the Orange Line through downtown Washington to Stadium-Armory.
- Tysons East
- Tysons Central 123
- Tysons Central 7
- Tysons West
- Wolf Trap (Future, not to be built at the same time as the rest of the line)
- Wiehle Avenue (This far is planned by 2009)
- Reston Parkway
- Herndon-Monroe
- Route 28
- Dulles Airport
- Route 606
- Route 772 (This far is planned by 2015) Source: Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project (http://www.dullestransit.com/) See also: List of Washington Metro stations Category:Washington Metro

US Capitol

:For other uses of "Capitol Hill," see Capitol Hill (disambiguation). The United States Capitol is the capitol building which serves as home for Congress, the legislative branch of the United States federal government. It is located in Washington, D.C., atop Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall. The building is marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. Above these chambers are galleries where people can watch the Senate and House of Representatives. There are 100 senators and 435 representatives.

History of the Capitol Building

House of Representatives House of Representatives The current building is the fourth to serve as the U.S. capitol, after the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland (1783–1784), Federal Hall in New York (1789–1790) and Congress Hall in Philadelphia (1790–1800). Construction of the current Capitol building began in 1793. It is known that George Washington laid the cornerstone, but the exact whereabouts of that stone are now unknown. The Senate wing was completed in 1800, while the House wing was completed in 1811. The Capitol building held its first session of U.S. Congress on November 17, 1800. The Supreme Court also met in the Capitol until its own building (behind the East Front) was completed in 1935. Shortly after completion, it was partially burned by the British during the War of 1812. Reconstruction began in 1815, and was completed by 1830. The architect Benjamin Latrobe is principally connected with the original construction and many innovative interior features; his succesor, noted architect Charles Bulfinch, also played a major role. Charles Bulfinch The building was expanded dramatically in the 1850s. The original timber-framed dome of 1818 would no longer be appropriately scaled. Thomas U. Walter was responsible for the wing extensions and the "wedding cake" cast-iron dome, three times the height of the original dome and 30 m in diameter, which had to be supported on the existing masonry piers. Like Mansart's dome at Les Invalides (which he had visited in 1838), Walter's dome is double, with a large oculus in the inner dome, through which one views the Apotheosis of Washington painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and the tholos that supports the Freedom, a colossal statue that was added to the top of the dome in 1863. The weight of the cast-iron for the dome has been published as 8,909,200 lb of iron (4,041,100 kg). For construction details, see links. 1863 When the dome of the Capitol was finally completed, but to a significantly enlarged design than had initially been planned, its massive visual weight overpowered the proportions of the columns of the East Portico, built in 1828. The East Front of the Capitol building was rebuilt in 1904, following a design of the architects Carrère and Hastings, who also designed the Senate and House Office Buildings. A marble duplicate of the sandstone East Front was built 33.5 feet from the old Front during 1958-1962, and a connecting extension incorporated what formerly was an outside wall as an inside wall. In the process, removal of the old entrance rendered homeless the historic Corinthian columns, until landcape designer Russell Page created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at the National Arboretum, where they are combined with a reflecting pool in an ensemble that reminds some visitors disconcertingly of Persepolis. Underground tunnels (and even a private subway) connect the main Capitol building with each of the Congressional Office Buildings in the surrounding complex. All rooms in the Capitol are designated as either HOB (House Office Building) or SOB (Senate Office Building), depending on whether they are north (Senate) or south (House) of the Rotunda. Additionally, all addresses in Washington, DC are designated NE, NW, SE, or SW, in relationship to the Rotunda. (Becuase the Capitol Rotunda is not located in the center of the District - but is rather slightly further east - this means that the four DC quadrants themselves are not the same shape and size) On June 20, 2000, ground was broken for the Capitol Vistor Center, which is due to open in Fall 2006. Since 2001, the East Front of the Capitol (site of all Presidential Inaugurations until Ronald Reagan broke with tradition in 1984) has been the site of construction for this massive underground complex, designed to facilitate a more orderly entrance for visitors to the Capitol. (When construction is complete, the East Front will be restored to its earlier, pre-pavement appearance.) Prior to the center being built, visitors to the Capitol had to queue on the parking lot and ascend the stairs, whereupon entry was made through the massive sculpted Columbus Doors, through a small narthex (with cramped security) and thence directly into the Rotunda. The new underground facility will provide a grand entrance hall, a visitors theater, and room for exhibits, in addition to space for building necessities such as an underground tunnel for the removal of trash.

The Capitol grounds

The Capitol Grounds cover approximately 274 acres (1.1 km²), with grounds proper consisting mostly of lawns, walkways, streets, drives, and planting areas. Today's grounds were designed by noted American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who planned the expansion and landscaping performed from 1874 to 1892. In 1875, as one of his first recommendations, Olmsted proposed the construction of the marble terraces on the north, west, and south sides of the building that we see today. Olmsted also designed the Summer House, the open-air brick building that sits just north of the Capitol. Three arches open into the hexagonal structure, which encloses a fountain and twenty-two brick chairs. A fourth wall holds a small window that looks onto an artificial grotto. Built between 1879 and 1881, the Summer House was intended to answer complaints that visitors to the Capitol had no place to sit or water their horses and themselves. Modern drinking fountains have since replaced Olmsted's fountain for the latter purpose, but the horses ridden by the Capitol's mounted police unit can still occasionally be seen dipping into the original stone basin. Olmsted intended to build a second, matching Summer House on the southern side of the Capitol, but Congressional objections led to the project's cancelation.

House Chamber

The House of Representatives Chamber is adorned with relief portraits of famous lawmakers throughout history. In order clockwise around the chamber:
- George Mason
- Robert Joseph Pothier
- Jean Baptiste Colbert
- Edward I
- Alfonso X
- Pope Gregory IX
- Saint Louis
- Justinian I
- Tribonian
- Lycurgus
- Hammurabi
- Moses
- Solon
- Papinian
- Gaius
- Maimonides
- Suleiman
- Innocent III
- Simon de Montfort
- Hugo Grotius
- Sir William Blackstone
- Napoleon I
- Thomas Jefferson

Miscellany

The Capitol houses a variety of works of art, including the National Statuary Hall Collection, which is comprised of statues donated by the fifty states to honor persons notable in their histories. On July 24, 1998, Russell Eugene Weston Jr. burst into the Capitol and opened fire, killing two United States Capitol Police officers. He was later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial. In 1975, a bomb detonated in the lobby outside the Senate chamber. In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of Congress from the vistors gallery. The Capitol is on the back of the U.S. $50 bill. There are 365 steps on the Capitol, one for each day of the year. Under the Rotunda there is an area known as the Crypt, designed to be the final resting place for George Washington. At the request of his wife, Martha, however, he was buried at Mount Vernon, and as such the area remains open to visitors.

Major Events

George Washington The United States Capitol, as well as the grounds of Capitol Hill, have played host to major events. Every year since 1990, people gather on the west lawn on the Sunday before Memorial Day for the National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast on PBS. Every July 4, people gather on Capitol Hill to celebrate Independence Day. Among the major events the United States Capitol has hosted:
- Presidential inaugurations
- Americans lying in state. Among them:
  - President Ronald Reagan
  - Civil rights icon Rosa Parks: the first woman and second African American to lay in state in the Capitol.

See also


- Architect of the Capitol
- Congressional Subway
- U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
- U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)

External links

U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)
- [http://www.aoc.gov/ Architect of the Capitol Website]
- [http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/columns.html National Capitol Columns]
- [http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/cvc_overview.htm Capitol Visitors Center]
- [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/shooting/stories/security072598.htm WashingtonPost.com: Protection vs. 'the People's House']
- [http://www.cupola.com/html/bldgstru/statecap/slide/uscap1e.htm Cupolas of Capitalism Gallery - United States Capitol (1 of 8)]
- [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/a_three_sections_with_teasers/visitors_home.htm U.S. Senate: Visitors Center Home]
- [http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/s0.html Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation]
- [http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/1000feat.html "Examining the Capitol dome,"] in Civil Engineering Magazine, October 2000
- [http://www.fona.org/members/spring99/tramtour.html Arbor Friends, Spring 1999: Take the Tram Tour for a Taste of the Arboretum's Pleasures]
- Balloon View of [http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/july/washington-dc-pictures.htm Washington DC] showing Construction of US Capitol
- Capitol Category:Historic civil engineering landmarks Capitol Category:Legislative buildings Category:Neoclassicism Capitol Capitol Category:Buildings and structures in Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the unofficial national library of the United States. With about 530 miles of shelves it is often claimed to be the largest library in the world. It contains almost 128 million items, second only to the British Library (with over 150 million items). Its collections include more than 28 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 50 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America, including a Gutenberg Bible; and the world's largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings. In late-November 2005, the Library announced intentions to launch the World Digital Library, digitally preserving books and other objects from all world cultures.

History

The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed an act of Congress providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington. The legislation appropriated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress ..., and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them...." The original library was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol building, destroying the contents of the small (3,000 volumes) library. Within a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science"; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. Jefferson, who was heavily indebted, sought to use the proceeds of the sale of his books to satisfy his creditors. He anticipated controversy over the nature of his collection, which included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library. He wrote, "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer." In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress. On December 24, 1851, there was a fire in the Library of Congress. The fire destroyed 35,000 books, an original portrait of Christopher Columbus, portraits of the first five US Presidents by Gilbert Stuart, and statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette. The Library is now spread over three buildings in Washington, D.C.:
- The Thomas Jefferson Building (between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on First Street SE), opened in 1897, and long the main building of the Library;
- The John Adams Building (between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street on 2nd Street SE), opened as an annex in 1938; and
- The James Madison Memorial Building (between First and Second Streets on Independence Avenue SE), opened in 1981 as the new headquarters of the Library. (Note: Between April 13, 1976 and June 13, 1980, the John Adams Building was known as the Thomas Jefferson Building.)

Holdings

1981 The Library developed a system of book classification called Library of Congress Classification (LC) which is used by most research and university libraries, although most public libraries continue to use the Dewey decimal system. The Library serves as a legal repository to guarantee copyright protection. All authors seeking American copyright registration are required to submit two copies of their works to the Library. Largely due to this provision of the copyright law, nearly 22,000 new items published in the U.S. arrive every business day at the Library. Contrary to popular belief, however, the Library does not retain all of these works in its permanent collection, although it does add an average of 10,000 items per day. Rejected items are used in trades with other libraries around the world, distributed to federal agencies, or donated to schools, communities, and other organizations within the United States.[http://www.loc.gov/about/facts.html] As is true of many similar libraries, the Library of Congress retains copies of every publication in the English language which is deemed significant. It is estimated that the print holdings of the Library of Congress would, if digitized and stored as plain text, constitute 17 to 20 terabytes of information. This leads to the commonly-repeated but misleading equivalence of 20 terabytes to the entire holdings of the Library. Occasionally, this figure has been referred to as a data transfer rate, LoCs/s- Libraries of Congress per Second- and equates to 20 terabytes of data transferred per second, even though the 20 terabyte estimation is misleading. Only selected portions of the print holdings have actually been digitized, and the Library currently has no plans for systematic digitization of any significant portion of its books. The Library makes millions of digital objects, comprising tens of terabytes, available at its American Memory site. American Memory is a source for public domain image resources, as well as audio, video, and archived Web content. Nearly all of the lists of holdings, the catalogs of the library, can be consulted directly on its web site. Librarians all over the world consult these catalogs, through the Web or through other media better suited to their needs, when they need to catalog for their collection a book published in the United States. They use the Library of Congress Control Number to make sure of the exact identity of the book. The Library of Congress also provides an on-line archive of the proceedings of the U.S. Congress at [http://thomas.loc.gov Thomas], including bill text, Congressional Record text, bill summary and status, the Congressional Record Index, and the United States Constitution. The Library also administers the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a talking and Braille library program provided to more than 766,000 Americans.

Using the Library

The library is open to the general public for academic research, and runs tours for visitors. Only those who are issued a Reader Identification Card may enter the reading rooms and access the collection. The Reader Identification Card is available in the Madison building to persons who are over 18 years of age upon presentation of a government issued picture identification (e.g., driver's license, State ID card, Passport). However, only members of Congress, their staff and certain other government officials can actually check out books.

Librarians of Congress

The head of the Library of Congress is called the Librarian of Congress. The list of past Librarians of Congress includes several notable figures: Blind
- John James Beckley (1802–1807)
- Patrick Magruder (1807–1815)
- George Watterston (1815–1829)
- John Silva Meehan (1829–1861)
- John Gould Stephenson (1861–1864)
- Ainsworth Rand Spofford (1864–1897)
- John Russell Young (1897–1899)
- Herbert Putnam (1899–1939)
- Archibald MacLeish (1939–1944)
- Luther H. Evans (1945–1953)
- Lawrence Quincy Mumford (1954–1974)
- Daniel J. Boorstin (1975–1987)
- James H. Billington (1987–)

Annual events at the Library of Congress

Annual events include:
- The National Book Festival
- Founder's Day Celebration
- Archives Fair
- Judith P. Austin Memorial Lecture
- Davidson Fellows Reception

See also


- Library of Congress Country Studies
- Congressional Research Service
- Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
- Library of Congress Living Legend
- Library of Congress Classification
- United States Copyright Office

External links


- [http://www.loc.gov/ The Library of Congress website]
- [http://www.loc.gov/loc/legacy/ History of the Library of Congress]
- [http://memory.loc.gov/ American Memory]
- [http://thomas.loc.gov/ thomas.loc.gov], legislative information
-
- Category:National libraries Category:U.S. Congressional agencies Category:Washington, D.C. landmarks Category:U.S. National Historic Landmarks Category:Archives in the United States ja:アメリカ議会図書館

1977

:For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). 1977 (MCMLXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar).

Events

January-February


- January 1 - First woman Episcopal priest ordained.
- January 10 - Major eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Zaire.
- January 17 - Gary Gilmore executed by a firing squad in Utah
- January 18 - Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious "legionnaire's disease"
- January 18 - Australia experiences its worst railway disaster at Granville, near Sydney, in which 83 people died.
- January 19 - President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (aka "Tokyo Rose").
- January 19 - Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that this occurred, and the farthest south a snowfall has been recorded in the United States.
- January 20 - Gerald Rudolph Ford, 38th President of the United States is succeeded by Jimmy Carter.
- January 21 - President Jimmy Carter pardons Vietnam War draft evaders.
- January 27 - Record company EMI sacks the controversial UK punk rock group the Sex Pistols.
- February 7 - The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 24.
- February 11 - A 20.2-kg (44-lb.-9-oz.) lobster is caught off Nova Scotia (heaviest known crustacean).
- February 18 - The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle goes on its maiden "flight" while sitting on top of a Boeing 747.

March-April


- March 1 - Sara Lowndes Dylan files for divorce from her husband of 11 years, Bob Dylan
- March 4 - 1977 Bucharest Earthquake - kills more than 1,500
- March 9 - Approximately a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims take over three buildings in Washington, DC, killing one person and taking more than 130 hostages. The hostage situation ends two days later.
- March 27 - A collision between KLM and PanAm Boeing 747s at Tenerife, Canary Islands, kills 583, worst plane crash ever
- April 1 - Hay-on-Wye declares independence
- April 7 - German Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light near his home in Karlsruhe. "The Ulrike Meinhof Commando" later claims responsibility
- April 7 - Toronto Blue Jays play their first-ever game of baseball against the Chicago White Sox
- April 28 - Stuttgart court sentences RAF members Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe to life imprisonment

May-June


- May 17 - The Likud lead by Menachem Begin wins the elections in Israel.
- May 23 - Scientists report using bacteria in lab to make insulin
- May 23 - Moluccan terrorists take over a school in Bovensmilde, northern Netherlands (105 hostages) and a passenger train in Bovensmilde-Assen route nearby (90 hostages) at the same time. June 11 Dutch Royal Marines storm the train - six terrorists and two hostages are killed
- May 25 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope opens in theaters.
- May 26 - George Willig climbed the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
- May 28 - In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 inside.
- June 5 - A coup takes place in Seychelles.
- June 7 - After campaigning by Anita Bryant and her anti-Gay "Save Our Children" crusade, Dade County, Florida voters overwhelmingly vote to repeal the county's Gay rights ordinance, igniting a wave of violence against Gays across the United States.
- June 6-June 9 - Jubilee celebrations are held in the United Kingdom to celebrate twenty-five years of Elizabeth II's reign.
- June 10 - James Earl Ray escapes from Brushy Mountain State Prison in Petros, Tennessee (he was recaptured on June 13).
- June 15 - Spain has its first democratic elections after 41 years under the Franco regime.
- June 20 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules that states are not required to spend Medicaid funds on elective abortions.
- June 20 - Anglia Television broadcasts fake documentary "Alternative 3". it enters into conspiracy theory canon.
- June 22 - Robert Hillsborough, a Gay San Franciscan, is brutally stabbed to death just steps from his home by four youths, calling him "fag" and "queer" and allegedly shouting "this one's for Anita Bryant".
- June 25 - US man Roy Sullivan in struck by lightning for the 7th time
- June 26 - Some 200,000 Gays march through the streets of San Francisco, protesting Anita Bryant's homophobia and Robert Hillsborough's murder.

July-August


- July 4 - Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty is sensationally sacked by the club's directors.
- July 5 - Military coup in Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the very first elected Prime Minster of Pakistan overthrown.
- July 13 - The New York City Blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours and results in looting and other disorder.
- July 15 - Anti Drugs Campainer Donald Mackay disappears near Griffith N.S.W (New South Wales) presumed Murdered
- July 22 - The purged Chinese communist leader Deng Xiaoping is restored to power as the "Gang of Four" is expelled from the Communist Party of China.
- July 28 - First oil through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System reaches Valdez, Alaska
- July 30 - Left-wing German terrorists Susanne Albrecht[http://www.baader-meinhof.com/who/terrorists/raf/albrechtsusanne.html], Brigitte Mohnhaupt[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Mohnhaupt] and a third person assassinate Jürgen Ponto[http://www.dresdner-bank.com/content/03_unternehmen/05_gesellschaftliches_engagement/02_ponto_stiftung/], chairman of the Dresdner Bank in Oberursel, West Germany
- August 3 - United States Senate Hearing on MKULTRA.
- August 4 - US President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy
- August 12 - NASA space shuttle makes its first test flight off the back of a jetliner
- August 15 - The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by The Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "WOW!" signal for notation made by a volunteer on the project.
- August 16 - Rock singer Elvis Presley dies in Tennessee.
- August 19 - Groucho Marx dies.
- August 19 - Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami of 1977
- August 20 - Voyager program: The United States launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft

September


- September 5 - Voyager program: Voyager 1 is launched after a brief delay
- September 5 - Hanns-Martin Schleyer, President of the Employers Association, is kidnapped in Cologne, West Germany. Kidnappers kill three escorting police officers and his chauffeur. They demand release of Red Army Faction prisoners
- September 6 - (approx) - Steve Biko suffers a massive head injury in police custody in South Africa.
- September 7 - Treaties between Panama and the United States on the status of the Panama Canal are signed. The US agrees to transfer control of the canal to Panama at the end of the 20th century
- September 8 - INTERPOL issues a resolution against piracy of video tapes and other material, which is still cited in warnings on videotapes and DVDs now.
- September 10 - Hamida Djandoubi is the last guillotine execution in France.
- September 11 - The last "wild" infection of smallpox is reported in Somalia.
- September 12 - Steve Biko dies of his injuries.
- September 21 - Nuclear-proliferation pact, curbing spread of nuclear weapons, is signed by 15 countries including the United States and USSR.
- September 28 - Porsche 928 debuts at the Geneva Auto Convention

October-December


- October 13 - Four Palestinians hijack a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Somalia and demand release of 11 members of the Red Army Faction. See German Autumn
- October 17-October 18 - GSG-9 troopers storm a hijacked Lufthansa passenger plane in Mogadishu, Somali