Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-06
The Alexandria Car Line.

The selection of route for the Alex
andria car line is beset with many en-
barrassments and 1t Is not a matter for
wonder that no sooner have the Commits
sloners chosen the line to be followed than
complaints are filed against 1t by citizens
and public officials who fear that the pres
ence of the cars near their establishments
will cause discomfort or delay in the trans
action of public and private business. In
the peculiar circumstances of the case 1t
is obvious that the route must be occasion
for annoyance to some people This line
is in some respects the equivalent of
steam road. 1t has in fact replaced the
steam road service between this city and
Alexandria. Its cars are heavy and cause
much noise and vibration. Being the only
rail communication with Alexandria it
needs a station as conveniently placed as
possible and it is not desirable that that
location should be such as to cause the
patrons of the road inconvenience en-
barrassment. The peculiar character of
the neighborhood on the edge of which the
station must necessarily be placed If the
terminal is maintained south of Pennsyl-
Yania avenue compels that the entrance to
the cars must be on the avenue if possible.
The road must be Topped in order to pre-
vent dangerous conditions on the streets
occupied by reason of double tracks for
which there is no safe room.
All these factors confront the Commits
sioners and surround the case with diff
culties. The Star some time ago suggested
that in view Of the prospect that the whole
of the Mall avenue triangle would ultimate
ly be condemned for public building pur-
poses the Commissioners might properly
refer the matter back to Congress for in
;,IJx in m ha
cupation of the streets, the lines of which
should be ignored in any general develop
ment of the triangle for public uses. There
are now three car lines across the Mall,
one at AZ street, another at 7th street and
the most westerly at 18th street, the last
being used by two roads. The Alexandria
and Mount Vernon line is the only one that
makes it's terminal within the triangle and
therefore the only one that in any way in
terferes with the possible plans of the
landscape architects and the builders of the
future. There need be difficulty about
the north-and-south through connections
across the park They must be regarded as
permanent features, to give access to the
southern sections of the city. The ques
ton arises whether it is quite in line with
the best public policy to maintain a rail-
road terminal in the western end of this
space when great and costly works are
under way in large part for the purpose of
freeing the middle portion of the Mall from
its present railroad Disagreement The fact
that this Alexandria line is electric does
not materially alter the case.
1t might be deemed by Congress, on a
full presentation of the case, better to
bring these Alexandria cars across the ave-
nue. on the line used by the LIE Droit Park
lima nd to tla iJa
with the station there definitely beyond
the range of the future building operations
of the government. 1t is not too late to
change the program by postponing a de-
cision pending final instructions from Con-
gress. delay of few months would not
seriously affect the progress of the founda-
ton work on the municipal building and
might lead to much better solution of the
problem now presented.