Evening star., 1925-09-16
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Railway and Electric Co, aggregat-
| ing approximately 80 per cent of the
grand total, while those utilizing the
! facilities of the Capital Traction Co.
| aggregate approximately Is per cent
| Of the total.
More Ride at Night.
while the distribution between the
various transportation facilities Is
, substantially the same in coming to
! work in the morning as returning
from work at night. it is noticeable
| that more people use the public
| transportation agencies in returning
| home at night than use these facil-
| tiles in coming TO work in the morn
| ing"
Another interesting revelation in the
| report is that the steam railroads
| entering Washington sell commuta-
| ton tickets equivalent TO 1,069,s ,s42
passenger rides a year The engi-
neers had no way of determining how
| many o! these tickets are used, but
| the number sold indicates a heavy
volume of railroad communication be-
| tween Washington and the nearby
| suburbs Of Maryland and Virginia.
In studying the problem of pas
sengers transferring from one car line
| to another, the engineers found that
the busiest transfer points were:
For the Washington Railway and
| Electric Co., Ninth and + streets, with
| 10.547 transfers in a day.
For the Capital Traction Co, Four
teenth and L streets, with 1909 in
a day.
For pay transfers issued between
companies, Eighteenth and Columbia
road, with $3.50 day.
Parking Space for 1000 Cars.
relative costs of various means of
transportation in this report, but they
made detailed and highly .enlightening
studies of certain vehicular traffic
problems which should prove of great
assistance to the local authorities in
handling the traffic situation.
They made an actual measurement
of all the street space in the down.
town congeSted area and found that
after allowing for fire hydrants and
other places where cars are not per-
mitted to stand, there is space down.
town for the parking of exactly
of May 18 they actually counted
SOFA machines parked within the
congested area. They made counts
of parked machines at other times.
but the occasion cited represented
the maximum.
The engineers made another count
| at 2 o'clock one morning and found
that 18,45S, or % per cent Of all the
automobiles in Washington, are left
~, yoir inS of
| in garages.
The engineers estimated that the
cost per revenue passenger Of rem
dering street car and bus service is:
Capital Traction Co, 7.29 cents;
Washington Railway and Electric
Co, $40 cents. and Washington
Rapid Transit Co., 9.32 cents.
Service Costs Compared.
In arriving at this cost of service
per passenger the engineers figured
all operating expenses, depreciation,
taxes and a return of 712 per cent
on the valuation of the property of
each company This was merely an
assumed rate of return on valuation
for the railway companies, however,
since records of the Public Utilities
Commission indicate the Capital
Traction Co. is actually earning
about 61z per cent and the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Co. a per
cent.
Here is the cost of service for each
company, as set up in the report:
Capital Traction Co.--Operatng ex-
penses. including depreciation, s3.0S4,-
579; taxes, s392,423 return of 71a per
cent per year, 81 ,271, SIC; total, SAT- 49,
| SIS. Revenue passengers carried,
65,15O,699, making the cost per rev.
enue passenger, 7.29 cents.
Washington Railway and Electric
Co-Operating expenses, including de-
probation, s4,363,695; taxes, s374,o65;
! 519: total, $6,3o0,279. Revenue pas
sengers carried, 77.7S6,675, making the
cost per revenue passenger $40 cents.
Washington Rapid Transit Co.
! Operating expenses, including depre-
citation, s207,557; return of IN per
cent, $40, 900; total, s237 ,557. Revenue
passengers carried, 2,549.178, making
cost per revenue passenger, 1892 cents.
Valuations Contested.
These computations for the railway
tions of the commission brought up
to June. 1924, as follows: Capital
| Traction Co, $16,953,545; Washington
| Railway and Electric Co., s20,S33, 592.
The engineers point out, however,
that both railway companies took
their valuations to court, and they
| give some indication in the report of
| how the cost of service per passenger
| would be increased If the companies
finally sustain their valuations in
| court.
| In the case of the Capital Traction
Co, for example. the District Supreme
Court rendered a decision several
| months ago, on the basis Of which
that company's valuation would be ad-
| iusted to $31,280,177, as of June 30,
| 1924. Using this court order as a basis
for computing return the total cost of
service per passenger for that com
| pany becomes S.94 cents instead OF
7.29 cents, the engineers say.
| The appraisal of the Washington
Railway and Electric property has
been appealed to the courts on
| grounds in many respects similar to
| the Capital Traction valuation case,
but has not yet been decided by the
District Supreme Court.
May Increase Cost.
| Should this appeal result in an in
| creased valuation allowance for the
! Washington Railway and Electric Co." !"
the engineers state, "the effect will be
to increase the total cost OF service
per passenger in the same way as In
| creased value is reflected above in an
| This chart gives the results o
| downtown section. 1t shows the n
| to travel in getting to work and t
| SUNNI