Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
RAIL STATION PLEA
TO Be PRESENTED
Virginia Group to Again Ask
Site North of PennSyI-
Vania Avenue.

Faced with possible loss of their ter
nninal at Pennsylvania avenue and
Twelfth street this week. representatives
OF two Virginia traction companies.
backed by civic bodies of bcth Virginia
and washington will go before the
Public Utilities Commission tomorrow
to make another strong plea for new
terminal north of Pennsylvania avenue.
Under formal notice by the Treasury
Department, the terminal is to be va
'cated on the evening of Wednesday,
September 30, and turned over to the
Government Thursday morning, as part
of the public building program. The
new Post Office Department is to be
erected on the site.
In the meantime both sides girded
for court battle on Thursday morning
in District Supreme Court. when the
Mount Vernon, Alexandra and Wash
ington Railway will ask an injunction
be granted to prevent the Government
from tearing up the tracks of the line
in the Federal triangle, without first
paying for the tracks. Controller Gen
eral McCarl has held there are no funds
to reimburse the company for such loss.
The cars of the Arlington e. Fairfa,;
Railway also use the same tracks and
terminal for bringing their passengers
into Washington, but the court pro-
Alexandria line, Robert l.. May.
The street car lines cross several
building sites in the triangle, but the
most disputed crossing at the present
time is between Twelfth and Thirteenth
street on D street, where they cut over
the site of the excavation for the Post
ONCE Department Bids have been
opened and contract is expected to be
let soon for both excavation and con-
struction of foundation. Should the
injunction be granted by the court,
however, the Treasury Department is
prepared to order the contractor to ex-
cavate to the full depth of the basement
and foundation on both the north and
south sides of the D street tracks.
Postponement Sought.
Efforts were made recently by reps
resentatives of the traction lines to get
a postponement in the date for vaca-
ton of the terminal. But. it is under
stood the Treasury still stood on Sep
tember 80 as the last day of occupancy
Whether there will be any extension of
time for use of the terminal depends
on events of the next few days and
the position of the Treasury But If
the formal notice Is adhered to the
railway must be moved out by We'd
nesday night.
The terminal is to be torn down by
the contractor who gets the excavation
and foundation contract for the Post
ONCE Department, but as yet this con-
tract has not been let
Meantime civic leaders of both Wash
ington and Virginia prepared for the
hearing tomorrow before the Public
Utilities Commission, armed with sta
tistics in recent traffic surveys, both
in Washington and in other cities.
A. K. Shipe of the Washington Board
of Trade. a prime mover in the drive
for continued service, said the Utilities
Commission would be told it should be
possible for the Virginia street cars to
he rerouted across Pennsylvania ave-
nue. at Fourteenth street.
The Virginia committee. headed by
j. William May. chairman, has statistics
of traffic movement Of the intersection
at Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue and of corresponding move
I1ents at similar intersections of other
large cities. It hopes to convince the
commission that the Fourteenth street
intersection can easily handle the few
more cars OF the Virginia lines.
3,13S Use Lines.
In 2,0I6 answers received from the
5000 questionnaires sent out by the
Virginia Committee to patrons of the
road 1,489 stated that they work either
on or north of Pennsylvania avenue,
and 405 others stated that they transfer
to other car lines to get to their place
Of business. The patrons also stated
that 3,138 members of their families use
the same lines.
May has refused a proposed terminal
site south of Pennsylvania avenue, and
has intimated that he will abandon the
line unless given terminal north of
the Avenue.
Another step in an effort to solve the
problem was taken by the Virginia
Committee yesterday. In a letter to the
Federal National Capital Park and Plan
ing Commission, preparation of a COM
prehensive plan for system of transport
within and into Washington. in which
the present Alexandria and Fairfax
lines may be preserved in operation,
was urged to be given immediate con-
sideration
The Utilities Commission has taken
the position that it would be a physical
impoSsibility TO move the Virginia street
cars across the Avenue fast enough to
prevent severe traffic tie-ups. This at
titude was expressed at an earlier COM
mission hearing into demands for re-
routing Of the Virginia street cars.