Flash BRT

Flash BRT is a bus rapid transit network in Montgomery County, Maryland with one operational line and two more under development.[1] When complete, the network will run along U.S. 29 from Silver Spring to Burtonsville, Maryland Route 355 from Bethesda to Clarksburg, and Veirs Mill Road from Wheaton to Rockville.[2]

Flash BRT

Overview
Owner	Ride On
Locale	Montgomery County, Maryland
Transit type	Bus rapid transit
Number of lines	1 operational 2 under development
Number of stations	12 (operational) ~45 (overall)
Headquarters	Rockville, Maryland
Website	http://www.ridetheflash.com
Operation
Began operation	October 14, 2020 (U.S. 29 only)
Operator(s)	Ride On
Number of vehicles	16
Technical
System length	14 mi (23 km) on U.S. 29[1]
System map U.S. 29 Silver Spring Fenton Street Four Corners Burnt Mills Oak Leaf Drive FDA White Oak Transit Center April Lane Tech Road Castle Boulevard Briggs Chaney Burtonsville All stations are accessible MD 355 Bethesda MD 355 at Woodmont Avenue Medical Center Grosvenor White Flint Twinbrook Rockville MD 355 at Mannakee Street Shady Grove Gaithersburg Lakeforest Mall Transit Center MD 355 at Middlebrook Road MD 355 at Germantown Road MD 355 at Ridge Road Clarksburg Outlets Veirs Mill Road Wheaton Veirs Mill Road at MD 193 Veirs Mill Road at Newport Mill Road Veirs Mill Road at MD 185 Veirs Mill Road at Randolph Road Veirs Mill Road at Parkland Drive Veirs Mill Road at Aspen Hill Road Veirs Mill Road at Twinbrook Parkway Veirs Mill Road at Broadwood Drive Veirs Mill Road at Norbeck Road Rockville

Route

U.S. Route 29

The service runs from the Silver Spring Metrorail station along U.S. 29, before ending at the Burtonsville Park and Ride. Buses drive along the shoulder at the northern end of the route, with the remainder of the service using mixed-traffic roadways. Buses also receive signal priority at some intersections.[1] Howard County has also studied the possibility of extending the BRT line from Burtonsville to Maryland Route 99 in Ellicott City.[3] The line opened on October 14, 2020 replacing route 129.[4]

Maryland Route 355

Once complete, this line will begin at Bethesda Station and run along MD 355 through the cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg before terminating at the Clarksburg Outlets shopping mall.[5]

Veirs Mill Road

Currently in the preliminary design phase, this line will run from Wheaton station to Rockville station and connect to the MD 355 line. The initial plan includes 11 stations, with a possible future extension to Montgomery College along that portion of the MD 355 line's route.[6]

Buses

Flash BRT bus

The Montgomery Country Department of Transportation purchased 16 Nova Bus LFS articulated buses for the U.S. 29 line. These buses can fit up to 80 passengers and feature level boarding, onboard bike racks, and an automatic wheelchair securement system.[7] The buses are also equipped with a pedestrian sensor, which alerts the driver when people are passing in front of the bus. As with other Ride On buses, each bus also features a WiFi hotspot. Passengers can board or exit the bus through any of its three doors.

Stations

Four Corners station

There are approximately 45 stations proposed across the network, with 12 stations currently operating. Each station includes a large canopy, a seating area, and a fare payment machine that accepts SmarTrip cards along with traditional forms of payment.[4] Stations are also equipped with a passenger information system to let passengers know when the next bus is coming and a blue pylon mounted above the canopy that flashes when a bus is about to arrive.

U.S. Route 29

Station Name	Location	Connections	Facilities
Silver Spring	Bus Bay 229 8400 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD 20910	Washington Metro Red Line MARC Train: Brunswick Line Purple Line (future) Metrobus: 70, 79, F4, J1, J2, J4, Q1, Q2, Q4, S2, S9, Y2, Y7, Y8, Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8, Z11 Ride On: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28 MTA Maryland Bus: 915, 929 Shuttle-UM: 111 Peter Pan Bus	Transit center (existing) Capital Bikeshare
Fenton Street	Colesville Road & Fenton Street Silver Spring, MD 20910	Metrobus: F4, Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8, Z11 Ride On: 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 28 MTA Maryland Bus: 305, 315, 325	Capital Bikeshare
Four Corners	Northbound: Colesville Road & Lanark Way Southbound: Colesville Road & University Boulevard Silver Spring, MD 20901	Metrobus: C2, C4, Z2, Z6, Z8 Ride On: 9, 19, 21
Burnt Mills	Burnt Mills Shopping Center Silver Spring, MD 20901	Metrobus: Z2, Z6, Z8, Z11 Ride On: 21, 22	Capital Bikeshare
Oak Leaf Drive	Northbound: Lockwood Drive & Northwest Drive Southbound: Lockwood Drive & Oak Leaf Drive Silver Spring, MD 20901	Metrobus: Z2, Z6, Z8	Capital Bikeshare
FDA	Northwest Loop Road White Oak, MD 20903	Metrobus: C8, K9 MTA Maryland Bus: 203, 204
White Oak Transit Center	Lockwood Drive north of New Hampshire Avenue White Oak, MD 20904	Metrobus: C8, K6, Z6, Z8 Ride On: 10	Capital Bikeshare
April Lane	Stewart Lane & April Lane White Oak, MD 20904	Metrobus: Z6, Z8 Ride On: 10	Capital Bikeshare
Tech Road	Columbia Pike & Tech Road Silver Spring, MD 20904	Metrobus: Z6, Z7, Z8 Ride On: 10	130 parking spaces
Castle Boulevard	Castle Boulevard & Castle Ridge Circle Silver Spring, MD 20904	Metrobus: Z6, Z8, Z11	Capital Bikeshare
Briggs Chaney	Gateshed Manor Way & Briggs Chaney Road Silver Spring, MD 20904	Metrobus: Z6, Z8, Z11 Ride On: 21, 39	Capital Bikeshare 240 parking spaces Public restrooms
Burtonsville	National Drive & US 29 Burtonsville, MD 20866	Metrobus: Z6, Z7, Z11 MTA Maryland Bus: 201, 202, 203, 305, 315	Bus loop/drop off 500 parking spaces

References

1. Pascale, Jordan (2020-10-13). "Montgomery County Launches A New Rapid Bus Service This Week". WAMU 88.5. Washington, DC.
2. "WHERE WILL IT BE?". Ride the FLASH. 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
3. "Info". /www.howardcountymd.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
4. Lazo, Luz. "The D.C. region's most ambitious try at bus rapid transit is coming to Montgomery County". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
5. "Bus Rapid Transit On MD 355 | Get On Board BRT". Ride the FLASH. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
6. "FLASH on Veirs Mill". Ride the FLASH. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
7. Diegel, Mike (2020-10-15). "County DOT Launches Flash Bus Rapid Transit Service". Source of the Spring. Silver Spring, MD. Retrieved 2020-10-17.