USA: The official opening of the Metro Integrated Command & Communications Center at Alexandria in Virgina on October 27 marked the completion of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s programme to consolidate 10 office locations into three buildings.
The 14-storey building near Eisenhower Ave station will support more than 1 400 employees, housing a data centre, cybersecurity operations, bus and rail video teams, communications and administrative support functions.
The ‘world-class’ MICC brings rail, bus, security, maintenance and communications teams together in one place for the first time, said WMATA General Manager & CEO Randy Clarke.
‘Instead of managing service from separate control centres, we can co-ordinate together in real-time, working as a unified team to provide customers with clear, consistent messaging.’
The building is the third and final to be completed as part of the Office Consolidation Plan approved in 2018.
The outdated headquarters at the Jackson Graham Building was sold, creating a long-term revenue stream through a ground lease of the site for development. New workplaces have been built at L’Enfant Plaza metro station in DC, New Carrollton station in Maryland and Alexandria in Virginia.
This will save the authority $120m over the next 20 years, said WMATA board Chair Paul Smedberg. ‘Through this strategy, we are also more accessible to our customers and communities, with each of the three new office buildings directly adjacent to Metrorail stations.’
