DASH builds DC metro's first en-route bus chargers
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- DASH (Alexandria Transit) broke ground on two overhead pantograph chargers at the West Alexandria Transit Center near the former Landmark Mall site, the first en-route chargers in Northern Virginia and the DC metro region.
- Each charger will deliver up to 360 kW of high-power DC charging, enabling buses to recharge quickly on-route and stay in service all day rather than returning to the depot.
- The project received more than $1 million in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, secured with support from Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and the region's federal delegation.
- ABM's Technical Solutions division is supplying the charging system; ABM president Mark Hawkinson said the investment builds the 'operational foundation needed to support a more resilient, reliable, and electrified transit network.'
- DASH has already put 16 battery-electric buses into service, with another 20 funded and being procured, pushing toward a fully zero-emission fleet goal Alexandria adopted in 2019.
- The agency began expanding its bus depot in late 2025 to accommodate up to 30 additional electric buses and infrastructure for as many as 24 more overhead pantograph chargers.
- Construction of the two en-route chargers is expected to wrap up in 2027.
Why it matters: For Alexandria riders, the 360 kW pantograph units let DASH run longer battery-electric routes without deadheading back to the depot — turning the existing 16-bus fleet (plus 20 more on order) into all-day service vehicles. More than $1M in federal funding and a depot expansion sized for 30 additional buses show Alexandria and its congressional delegation are stacking capital on the same 2019 zero-emission commitment.
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