Keeping the nation’s capital region moving
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority operates one of the country’s most vital public transportation systems, connecting 4 million people across the national capital region with its extensive rail, bus and paratransit network.
Jim Ashe ’84 is one of the many professionals who work behind the scenes to keep this massive, complex system running reliably and safely. As director of track, civil and environmental engineering, Ashe helps support the agency’s sprawling footprint, which includes 98 stations, 129 miles of track and 1,500 buses, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week within a 1,500-square-mile area.
He oversees a team of more than 100 employees and contractors who coordinate new construction projects and repairs throughout the network, from building new tracks to refurbishing bus garages.
“It’s very much a team effort,” said Ashe. “I’m surrounded by some incredibly talented individuals, and I enjoy coming to work every day to see them, to work with them, to deal with the problems at hand.”
After growing up in Houston, Ashe decided he wanted to broaden his horizons. He landed at Mines, where he studied geological engineering on a scholarship from the U.S. Army. After fulfilling his military service obligation, he embarked on a career as a geologist and engineer for several consulting companies, with a focus on environmental remediation and regulatory compliance.
In 2000, he joined WMATA as manager of environmental planning and compliance. Over the last 26 years, he has climbed through the ranks of the agency, broadening his purview to also include civil and track engineering.
“Public transit provides an important service—transportation—to the community we serve,” he said. “I continue to work here because I am surrounded by extremely talented and dedicated engineers and professionals. Each day they provide outstanding service. This, in turn, motivates me.”
Created by an interstate compact in 1967, WMATA operates in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. This regional scope adds a layer of complexity to the projects Ashe oversees, requiring coordination among state governments and federal agencies that each have their own rules and regulations.
Throughout his long career at WMATA, Ashe has worked on several significant projects. One of the most memorable was the Silver Line Extension, which provides a direct link between downtown Washington, D.C. and Washington Dulles International Airport, as well as new service in northern Virginia.
The $6 billion, multi-year project was a massive undertaking, requiring the construction of 23.1 miles of track, 11 stations and a rail maintenance and service yard, plus modifications to an existing rail yard. Fully completed in 2022, the extension was one of the largest capital construction projects in the nation, providing a viable alternative to car travel for hundreds of thousands of people.
Ashe also worked on the NoMa-Gallaudet U and Potomac Yard stations, which were infill stations built along active operating rail lines.
“Those were challenging because there were trains coming by every 10 minutes or so,” he said. “It is very unusual to construct rail stations like those two.”
His team has also helped modernize, rehabilitate and construct several bus garages, which are often overlooked but essential parts of keeping the overall transit system running smoothly. The Northern Bus Garage, for instance, was originally built in 1906 to store streetcars. Now, it’s being reconstructed to house WMATA’s first all-electric fleet, part of the agency’s broader transition to zero-emission buses.
Ashe’s teams are also coordinating with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), which is building the brand new, 16-mile Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton.
No matter the project, Ashe is proud to play even a small part in the vast, intricate system that keeps the national capital region moving.
“It’s challenging, it’s fun, it’s interesting,” he said.
