Rachel Weiner

Washington, D.C.

Local transportation reporter

Education: George Washington University, BA in Journalism and Political Science

Rachel Weiner came to The Washington Post as a politics Web editor and then a political blogger. Since 2014 she has been on the Metro desk covering Donald Trump on trial, state legislative sessions and many things in between. She now covers all ways of getting around the D.C. area as a local transportation reporter.
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Latest from Rachel Weiner

Md. plans to delay bridge expansion, electric buses in $1.3 billion cuts

The state’s plan cuts $1.3 billion over the next six years for a total transportation project budget of $19 billion.

September 3, 2024
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks to members of the press about wreckage removal, transportation and safety updates following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on May 13 in Baltimore. (Wesley Lapointe for The Washington Post)

Behind the campaign to make Metro cool again

Whitney Nichels, Metro’s vice president of communications, has casually revolutionized the transit agency’s Instagram and TikTok accounts. 

September 1, 2024
Whitney Nichels, Metro’s vice president of communications, gets footage on Aug. 19 to highlight new escalators at Reagan National Airport.

Woman charged in Bay Bridge crash was on probation for drunken driving

Gwendolyn Persina was with Maryland’s Department of Human Services until April.

August 30, 2024
The crash on the Bay Bridge in January put 13 people in the hospital.

D.C. police starting new unit dedicated to street traffic safety

Traffic enforcement has dropped precipitously since the pandemic, while traffic fatalities have gone up.

August 27, 2024
Traffic moves along at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Eastern Avenue in Northeast Washington this month.

Federal court upholds Maryland training, background checks for handguns

A federal court appeals court upheld Maryland's gun law requiring firearms training and background checks.

August 23, 2024
At the Maryland Small Arms Range in Upper Marlboro in 2022, a shooter takes part of the test for a concealed carry permit.

Traffic fatalities have doubled since D.C.’s promise of zero

D.C.'s Vision Zero plan has not reduced traffic deaths, with fatalities rising in all but two years since its launch.

August 23, 2024
A speed camera is visible as traffic moves along Minnesota Avenue NE earlier this month. The city is planning a bus-only lane for the stretch.

New union contract limits hours Metro bus and rail operators can work

A deal with the main union representing transportation workers for the D.C. region may help a long-running exhaustion issue.

August 21, 2024
The Red Line's Silver Spring station in December 2020.

Two killed in Bel Air, Md., house explosion, officials say

A utility worker for Baltimore Gas & Electric was one of those killed. The second victim has yet to be identified but is believed by investigators to be the owner of the home.

August 11, 2024

Federal court says D.C. police can’t hold on to protester phones forever

A U.S. Court of Appeals says D.C. police can’t hold protester phones indefinitely, citing the Fourth Amendment. The ruling was written by a Donald Trump appointee.

August 11, 2024
D.C. police clash with protesters near the White House on Aug. 27, 2020.

Watchdog: Too many D.C. Metro trains are run by exhausted (or drunk) drivers

The report from the Metro safety watchdog highlights the issue of exhausted and drunk drivers on Metro trains and urges rule changes.

August 7, 2024
A train arrives at Metro Center on Nov. 29, 2018.