Without more funding, Metro’s budget calls for eliminating 67 of its 135 bus routes and cutting service on 41 other routes. This will result in the closure of 10 of the station’s least-used stations. Metrorail service will end at 10pm each day, and fares and parking fees will jump 20 percent. The time between trains will increase significantly. Metro jobs will be cut by about 2,300 people.
“This is a budget we don’t want to reach. With this budget proposal, customers will pay more for lower quality service,” said Metro General Manager Randy Clark. Ta. “This is much bigger than a normal crisis.”
Metro officials said the detailed cuts are part of the agency’s obligation to present a balanced budget. Metro’s board is scheduled to discuss the budget Thursday, which won’t be finalized until the spring.
Clark said any layoffs would be devastating to the agency, its employees, customers and the region.
“If Metro doesn’t work, I don’t see a bright future for the DMV,” he said.
Metro officials say the proposed layoffs would make stations, trains and buses even dirtier and reduce real-time information for riders.Reliability issues, which have been the focus of years of turnaround efforts, threaten to worsen performance again according to the transportation agency, officials said.
As part of the proposal, Metro officials said they expect more escalator problems and signal outages on the tracks and would redirect preventive maintenance funds to the operating budget. Transportation officials say Metro could reduce police presence, lengthen response times and weaken cybersecurity protections. They warned of possible problems with the vehicle’s performance, but did not mention any examples.
Officials at Washington area jurisdictions that fund Metro have discussed the shortfall, saying the transit agency needs more funding but there is no clear path to making up the deficit. I largely agree with that. Metro projects that without further funding, the budget gap will widen in the coming years.
D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, D-6th District, chairman of the Transportation and Environment Committee, called the proposal a “worst-case scenario where D.C., Maryland and Virginia do nothing between now and April.” said that it is based on. when Metro’s board votes on the budget.
Given the discussions taking place among local leaders, Allen said, “I’m confident we can all agree that this budget will never become a reality.” That level of service will fail workers, seniors, students, businesses, and residents. ” He added that he is certain the City Council will pass a budget that fully covers the district’s share of the subway. “Failure is not an option.”
Metro officials say the financial woes are due to a pandemic-era decline in ridership, the end of pandemic-related federal aid, and inflation, including rising costs for labor and materials.they care about other things Major transit systems across the country are navigating similar fiscal crises, but Metro has special challenges, in part because it relies on funding from multiple jurisdictions with their own political processes. Say.
Metro hopes to have a budget finalized by April, but officials said the budget could be pushed back into May. Employee layoffs are scheduled to take place on July 1 at the beginning of the fiscal year, but due to procedures set out in labor contracts, notices of potential layoffs will be sent out in January. Transportation officials are planning a hiring freeze early in the new year, which they say will lead to service cuts this winter before final budget issues are resolved.
there is a wide groove Which jurisdictions will and should contribute to Metro’s budget. To avoid any cuts.
For example, Metro expects the district to contribute $495 million to transit in fiscal year 2025. The city would need an additional $275 million to avoid cuts and transfers to its preventive maintenance fund to cover operations.
Metro expects Maryland to contribute $519 million, but will need to add an additional $209 million to close the budget gap, Metro officials said. Virginia’s $348 million contribution would need to be increased by $180 million.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) office said in a statement that finding a sustainable and dedicated funding source for Metro is a top priority.
Moore spokeswoman Brittany Marshall did not provide details on how the shortage would be resolved, but said the governor and former Metro director Paul J. Wiedefeld, now the state transportation secretary, He said he would work with Metro to find a solution and “work with stakeholders.” Work with our legislative partners to find comprehensive solutions to our state’s funding needs so we can develop the system that Marylanders deserve. ”
This is a developing story and will be updated.