The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA, Metro) officials will present an austere recommendation to the Board’s Finance Committee. The budget downsizes the workforce by 1,000 positions and cuts rail and bus services to reflect current ridership.
Forecasting ridership that is down more than 20 percent from 2009 levels, rail service would be reduced, making trains less frequent during peak and off-peak travel times, but more reliable through aggressive rail car and track maintenance. In addition, about a dozen low-ridership bus routes are proposed for elimination.
A fare increase is proposed to generate $21 million. The combination of fare increases and service cuts would generate about $50 million from riders to help balance the budget.
WMATA’s Board of Directors will have to approve in December a public hearing for consideration of the budget. Community outreach and public hearings would begin in late January. The final budget, including any service and fare changes, requires approval by the full Board in March in order to take effect from 1 July 2017.
Share on:
