In the News

Martin DiCaro

Metro, the only major transit system in the U.S. without a dedicated funding source, did not get one on Wednesday, but members of the Washington region’s congressional delegation pledged they would try to establish one.

After a private meeting with WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld at the Capitol, the lawmakers said it probably won't happen this year, though.

“We think we all acknowledge we won’t get that from this House,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), referring to Republican opposition to “bailing out” Metro, as Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) recently stated during an oversight hearing.

But Beyer said he and his delegation colleagues assured Wiedefeld they would unify around an effort during the next Congress to start funding some of Metro’s day-to-day expenses. A dedicated funding source is usually defined as money that flows from a revenue stream — such as a sales tax or gas tax — and isn't subject to an appropriations process.

“We talked about both the need for a greater operating subsidy and also using all of our political friendships and connections to catalyze, not by ourselves, a long-term funding stream from the greater region,” Beyer said. The options include a federal subsidy or a regional tax, lawmakers said.

The transit authority’s $1.8 billion operating budget currently is funded by fares and jurisdictional subsidies from Maryland, D.C. and Virginia – not one dollar comes from the federal government. However, federal dollars cover about half of Metro’s annual $1 billion capital budget.

The meeting was called by Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a member of the Democratic leadership.

“The metropolitan delegation is very committed to making this system all that it needs to be,” Hoyer said on his way out of the private talks.

“This was about, how can we help you with a dedicated source of revenue? Should there be a federal subsidy? How can we as a collegial group speak with more vim and vigor on behalf of Metro?” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).

For his part, Wiedefeld has stayed out of the public debate over changing Metro’s unsustainable funding structure, leaving that battle to the chairman of WMATA’s board of directors, D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2).

Evans has repeatedly called on Congress to start providing Metro $300 million annually to help cover its operating costs, which are largely labor-driven (wages and benefits for 13,000 employees).

Metro not only faces staggering capital needs in the form of yearly maintenance and expansion projects, such as a second Potomac River tunnel at Rosslyn, but also massive operating budget deficits as labor expenses are forecast to outstrip revenues for years to come.

On Wednesday, Wiedefeld reiterated he is not getting tangled in major public policy issues.

“My focus has to be on getting this system reliable. I have to make sure it’s always safe, every day, every minute. And I got to get the fiscal house in order. So I am like a laser on those issues right now,” he said.

Still finalizing SafeTrack

Wiedefeld also briefed the congressional delegation on his SafeTrack plan, which is expected to be released in revised form in the coming days. The revisions were required by the Federal Transit Administration, the agency in charge of safety oversight of WMATA since last October.

FTA asked Metro to move up major track work on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines to June. It was originally scheduled for late August in the form of a disruptive 16-day station shutdown from Eastern Market to Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road. No Blue Line service would reach downtown D.C., and service on the Orange and Silver Lines would be disrupted end-to-end, with bus bridges replacing trains in the affected area.

Wiedefeld declined to reveal any details of his revised plan.

“We are working very closely to finalize it and hope to get it done very, very shortly,” said Wiedefeld, who said all of the plan’s 15 “maintenance surges” will affect customers.

“For the individual customer, every one of them is disruptive, no matter where it is. So I get that, but I am asking people not for their patience but for their understanding of what we are trying to do and why we are trying to do it,” he said.

Commuters who travel from Prince George’s County west into D.C. are among those who will need immediate options. Bus bridges will await rail commuters once they reach Benning Road on the Silver Line and Minnesota Avenue on the Orange Line on potentially crowded in-bound trains during morning rush hour, for instance.

“We are prepared to make sure our residents get the information they need,” said D’Andrea Walker, the associate director for transportation in Prince George’s County.

The county will not deploy additional bus service into D.C. Instead, it will use its available buses to get commuters to New Carrollton and Largo Town Center rail stations.

“We have limited service currently. But we do provide services to the rail stations and will continue to,” she said. Walker said county officials also will encourage people to consider teleworking whenever the 16-day shutdown takes places, June or August.

http://wamu.org/news/16/05/18/dedicated_funding_stream_for_metro_probably_not_this_year_lawmakers_say