MetroNow Dispatch 12.2021
This month we review transit’s terrible, horrible, no good, actually pretty decent summer, then came Delta, then went the 7000-series, oh no Omicron, very bad (but also a lot of good) year.
2021 Recap
It's been a wild ride for transit this year!
Federal COVID-relief funding for operations was key to keeping our transit systems open and moving, especially our bus networks which have been lifelines for the essential workforce. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to challenge the best laid plans for returning to offices and the crisis with the 7000-series railcars has added a huge unforeseen challenge in the effort to recover rail ridership.
At MetroNow, we remain committed to our Metrorail and bus networks as the backbone of our regional economy. In 2022, we will keep pressing for adequate transit funding, a regional bus network redesign, dedicated bus lanes, and fare and service improvements critical for our workforce, economy, equity, and environment.
As we celebrate the end of 2021, let‘s take a look at some of biggest accomplishments throughout the Capital Region over the year:
January 2021
WMATA kicked off the year preparing its FY 2022 budget with $610 million in relief from the federal stimulus passed in December 2020. Thankfully, this federal relief allowed WMATA to avoid the most drastic of service and staff cuts proposed by the agency in November, 2020. Senator Mark Warner was our first Transit Champion of the Month in 2021 for his work ensuring public transit agencies were included in the relief bill.
February 2021
The House introduced the Metro Accountability and Investment Act (sneak peak: it was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November) to continue WMATA’s federal funding but require safety and oversight reforms. Also, WMATA implemented a new all-day rail service pattern, moving away from peak, 9-5 commuter oriented service. Transit Champion: General Services Administration (GSA) with a plea to prioritize transit access for the new FBI headquarters and all federal worksite decisions in the region (update: nothing new on the FBI HQ front in 2021…. maybe 2022 will finally be the year? 🤞).
March 2021
The Feds passed the American Rescue Plan, providing $1.4 billion in relief money for transit agencies in the region, forestalling the remaining service and staff cuts that were on the table for WMATA’s FY22 budget. With the doomsday budgets shelved, MetroNow suggested that WMATA’s FY22 budget should focus on making equity the cornerstone of transit recovery, recognize WMATA’s essential role in the region’s economic recovery, and call for innovations in transit passes and rail maintenance practices. (👀)
April 2021
Spring was in the air and we were feeling the sunshine. MetroNow offered nine strategies the WMATA Board should consider to improve service, bring riders back, and prevent the coming fiscal cliff in FY24. One of the nine suggestions was to fund a regional bus network redesign process (which was advanced by WMATA last month 🙌). Transit Champion: MetroHero for the launch of its ARIES Bus Report Cards.
May 2021
Do you remember May? #HotVaxSummer was approaching and the pandemic’s light at the end of the proverbial tunnel was shining bright (😭). MetroNow took this month to reiterate that transit is just as safe as many other activities of daily life that people have resumed and transit has not been identified as a major source of COVID transmission. All that is still true BTW. Transit Champion: City of Alexandria for its forthcoming bus network redesign (😕 we were a few months early on that one… See: September).
June 2021
We’d been asking a lot of WMATA in the past few months so MetroNow wanted to condense our asks down into one list for the Board to consider before voting on service and fare changes for the fall. The list included two principles and four service and fare opportunities. The two principles were to make equity the cornerstone of transit recovery and to think regionally instead of parochially. Transit Champions: We couldn’t just pick on this month, so we applauded the Montgomery County Council for extending the Ride On fare holiday, Mayor Bowser for including $63 million for bus priority (🚍) in her FY22 budget, not to mention the $116 million for the K Street Transitway, and Representatives Norton, Brown, Connelly and the entire U.S. House of Representatives Delegation for the region for including federal WMATA funding in the Invest in America Act which wound its way in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
July 2021
The WMATA board adopted three of the four service and fare opportunities MetroNow recommended in June (and later approved the fourth, a Bus Network Redesign 🙌) so the July Dispatch focused on increasing transit service as an equity solution and discussed the tension between prioritizing existing riders and attracting new ones. Transit Champions: Why choose when we had so many? MetroNow applauded Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for championing TOD, thanked the outgoing WMATA Board Member Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins for her service, and clapped for Amazon’s investment with WMATA to create 1,000 affordable transit accessible housing units in the next 5-Years.
August 2021
In August MetroNow celebrated the Dispatch’s first birthday by confirming that the rumors were true: our family was growing (👩👩👧👧). MetroNow gained two new members: The Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce and the Tysons Partnership, bringing new regional expertise and perspectives to ensure the Washington metropolitan area has a world-class, well-funded, well-run, and innovative transit network. Transit Champion: Nina Albert as she transitioned from her role as WMATA’s TOD champion to the Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service for the GSA.
September 2021
The Delta Blues were catching up to us by September, but we found the smallest of silver linings: employers and employees had more time to reimagine the commute by setting up transit benefits and allowing flexible hours to avoid rush hour. Transit Champion: WMATA for making real progress on its deferred maintenance (😩Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?). Oh… and DASH’s Bus Network Redesign launched (👀 Looking at you May Transit Champion)
October 2021
The WMATA Blue line derailment and subsequent removal of all 7000 series rail cars from service was a real blow. MetroNow recommended WMATA be better prepared to jump into action next time a crisis happens by deploying staff to Metro stations to clearly communicate (📢) what is going on so people don’t have to rely on Twitter to know what’s going on. Long term, the coalition suggested that WMATA needs to accelerate the recommendations of the Bus Transformation Project, including a bus network redesign and dedicated bus lanes. Transit Champion: Montgomery County for extending free fares again through January 1, 2022.
November 2021
The ongoing 7000-series wheelset saga still had us down, but WMATA lifted our spirits (🤗) by announcing the long-overdue Bus Network Redesign process was moving into procurement. President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) providing historic levels of investment in our transportation infrastructure, and included the Metro Safety, Accountability, and Investment section we plugged in February. Transit Champions: Mayor Bowser + DDOT for leading the region on bus transformation and our Federal Delegation including Senators Cardin, Van Hollen, Warner and Kaine, and Representatives Hoyer, Brown, Raskin, Trone, Sarbanes, Norton, Beyer, Connolly, and Wexton for passing the IIJA.
December 2021
So here we are in December, after quite a year. So rather than catch you up on all the latest news, we’ll leave you with a little tune (based on Winter Wonderland) to sing to your family and friends over the holidays, as we all rest, decompress, and get ready to build a better transit future in 2022.
Bus Lane Wonderland
Bus horns blare are you listening
In the bus lane snow is missing
A beautiful sight oh we're not anxious tonight
Passing by a winter congestion
Gone away is the late bus
Here to stay is a fast bus
We’re singing a song as we go along
Passing by a winter congestion
Well in the meadow we can build a bus lane
And pretend that it runs through all of town
He'll say are you late and we say no man
The bus can do the job zoomin’ ‘round town
Later on we'll conspire as we dream by the fire
To face unafraid the bus plans we made
Passing by a winter congestion
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Transit Champion of the Month: You
For reading and subscribing to the Dispatch and for standing up for the right for all residents of the Washington Metro Area to have a high quality, reliable transit service. Thank you all for your continued support and we are looking forward to what 2022 has to bring! Here is a list of the most popular Dispatch editions over the last year, ranked by readership.
Top 3 Dispatches by Readership:
March 2021- Make Equity the Cornerstone of Transit Recovery
February 2021- Transit & Black History Month
November 2021- Blue Line Derailment and Ongoing Service Disruptions
We appreciate you and hope to catch you on a bus soon.
Read More:
Metro returns first two 7000-series trains to service (Washington Post 12.17.21)
“Two of Metro’s 7000-series trains returned to passenger service Friday, the first of 42 that will be phased back into daily operations after the series was pulled from service for two months over a defect compromising passenger safety.”Metro to begin returning suspended rail cars after safety panel approves plan (Washington Post 12.14.21)
“The safety commission raised no technical objections to Metro’s restoration plan, which commits to weekly wheel inspections. Metro said it will slowly phase in 336 cars, wait 90 days to assess their performance, then look to incorporate the rest of the series in consultation with the safety commission.”Metro lays out early plan for reincorporating suspended series of trains (Washington Post 12.9.21)
“Metro plans to reintegrate its suspended line of trains gradually — by slowly replacing older models with 7000-series cars that will decrease wait times to less than 15 minutes — after the agency gets permission to begin using them again.”As GWU students get unlimited transit deal, Metro wants more colleges on board (Washington Post 12.4.21)
“Starting in January, full-time George Washington University undergraduates and eligible full-time graduate students will each pay a mandatory $100 fee for a special pass that allows unlimited rail and bus rides through the spring semester.”The Ways Transit Agencies Adapted during the Pandemic Can Inform an Equitable Recovery (Urban Institute 11.30.21)
“In our new study with the Center for Neighborhood Technology for the American Public Transportation Association, we examine how transit agencies around the United States altered service over the past two years and how they’re planning for a post pandemic future. Equity had a major role in how some agencies responded, and they offer lessons for how others can prioritize equity as we recover from the pandemic.”
Subscribe + Share!
Sharing is caring! Share the MetroNow Dispatch with any friends, colleagues, or family members who want to join us for the ride!
Follow @MetroNow on Twitter for daily tidbits of transit gold.
Reach out to us directly with any feedback, hot takes, or ideas for future newsletter topics: info@metronow.com
The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We launched the MetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.