MetroNow Dispatch 9.2023
This month we mull over WMATA’s updated fiscal outlook, discuss options to shrink the fiscal cliff, and recognize the work being done to improve the Metro customer experience.
WMATA’s Fiscal Cliff-hanger
Earlier this week, WMATA released three potential funding options for the upcoming fiscal year, reflecting a more nuanced assessment of its impending financial outlook. As a reminder, Metro has been staring down a $750m operating budget shortfall, driven primarily by low pandemic ridership and inflation.
The Financial Planning update presented operational efficiencies and – more alarmingly – a range of three options to redirect capital funds to cover operating costs, which could reduce the deficit to $650m and potentially even as low as $365m. The two more significant reduction scenarios involve the use of federal capital funds to reduce Metro’s near-term operating deficit, a move out of line with industry best practices and the dedicated capital funding agreement reached in 2018.
This financial update is an important first step in WMATA’s budget process. However, there is still much more work to be done to put WMATA on a sustainable, long-term path. The scenarios and budget projections will need to be honed, vetted, and finalized over the coming month as the region defines the future of regional transit funding.
The MetroNow Coalition calls on regional leadership to consider all options to implement structural improvements to funding, operations, and governance at Metro. We stand committed to working with the region’s elected officials, WMATA’s Executive Leadership and Board of Directors, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to support ongoing conversations to create an operating and business model at Metro that brings the system into good repair and matches the region’s economic ambitions.
The ScuttleBus
Dude, have you seen my ScuttleBus? Here are MetroNow’s top transit picks this month:
⌛ 276 days until the transit cliff: FY 2025 budget starts July 1, 2024.
✏️ Seeking new names for bus lines: WMATA launched its Better Bus, Better Names campaign to revamp and simplify routes.
⛔ New commuting habits, old problems: Traffic in some parts of the region is worse than pre-pandemic levels, which has commuters asking, “What exactly is going on?” and MetroNow saying, “Sounds like a great reason to hop back onto Metro!”
📝 NVTC walked through potential Metro reforms: A special working group on the regional commission presented preliminary findings from its annual WMATA report.
🛤️ A cool, one hundo for Franconia-Springfield Bypass: Federal funding awarded to VPRA to build a new passenger rail bridge would alleviate congestion in one of the region’s busiest rail corridors.
⬅️ New wayfinding, signage on Metro: WMATA has suggested changing signage across the system, renaming and renumbering rail lines to improve the customer experience.
🚇 More Metro service than ever before: WMATA now offers the most Metrorail service in its 47-year history after a planned service increase earlier this month.
🚧 Roadblock for Clear Lanes: DDOT set to delay the automated enforcement of bus lanes, citing operational finalization efforts with WMATA.
🏈 PG County TOD, the Blue Line, and FedEx: Prince George’s County wants to reimagine the Blue Line corridor, but where do the Commanders fit in?
⏳ Green Line stations reopen ahead of schedule: Four stations reopened two days early after fiber-optic cable installation and 20,000 ft. of track resurfacing.
⚖️ Lawsuits abound at Union station: One private company filed to evict DDOT from an abandoned bike parking facility, while Amtrak looks to takeover Union Station from another.
📓 WMATA GM profiled (again): Media outlet Governing dives deep into Randy Clarke’s tenure as the head of Metro.
🏢 The home office next door: Neighborhoods in America’s central cities are changing with the rise of work-from-home.
🚗 Owning a car has never been more expensive: The average annual cost of owning a car is up to $12k, up 13% from 2022.
Transit Champion of the Month: Sarah Meyer
Back in February, Sarah Meyer joined WMATA from New York MTA to serve as its new Chief Customer Experience Officer. Since then, Metro has extended its customer service hours, hired transit “ambassadors” to help travelers navigate Metrorail, and this month launched an initiative to improve signage across the system. Sarah and her team over at WMATA have been hard at work to improve communications with riders and to make the regional transit experience more seamless. MetroNow applauds Sarah and is eager to see the effects of these efforts on ridership levels and overall rider experience.
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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.