Public hearing slated for Monday afternoon to give input on plan Metro is planning to spend $851 million in its next budget as part of a massive effort to rebuild the crumbling system.
That doesn’t mean any new rail lines or shiny new stations. Instead, it means refurbishing and replacing the aging parts on the transit system that is turning 35 this month. The agency plans to hold a public hearing Monday afternoon to allow riders and taxpayers to give input on the capital spending plan.
| Want to have a say? |
| The hearing is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Monday in Metro’s Board of Directors room at 600 Fifth St. NW. |
| Those who wish to testify in person should submit their names, mailing addresses and telephones to [email protected] or by fax at 202-962-1133. |
| Those who cannot attend may submit written testimony until 5 p.m., March 28, via e-mail at [email protected], by fax at 202-962-1133 or mail to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth St. N.W., Washington, DC 20001. Be sure to reference “Hearing B11-01” or “Docket 555.” |
“We’re really in the process of launching the largest capital program since the beginning of our system,” said spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. “It’s starting to show its age.”
Riders already know this from even a quick glance at the leaking station ceilings, the broken escalators and cracked station platforms. They also are experiencing the pain associated with fixing it all: long hikes up stopped escalators and delays for track maintenance work on weekends, nights and holidays.
Metro says it plans to use some of the money to buy replacement rail cars, buses and MetroAccess vehicles. The agency eventually plans to spend $1 billion to meet National Transportation Safety Board recommendations stemming from the deadly June 2009 Red Line crash and other accidents. It also plans to spend more than $120 million to repair 153 escalators and 31 elevators as part of a multiyear plan, Farbstein said.
The agency’s capital budget doesn’t cover the system’s basic operations. An entirely different portion of next year’s budget covers day-to-day costs such as the salaries of train operators and the fuel for buses. Budget hearings on that part of the fiscal 2012 budget will be held later this spring. And the Metro board still has months of negotiations to finish before it passes both sections of the budget.
In fact, Monday’s hearing hasn’t garnered much attention. But Farbstein said the agency met its notification requirements, announcing it in advertisements in the Washington Post on March 5 and 12 and posting a notice to the agency’s Web site March 4. A press release was issued as a courtesy on Thursday, she said.
The agency is expecting to pay for these capital projects with a combination of federal, state and local money. The District is being asked to pay $134.8 million. The total for Maryland and its counties is $132.3, while Virginia’s communities and the state are being asked to pony up a combined $110.2 million.
An additional $398 million is expected to come from federal grants and funds, though Congress is threatening to renege on $150 million promised as part of a 10-year deal. That in turn could unravel $150 million more in local contributions, setting the agency back $300 million. Metro officials have called the threat of losing the money devastating.
