Metro riders passing through Union Station can breathe a sigh of relief as they won’t be asked to pay an extra nickel for each trip — for now.
The District had been considering asking riders to pay the extra amount for each entrance or exit into the station, the busiest in the system. The money would pay for future improvements to the station entrances.
The board approved allowing such surcharges at two stations each in the District, Virginia and Maryland last year, to bring in an estimated $800,000 per year. None of the jurisdictions had pursued it until last week, when D.C. officials asked to add the surcharge to Union Station.
But the District withdrew the request, said board of directors member Tom Downs on Thursday, until the broader policy can be discussed more around the region.
The city is at the beginning stages of working on the station entrance. It is working on designing options and working out space issues with Amtrak in case federal money becomes available, according to Metro. Until then, expect more waits to board the escalators.
