Metro officials are trying to reach out to riders and taxpayers as the agency eyes an estimated $144 million budget gap next year that likely will mean fare increases and possibly service cuts amid a still struggling economy.
The agency and the jurisdictions the transit system covers are hosting a series of public forums starting Monday to explain to the public the financial straits ahead and to glean what priorities the public has for the agency.
Forum details
» Monday, Oct. 19: District forum
6:30 p.m. panel discussion with public questions and comments
U.S. Naval Memorial auditorium, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, near the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Metrorail stop on the Yellow/Green line.
» Wednesday, Oct. 21: Northern Virginia forum
6:30 p.m. open house begins; 7 p.m. meeting begins with presentations, then Q&A session
George Mason High School, 7124 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, within walkable distance to the West Falls Church Metrorail station on the Orange Line.
» Maryland forum to be determined, likely in November
“It’s something we’ve never, ever done before,” said Kala Leggett Quintana, spokeswoman for the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, which is organizing the Virginia forum on Wednesday. “The format is really unique.” The push is a change from the spring, when hundreds crowded into public hearings as the agency proposed trimming service on more than 70 bus lines but didn’t involve the public in broader discussions about the agency’s strapped budget.
This year, officials called for more openness and earlier public involvement as the agency faced another dire budget. Metro’s finance officials estimated earlier this fall that the agency could have a $144 million gap in its operating budget, which is typically more than $1 billion, for the cycle that begins July 1, 2010.
Metro expects revenue to drop. Part of that will be falling advertising revenue as a 10-year contract ends, according to projections by the transit agency. Expenses may rise by some $92 million from pension losses in the stock market, higher energy costs and booming ridership on Metro’s service for disabled riders, which costs more per ride than it generates.
Raising fares by about 6 percent would fill less than $38 million of the hole.
Meanwhile, the agency still doesn’t know what the cost will be for the June 22 crash that killed nine and injured dozens more. Insurance will cover some of the costs from lawsuits and repairs, but the agency already is paying higher insurance costs from the crash.
Meanwhile, the agency still doesn’t know what the cost will be for the June 22 crash that killed nine and injured dozens more. Insurance will cover some of the costs from lawsuits and repairs, but the agency already is paying higher insurance costs from the crash.
Metro also may be required to undertake significant safety improvements to prevent such accidents from occurring again. Replacing all the 1000 Series rail cars, which federal investigators repeatedly said were not crashworthy before one collapsed to a third of its size in the crash, will cost an estimated $900 million.
The bleak budget comes at a time when the jurisdictions that subsidize the agency with tax dollars are facing budget crises of their own. They may not be able to fork over enough money to fill the holes, let alone match the $547 million they paid this year.
