Metro says it’s looking to reduce wait times and increase service — all without increasing fares.
The transit agency’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes improvements that would reduce wait times for bus and rail passengers, Metro said.
General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said Metro wants to build on the increase in ridership it’s seen in the past year.
Metro said it’s already registered more than 256 million trips on trains and buses this year, beating out last year’s total of 251 million trips.
Metro’s proposal includes:
- Running trains every 10 minutes on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines on weekdays, an improvement from the current 12-minute service.
- Running Red Line trains every 7 to 8 minutes after 9:30 p.m., an improvement from the current 10-minute service.
- Shorter wait times on nine high ridership bus routes, improvements on five bus routes and longer hours of service on four bus routes.
- The potential for two new limited-stop bus routes in Northern Virginia.
Clarke said the increased service is possible without a fare increase, but Metro is still in need of major investments to modernize its rail signal system, increase its fleet of railcars and buses and improve its electrical systems.
“I believe the state of Metro is strong, but we are at a critical point. Are we going to be strong becoming top of world-class or are we going backwards?” Clark said while presenting the proposed budget to the WMATA Board of Directors on Thursday.
In October, Metro said it needs $460 million more each year from D.C., Maryland and Virginia to make sure the system is maintained and runs safely.
Riders will have a chance to weigh in on Metro’s budget proposal during several public hearings scheduled for February. Go here for more information.
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