Metro GM: We're Not Dying, We Promise

WASHINGTON, DC — The head of Metro just had to assure the public that the transit system the D.C. area relies on is not in a death spiral. That's what it has come to for WMATA, as the agency proposes a budget that would scale back service while raising fares -- much to the anger of the riders who are already abandoning the system in droves.

During a conversation with reporters this week, Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld denied that the system was doomed as the agency proposed raising fares while reducing service on an already crippled system, according to a WAMU report.

Wiedefeld believes that he can restore Metro's reputation by promising less, and delivering on those promises. He has been trying to convince the public and officials who must fund his $1.8 billion budget that this will make Metro a more reliable service, and help them close a huge budget gap. Basically, Wiedefeld says he's trying to stop the bleeding.

Critics argue that Wiedefeld is simply organizing an orderly collapse of the system. But Metro says they have no choice at this point: there's no more money out there to get.

And it all comes as Metro is in the midst of expensive projects, including the SafeTrack plan to fix chronic safety problems throughout the system, and the expansion of the Silver Line out to Reston Town Center, Herndon and Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

What can Metro riders expect in the future? In addition to paying $50 to $120 more per year to commute to an from work on the system, trains are going to come more and more infrequently, and there will be a much smaller staff to assist riders, as WMATA is culling 1,000 positions to save money.

“Metro listened very carefully to our customers who said they would prefer to pay a little more than lose key rail and bus services,” said Wiedefeld in a March 6 WMATA statement. “I recognize that even with some relief for customers, this proposal is tough medicine for the region, jurisdictions, riders, and Metro employees, all of whom must contribute to balance this budget.”

Metro faces a big challenge ahead: can they restore reliable service to the system before ridership dwindles to a point that public transit in its current form in D.C. is no longer a sustainable option?

Image via WMATA