Ridership Dropping on Metrorail: Report

Daily ridership on Metro’s commuter rail system has fallen over the last five years, and the transit agency may be forced to hike fares again to avoid losing revenue, according to media reports.

Ridership peaked at more than 740,000 passengers per weekday in 2010, but fell to just above 700,000 this year, says a report to be presented Thursday to Metro’s board. The 5 percent drop in ridership has occurrred in the midst of unreliable service, breakdowns and growing complaints from riders, according to media reports.

Fatal accidents in recent years have also damaged the Metrorail system’s reputation. In January, one passenger died and more than 80 were sickened when a Yellow Line train got stuck in a smoke-filled tunnel. And in June 2009, nine people were killed in a collision on the Red Line in Maryland.

Aside from government subsidies, the transit agency receives about 80 percent of its revenue from Metrorail fares, WRC-TV Channel 4 reported. Of the remainder, 19 percent comes from Metrobus fares and 1 percent from MetroAcess, a door-to-door service for riders with disabilities.

The drop in ridership, rise in complaints from commuters and the prospect of fare increases may demonstrate that the Metro system has entered a “death spiral,” as predicted by a former general manager at the transit agency, according to Washingtonan magazine.

The opening of the Silver Line last year has failed to keep total ridership from dropping and has prevented more trains from running on time, the report says. Other factors in the drop in ridership include the rise in telecommuting and bicycling to work, the Washingtonian notes.