PG County to WMATA: Don't Even Think About Cutting Back Late Night Metro Service

MOUNT RAINER, MD — Prince George's County officials have fired off a letter to Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld, demanding that he take cutting back late night Metro service off the table as WMATA struggles to deal with budget shortfalls.

PG County's letter follows a letter last month from Montgomery County officials saying essentially the same thing: that cutting back on Metro service would adversely affect residents who depend on the system to get to and from work.

The letter was signed by local senators, delegates, councilmembers and mayors, and it urges the WMATA Board to "consider alternatives to permanent service reductions, such as temporary late night service reductions, that would still facilitate safety upgrades and improved maintenance."

The letter goes on to argue, "no proposal put before the public has explained why permanently closing every line of the Metrorail system during the pre-SafeTrack late-night hours is necessary on a continuing basis. ... The economic future of our region depends on achieving a jobs-housing balance through transit-oriented development, including in mixed urban-suburban jurisdictions like Prince George’s County. A transit system that supports live-work-play hours, not just white-collar work hours, is an essential foundation and a social justice issue."

The full text of the letter is available here.

Image via WMATA