Metro Safety Issues Highlight Concerns Over Proposed Budget Cuts

PHOTO of Metro from Patch archive

This week’s chaos on Metro’s Orange, Blue and Silver lines that left thousands stranded only highlights concerns about cuts to its budget being proposed by Congress.

On the day that Congress is set to debate the WMATA budget in a House Appropriations hearing, firefighters were again called Wednesday morning to investigate what appeared to be more smoke at the Rosslyn station; it turned out it was smoke from the brakes of a Metro train car, said WMATA spokeswoman Morgan Dye. Service was not impacted, she noted.

Smoke in a tunnel at the Rosslyn Metro station Monday morning stopped service on the three busy lines at the height of the morning commute from just after 8 a.m. until almost lunchtime and left riders wandering the streets looking for a way to get to work.

An Alexandria mom lost her life on the Metro in January on her way home from her office after a Metro tunnel filled with smoke.

In light of those safety concerns, DC’s Metro system is facing budget cuts and today, the House Appropriations Committee is set to meet at 10:15 a.m. to debate the FY 2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill. (You can watch the proceedings live here—just scroll to the bottom where it says “Webcast.”) It’s likely that much attention will be paid to Amtrak funding, which is also included in the bill, in light of Tuesday night’s fatal crash.

Lawmakers from the area immediately expressed concerns about the proposed cuts after they were unveiled April 28:

“We are deeply disappointed by the House Appropriations Committee’s proposal to cut $75 million in grant funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro),” area lawmakers including Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11th), Donald S. Beyer Jr. (VA-8th), Barbara Comstock (VA-10th) said in a statement.

“Providing anything less than the federal commitment of $150 million would jeopardize rider safety and the successful partnership with Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia to fund the purchase of new rail cars and vital safety improvements throughout the system in response to NTSB and FTA recommendations,” they said. “The proposed reduction would only exacerbate the operations and safety issues that our delegation has been working with Metro to resolve.”

“Since 2009, Congress has worked in bipartisan fashion to fulfill its annual commitment of $150 million, which is matched by $50 million each from Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, under a partnership created by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PL 110-432),” the lawmakers said in their statement.

“It would be shortsighted for Congress to threaten to unravel this partnership given the federal government’s unique relationship with and responsibility to Metro,” the statement reads. “Nearly 40% of rush-hour riders are federal employees, and half of all Metro stations are located on federal property. Metro is also a critical component of the National Capital Region’s emergency response system.”

“We respectfully urge our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, as they prepare for the full Committee markup, to maintain our commitment to our state and local funding partners, and work with us to ensure robust oversight of Metro’s ongoing efforts to address financial and safety concerns identified by the FTA and NTSB.”