Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 8, 2003

Metro to hold public hearing to Increase the parking surcharge rate at Metrorail stations in Montgomery County

Surcharge increase requested by Montgomery County Council executive

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at the Montgomery County Council Office Building, located at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville, Md., to discuss a parking surcharge increase at Metrorail parking facilities in Montgomery County.

On May 1, 2003, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan requested that Metro increase the parking surcharge by 25 cents from $1.25 to $1.50 at all Metro-operated parking facilities in the County in order to construct an additional parking structure at the Glenmont Metrorail station, located in Montgomery County.

Currently, Metro operates approximately 55,000 parking spaces, of which 10,700 parking spaces are located in Montgomery County. On most weekdays, all parking facilities are full by 8:30 a.m. The need for additional parking has been identified by the county and in an analysis conducted by Metro and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments as part of the "Core Capacity Analysis of the Metrorail System." This study indicates that an additional 35,000 parking spaces are needed at Metrorail stations to accommodate future demand and that 1,500 spaces are needed at the Glenmont Metrorail station.

The proposed increase in the daily parking surcharge would increase daily parking fees and monthly reserved parking rates at Metrorail stations in Montgomery County. If approved, the monthly reserved parking rate would increase from $95 to $100. The daily parking rates at Metrorail stations in Montgomery County would increase from $3 to $3.25, except for the Wheaton station, which would increase from $2.25 to $2.50. The implementation date for the proposed increase in the daily parking surcharge would be September 2, 2003.

Parking fees at Metrorail stations have two components: a base fee to cover the day-to-day operating and maintenance costs of the parking facility, and a surcharge that is used to finance new parking facilities. The parking surcharge varies by local jurisdiction based upon the need to provide additional parking spaces for Metrorail patrons to complete their travel requirements.

News release issued on July 8, 2003.