Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 23, 2004

Department of Transportation appropriation bill benefits Metro

Officials from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority thanked the congressional delegation for the metropolitan Washington region today for their strong support for transit in the Fiscal Year 2005 U.S. Department of Transportation Appropriation bill. This annual spending bill, that is included in the Omnibus package that was approved by Congress last weekend, contains funding for many projects of importance to people who ride transit in the region. These projects include, among others:

-- $76.8 million for the Metrorail Extension from Addison Road to Largo Town Center (Two new stations are scheduled to open on December 18th.);

-- $25 million for the Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project; and

-- $8.5 million toward the purchase of 185 new clean fuel buses for Metro.

"We have very effective representation in the Congress. At a time when Metro is suffering from underinvestment, I am extremely pleased that the entire area delegation came together in support of transit," said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Richard A. White.

The Members of Congress from this region who supported the funding package include Senators Allen, Warner, Mikulski and Sarbanes and Representatives Davis, Wolf, Moran, Van Hollen, Hoyer, Wynn and Norton.

The federal funding included in the FY05 appropriations bill will help Metro in its efforts to alleviate bus overcrowding by being able to purchase 185 new buses. In addition to federal funding, Maryland is sponsoring and providing the remaining funds for the nearly completed two-station Blue Line extension to Largo, which opens next month. Virginia is sponsoring the Dulles project which is in the preliminary engineering stage. Funding for the Dulles project comes from federal, state, and local sources including a special tax assessment on commercial properties in the corridor.

News release issued on November 23, 2004.