Metro News Release
For immediate release: December 8, 2005
Metro GM-CEO proposes no fare increase, new buses and rail cars in FY ’07
Metro is proposing no fare increase as part of next fiscal year’s budget for the second year in a row. Metro General Manager-CEO Richard A. White outlined the authority’s $1.8 billion fiscal 2007 operating and capital budget proposal today before the Metro Board Budget Committee, which includes new buses, rail cars for eight-car trains and other expanded services.
The more than $1 billion operating budget would provide for a traditional 1 percent increase in bus service to relieve overcrowding and improve on time performance. Managers also would like to fund another 2 percent increase in service in fiscal 2007, outside of the proposed spending plan. "And still this will meet only two-thirds of the overall bus service needs. We need a major reinvestment in Metrobus," said Mr. White.
The spending plan also would fund more than 200 new operational and police positions, and would eliminate bus routes with low ridership. Metro managers also proposed nearly $13 million of unfunded bus, rail and other improvements, including additional money to relieve bus overcrowding and security, increasing rail service on four federal holidays and running longer trains during off peak hours and weekends year round.
The more than $1 billion operating budget grew 7.3 percent, or $74 million, mostly due to service expansion and inflationary costs. The revenue from ridership, parking, advertising and other areas, along with a proposed 5.9 percent, or $26 million, increase in the subsidy contributed by D.C., Maryland and Virginia suburbs served by Metro, would balance the budget.
"We balanced this budget with the needs of riders and bus drivers, station managers and other front-line employees in mind. The increase over last year’s budget will support an anticipated 5 percent growth in rail and a 3 percent growth in bus ridership," Mr. White said.
In the $662 million capital budget, a majority of funds are going to new rail cars for eight-car trains, rail yard expansions, buying new buses and elevator and escalator overhauls. More...
Metro’s Board Budget Committee will review the proposed budgets over the next six months. The full Board will make its final recommendations on the budget next June. The fiscal 2007 budget will take effect July 1, 2006.
Highlights of the operating budget proposal include:
Metrobus - Improved Supervision:
Add street supervisors to manage current levels of service.
Add supervisors to the Bus Operations Control Center to increase monitoring of bus locations and schedule adherence.
Add operations supervisors to provide weekend and garage supervision.
Metrobus - Overcrowding Relief:
Saving $2.4 million by eliminating bus routes with low ridership and re-investing in weekend and off-peak service.
$2 million for additional relief for bus overcrowding, bus bunching and on-time performance (Unfunded)
$3.6 million for priority corridors that will restructure select bus routes based on travel time, ridership, and on-time performance. Enhancements include creating skip stop service. (Unfunded)
Metrobus Security:
Enhance security at all bus facilities on a 24/7 basis. (Unfunded)
Add about 20 Metro Transit Police officers assigned to the Metrobus Enforcement Division.
Metrobus Enforcement Division effort would expand again with an additional 20 officers in fiscal 2008. (Unfunded)
"Based on the APTA Bus Peer Review and testimony received at Metro’s Town Hall Meetings, we are recommending an approach to significantly improve the Metrobus system under the proposed FY 2007 budget," said Mr. White. "This budget proposal will greatly assist in dealing with our most severe problems. It will stop ’nibbling around the edges’ and instead, offers major improvements to the entire system."
Metrorail - Service Expansion:
Add 72 new rail cars into service.
Introduce eight-car train service.
$1.8 million to provide regular weekday service during Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day. (Unfunded)
$2.2 million to provide six-car train service on the Red, Orange, Green and Blue lines in the off peak hours and weekends year round. (Unfunded)
"In the proposed budget, our new rail cars will enter service and will allow us to maximize capacity, and implement eight-car train service on 20 percent of the system by the end of 2006," Mr. White said. "This deployment will help relieve crowd conditions that exist on some trains, particularly during rush hours and peak periods."
More....
Metroaccess Improvements:
New contract begins mid-January 2006.
Contractor to install cameras on 310 vehicles to monitor operations.
Free trip voucher given to any MetroAccess passenger who has experienced a missed or excessively late trip.
Use new vehicle performance and maintenance tracking software.
New scheduling software in place to ensure most trips are delivered with the fewest vehicles in the shortest time.
"In this new contract, we made several service improvements, including new reservation and scheduling software that should minimize missed and excessively late trips and maximize on-time performance. Automatic vehicle locators will allow us to monitor service delivery in real time and dispatchers will redirect drivers if they’re running behind schedule and customers will know when their ride will arrive," said Mr. White.
Escalators and Elevators Improvements:
Rehabilitation of an additional 40 escalators and 25 elevators.
Among the proposed highlights in Metro’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget are:
Infrastructure Renewal Program:
Continue rehabilitating older rail cars that are restored to "like-new" conditions.
Continue rehabilitation of escalators and elevators.
Continue to maintain passenger facilities in a state of good repair.
Metro Matters Rail Program:
Continue maintenance and rail yard storage facility improvements.
Continue system improvements including traction power to accommodate eight-car trains.
Continue automatic train control eight-car train precision stopping tests.
Metro Matters Bus Program:
Procurement and delivery of 50 new buses on top of the nearly 400 new buses to be put into service by July 2006.
Continue activities for a new Metrobus maintenance facility.
Improve bus passenger information systems and bus stops.
System Expansion Program/System Access Program:
Completion of Ballston Metrorail station phase I enhancements.
Continue project development on Columbia Pike alternatives analysis.
"Today’s budget proposal sends a clear message to our customers that we are focused on improving customer service and reliability, and improving the way we provide customer service and outreach by listening to their needs," said Mr. White. "There is still much to be done and we recognize what we need to do to improve our services."
News release issued on December 8, 2005.