Metro News Release

For immediate release: December 20, 2005

Metro details 2005 year-end review and accomplishments

Over the past 12 months, Metro’s railcars operated with greater reliability, while customer satisfaction with buses and trains increased significantly. At the same time, Metro successfully moved forward with implementing a series of enhanced customer communications and organizational accountability initiatives announced earlier this year by Metro Board Chairman Dana Kauffman.

"Last year, we told our customers that Metro was returning to a ’back-to-basics’ approach to business,"said Richard A. White, Metro’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer . "This approach was a company-wide initiative designed to provide enhanced safe, clean and reliable services for our customers, and approve organizational performance and accountability--and it’s working.

"Metrorail service reliability has improved dramatically, with reliability improved by 23 percent in our last fiscal year quarter. Our passengers have noticed because 90 percent of our customers surveyed are satisfied with Metrorail service, and 85 percent are satisfied with bus service," he said.

Last year, Mr. Kauffman announced a comprehensive set of initiatives to secure more public input and to create a more transparent and accountable organization. As a result, in the past year Metro has established a Riders Advisory Council, enacted a new Public Access to Records Policy (comparable to FOIA), implemented a public comment period at Board Meetings, conducted three Town Hall Meetings, began electronic posting of board and committee materials on Metro’s Web site, began simulcasting Metro Board and committee meetings, and hosted regular online chats.

In 2005, Metroalso enhanced its managerial accountability by developing a comprehensive tracking system designed to ensure that findings and recommendations of all internal and external audits and reviews are followed up by the appropriate department.

"In 2005, we listened to our customers, and continued to enhance service quality. While we made steady gains in service reliability, by no means are we going to rest on our laurels as we will focus to continue to improve in these areas in 2006," Mr. White said.

A summary of Metro’s accomplishments during calendar year 2005 follows.

Metro’s 2005 Accomplishments

Metro’s Back-to-Basics Program

Metro initiated an aggressive service reliability, customer service and corporate accountability effort to enhance customer confidence and regional support. The "back- to-basics" program recommitted Metro’s resources from the front office to the front lines to improve service reliability and customer satisfaction. As part of its safe, clean, and reliable initiative, Metro accomplished the following in 2005:

  • Instituted line managers for the Red, Blue/Orange, and Yellow/Green Lines for accountability.
  • Added station managers at high volume stations and hot spots.
  • Added platform supervisors at high volume transfer stations.
  • Added rail car cleaners to end-of-line stations.
  • Added custodians to clean at high volume stations.
  • Added track inspectors and maintainers for more frequent track inspections and repairs.
  • Added personnel to improve the visibility of train arrival lighting fixtures and improve overall lighting conditions in rail stations.
  • Increased the frequency of specialized ultrasonic track inspections.
  • Installed bomb containment trash cans to station platforms.
  • Adopted a plan to increase the frequency of Metrobus cleanings.
  • Began an initiative to replace bus destination signs to improve customer service.
  • Began a pilot program to install fare charts at Metrorail vending machines.
  • Added positions to provide more efficient and improved customer service response.
  • Paired customer service personnel with front line operations staff to respond to customer issues.

Organizational Process Improvements

  • Metro implemented a number of new measures to enhance openness, transparency and accountability to the public. Examples include:
  • Adopted a new Public Access to Records Policy that largely mirrors the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
  • Established a new managerial and organizational performance tracking system.
  • Began implementation of the Riders Advisory Council.
  • Hosted bi-weekly online chats.
  • Instituted a public comment period at Metro Board meetings.
  • Launched Web casts of Board meetings and electronic posting of Board and Committee materials on Metro’s Web site.
  • Hosted three Town Hall Meetings, one in each jurisdiction.

Metro’s Operating Budget

  • Metro adopted a $1 billion operating budget, the first time a Metro operations budget exceeded $1 billion in its 29-year history. The budget included $10 million to enhance the safety, reliability and cleanliness of Metro and to improve customer communications.

Customer Satisfaction

  • A recent survey of Metrorail passengers saw customer satisfaction improve to 90 percent, and its bus customer satisfaction rating improve to 85 percent. In addition, 95 percent of Metro customers said they would recommend Metro to a friend.

Peer Reviews

  • Working with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Metro initiated peer reviews of the Metrorail and Metrobus system, offering blueprints for improvements. These improvements are now being implemented, and are included as part of WMATA’s managerial tracking and accountability system.

Metrorail Accomplishments

  • Metrorail service reliability improved 23 percent during the first quarter of fiscal year 2006 (July 1 to September 30, 2005) as compared to the same time one year earlier.
  • Metrorail average weekday ridership climbed to nearly 700,000 passenger trips.
  • Metro accepted eight series 6000 rail cars for testing and continued to place its series 2000/3000 BREDA rehabilitated rail cars into service, with 142 completed by December.
  • Metro opened new parking structures at College Park, White Flint, and the New Carrollton Metrorail stations.
  • Metro upgraded its passenger information display monitors on rail station platforms to include train length information.
  • King Street Metrorail station expansion work was completed. This included a new elevated walkway, two new elevators, a stairway to provide access to the elevated walkway, a new canopy to go over the uncovered portion of the station platform, a new station kiosk and more farecard machines.
  • Metro installed ATMs inside Metrorail stations through a partnership with Chevy Chase Bank, and unveiled its first-ever wrapped passenger rail cars with McDonald’s, Chevy Chase Bank, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield to generate non-passenger revenue.
  • Metro sold its one millionth SmarTrip card.
  • Metro carried 45 percent of all fans who attended Washington Nationals baseball games.
  • Metro replaced 34 track switches throughout the rail system. Track switches are a portion of the track that allows trains to switch from one track to another. Metro rehabilitated 10 piers (the cement columns that hold up the elevated portion of tracks) at the Dunn Loring rail bridge on the Orange Line, and 14 piers at the Grosvenor-Strathmore rail bridge on the Red Line.
  • Metro installed about two miles of new continuous welded rail, which are long lengths of rail, welded together; installed about two tons of the traditional 39-foot rail sections; and conducted a system-wide cleaning of 13 miles of track and more than12 miles of tunnels in the Metrorail system.
  • Installation of additional elevators at the Ballston-MU Metrorail station continued.

Metrobus Accomplishments

  • Metro announced a comprehensive, multi-year $830 million Metrobus Capital Improvement program featuring new buses, enhanced customer information features such as arrival information at bus stops and new and improved Metrobus facilities.
  • Metro accepted 55 of its newest Compressed Natural Gas buses. The remaining 195 of its 250 buses will be here by spring 2006.
  • Metro opened its second Compressed Natural Gas facility at the Four Mile Run bus garage in Arlington, VA.
  • Metro ordered 50 New Flyer Hybrid Electric buses, which are expected to arrive in early 2006.
  • Metro, in cooperation with the District of Columbia, unveiled the DC Circulator Bus Service.
  • Metrobus initiated a pilot program to install and evaluate the Seymour Bus Collision Avoidance and Object Detection system on five buses.

Escalator and Elevator Accomplishments

  • Metro’s Escalator and Elevator Department rehabilitated 16 elevators and 34 escalator units to improve their reliability and extend their lifecycle.
  • Canopies were installed at 13 Metrorail stations.
  • Metro Transit Police Accomplishments
  • The Metro Transit Police and the Transportation Security Administration collaborated to enhance security on trains and at stations prior to the 55th Presidential Inauguration. Police canine teams from across the country patrolled Metro stations and trains, supplementing Metro’s officers.
  • More than 1,000 people from 41 regional and national law enforcement, fire and transportation agencies attended the Managing Metro Emergencies course, hosted by Metro Transit Police. The training covered mitigation, evacuation, transportation of evacuated rail riders and recovery from incidents, such as fires, crashes and acts of terrorism. The course focused on better management of pedestrian and vehicle traffic after any evacuations of rail stations.
  • Metro began installation of video cameras inside 125 additional Metrobuses through a joint partnership with the Metro Transit Police.

Metroaccess

  • Metro hired MV Transportation to manage Metroaccess, its curb-to-curb transportation service for persons with disabilities.
  • The contractor will install cameras on 310 vehicles to monitor operations.
  • A free trip voucher will be given to any MetroAccess passenger who has experienced a missed or excessively late trip.
  • Metro will use new vehicle performance and maintenance tracking software.
  • New scheduling software is in place to ensure most trips are delivered with the fewest vehicles in the shortest time.

News release issued on December 20, 2005.