Metro News Release
For immediate release: June 15, 2006
Metro Board approves FY 2007 Budgets
Metro’s Board of Directors approved a $1.9 billion dollar budget package that holds no fare increases for the second year in a row. The spending plan also includes new initiatives for expanding rail service and improving bus service.
"This is a real victory in the Year of the Bus. The budget holds two very important changes: shortening long routes and relieving overcrowded buses. We’ll also be getting more buses," said Gladys Mack, Chair of the Metro Board.
The operating budget is $1.1 billion – 9 percent higher than the current $1 billion fiscal 2006 budget.
Expenses rose by $91 million over the fiscal 2006 budget mainly due to service improvements and rapidly escalating energy costs. But revenues also went up $65 million, or 11 percent, due to ridership growth and increased advertising.
The local jurisdictions served by Metro would pay a $461 million subsidy payment, which is 5.9 percent higher than the $434 million paid in fiscal 2006.
The capital improvement budget is $734.5 million, with most of the money going toward buying 122 new rail cars, rail yard expansions, buying 185 new buses and elevator and escalator overhauls.
"It’s a good budget package that continues my one-point plan of putting customers first," said Dan Tangherlini, Metro interim general manager. "We’re expanding and enhancing service on both bus and rail. We’re putting new buses on the streets, extending service on the Yellow Line and eliminating Red Line trains turning back at the Grosvenor-Strathmore station during parts of the day."
Among the proposed highlights in Metro’s operating budget are:
Metrobus Improvements
Metrorail Service Expansion
Other Improvements
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.
Tunnel leak mitigation.
Rail Program
Procurement and delivery for 122 new rail cars.
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.
Repair of rail car wash facilities in two rail yards.
Repair of rail car lifts at the Greenbelt Maintenance facility.
Bus Program
Procurement and delivery of 185 new buses.
Continue activities for a new Metrobus maintenance facility.
Improve bus passenger information systems and bus stops.
Security Program
Continue work on establishing a back-up comprehensive Operations Control Center.
Purchase additional police vehicles.
Complete the Fort Totten police substation.
SmarTrip/Parking Facility Enhancements
Equipment to accept credit cards in Metro parking facilities
Adding an inspector general office.
Electronic signs in unpaid areas of two rail stations to provide real-time information about service.
Purchase additional bomb-resistant trash cans in stations.
Open a new sales and service center at L’Enfant Plaza station.
Add street supervisors to manage current levels of service.
Add employees to the Bus Operations Control Center to increase monitoring of bus locations and schedule adherence.
Add supervisors to provide weekend and garage supervision.
Adding bus service planners for route planning
Eliminating bus routes with low ridership and re-investing in weekend and off-peak service.
Additional relief for bus overcrowding, bus bunching and on-time performance
Priority corridors that will restructure select bus routes based on travel time, ridership, and on-time performance. Enhancements include creating skip stop service.
Add about 20 Metro Transit Police officers assigned to the Metrobus Enforcement Division.
Add new rail cars into service.
Introduce eight-car train service.
Provide regular weekday service during Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day.
Expand six-car train service on the Red, Orange, Green and Blue lines in the off peak hours and weekends.
Extending Yellow Line service to Fort Totten during off peak hours (weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 p.m. to closing, and weekends) beginning in January.
Eliminating Red Line trains turning back at the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail station during the off-peak periods. Trains would continue on to service station to Shady Grove.
News release issued on June 15, 2006.