Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 19, 2006

Metro receives $4 million in security fundingfor alternate operations control center

Metro officials learned today that they will receive $4 million in federal homeland security grants. The money is coming from this year’s $46 million allotment that the National Capitol Region received as part of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. Metro will use the money to continue to address its top security priority–the need to put in place an alternate operations control center. The operations control center is the central communications location for the buses, trains and police. It is the “nerve center” that operates the trains and where trains and buses are tracked. It is also the Metro Transit Police’s main 24-hour dispatch center.

“Metro is grateful to the region’s state homeland security advisors and county chief administrative officers for their strong support for this critical project, especially given the tight budget constraints this year,” said Metro Interim General Manger Dan Tangherlini. “Leveraging regional UASI funds will allow us to complete this security initiative sooner when combined with the Homeland Security transit grant funds committed to the project.”

Metro will combine the UASI funds with its own capital dollars and other homeland security grants. UASI funds also will be used to enhance the reliability of the radio system used by the region’s fire departments in underground Metrorail stations and tunnels.

The National Capital Region of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia received a total UASI allocation from the Department of Homeland Security of $46.4 million for 2006, a reduction of over 40 percent compared to the $77.5 million provided to the region in 2005.

News release issued on July 19, 2006.