Metro News Release
For immediate release: June 13, 2013
Business, tourism, transportation and governmental leaders join WMATA Board to endorse Momentum
Landmark plan continues rebuilding, prepares for regional growth
Calling it a blueprint for a better Metro system, WMATA’s Board of Directors was applauded by regional business leaders, transportation advocates, government officials, and community champions for approving Momentum -- a strategic plan to rebuild and expand the transit system for a generation.
“This is a generational plan that will deliver better service for riders, position our region to attract future business growth, and support the quality of life of our residents,” said 2025 Special Committee Chair and Arlington County Supervisor Mary Hynes. “This plan represents the Board’s important work to chart a course for Metro that clearly defines the vision, mission and goals that benefit today’s riders, as well as projected growth in demand for years to come.”
Today at a meeting of the special Committee of the Board, Members voted unanimously to recommend the plan to the full Board for adoption on June 27th and to secure a regional agreement to advance funding for Metro 2025 priorities in the plan. Those priorities provide capacity for an additional 500,000 peak-period bus and rail trips per day. Momentum calls for maximizing the existing rail system by operating all eight-car trains – the longest possible because of platform lengths – during rush hour travel. It also identifies improvements needed for high-volume stations, and upgrades for fare and public information systems. For bus riders, Metro 2025 includes exclusive bus-only lanes that would improve on time arrivals and shorten trips.
Arlington County, and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax have all passed resolutions endorsing Momentum. This week, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments also passed a resolution in support of Momentum.
In the core of the Metro system, more than 40 percent of workers use Metro for commuting. Throughout the National Capital Region, 17 percent of commuting trips are on transit – more than three times the national average. Currently Metro invests nearly $1 billion per year to rehabilitate and maintain the existing system. Implementing 2025 priorities ensures the continued maintenance of the system and also addresses capacity and service improvement needs, increasing investments by $500 million annually.
Business, transportation and community leaders applauded the Board’s action today.
“Making sure that Metro continues to serve this region’s residents and businesses is among the Board of trade’s highest priorities,” said Board of Trade President James Dinegar. ”We support the adoption and ongoing work to fund the plan because transit is the backbone of the region’s economy and our businesses, our workers and our visitors rely on a robust transportation system every single day.”
In addition to Dinegar’s comments to the Board’s Special 2025 Committee today, other leaders who spoke in support of the plan included Prince George’s County Council Chair Andrea Harrison, Destination DC’s Elliott Ferguson, Downtown Bid Executive Director Richard Bradley, AAA’s Lon Anderson, Ron Kirby of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Smarter Growth Coalition Executive Director Stewart Schwartz.
“While this is a forward looking plan, it will benefit today’s passengers who know that many of our trains, stations and buses in the peak periods are bursting at the seams,” said General Manager Richard Sarles. “Today we launched a special webpage on wmata.com so that riders have an easy way to call for Metro rail and bus service improvements by endorsing the Momentum plan.”
The new web page already includes endorsements from the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Destination DC, Washington Gas, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, SmithGroup JJR, ZipCar, Action Committee for Transit, Arlington Transit Advisory Committee, Transportation Association for Greater Springfield, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and WMATA’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and Riders’ Advisory Council.
News release issued at 11:21 am, June 13, 2013.