Metro considers ending weekend rail service closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains

[Anonymous]

Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

[Anonymous]

I haven't ridden on a train in years.

$7 one way for me to travel just a few stations down the blue line during rush hour.

Not worth it for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't ridden on a train in years.

$7 one way for me to travel just a few stations down the blue line during rush hour.

Not worth it for me.

+1

They should be like NYC, cheap. That will encourage more people to take the train vs. drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't ridden on a train in years.

$7 one way for me to travel just a few stations down the blue line during rush hour.

Not worth it for me.

+1

The value proposition for public transit is inexpensive and efficient transportation; WMATA seems forever invested in catering to the niche market of tourists riding between DCA and the Smithsonian and the elusive suburban commuters willing to forgo the comfort of their own vehicles. Clearly not working.

[Anonymous]

What remains would be a “bare-bones service network to sustain essential travel,” according to a presentation that WMATA’s board will hear Friday.

It also calls for eliminating 2,400 jobs. That’s in addition to 1,400 jobs already approved for cutting earlier this year. In all, it represents about a third of Metro’s workforce.

Closing 19 stations that have had low ridership during the pandemic. The list of closures will look similar to stations Metro had previously temporarily closed during the pandemic to save money.

Ending rail service on weekdays at 9 p.m. instead of 11 p.m.

^ The last one is really going to be a blow to all of the hipper than thou wannabe urban transplant millennials who have all flocked to DC in recent years.

[Anonymous]

Went on Metro once over the summer and it did not feel safe given the emptiness of the trains and crowd that was still present. No one seemed headed to work or anywhere essential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't ridden on a train in years.

$7 one way for me to travel just a few stations down the blue line during rush hour.

Not worth it for me.

+1

The value proposition for public transit is inexpensive and efficient transportation; WMATA seems forever invested in catering to the niche market of tourists riding between DCA and the Smithsonian and the elusive suburban commuters willing to forgo the comfort of their own vehicles. Clearly not working.

When I moved from Boston to DC I was shocked at the cost of public transit here. I think prices are propped up by federal worker transit subsidies, which don't change as prices do. Almost everyone I know as a fed takes metro, vs apparently nobody on this board, because our salaries are pretty modest but that's a nice money saving perk. Even the contractors in our office drive because they aren't weighing free metro against paying for parking. Great for us, bad for prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

I think it's their proposal to balance next year's budget. They took a major hit because of the pandemic, and Congress isn't passing the necessary relief. Their ridership is down well over 50 percent. I think the cuts are awful, but if they don't have the money, they don't have the money.

[Anonymous]

Link?

[Anonymous]

I’m a firm lawyer that took metro to work for over 15 years until the pandemic. Most everyone in my neighborhood that works downtown also took metro. Rush hour trains were always crowded, so I don’t know why PPs are saying no one took metro. Seemed like lots of people took it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't ridden on a train in years.

$7 one way for me to travel just a few stations down the blue line during rush hour.

Not worth it for me.

+1

The value proposition for public transit is inexpensive and efficient transportation; WMATA seems forever invested in catering to the niche market of tourists riding between DCA and the Smithsonian and the elusive suburban commuters willing to forgo the comfort of their own vehicles. Clearly not working.

When I moved from Boston to DC I was shocked at the cost of public transit here. I think prices are propped up by federal worker transit subsidies, which don't change as prices do. Almost everyone I know as a fed takes metro, vs apparently nobody on this board, because our salaries are pretty modest but that's a nice money saving perk. Even the contractors in our office drive because they aren't weighing free metro against paying for parking. Great for us, bad for prices.

Aw, I did take the T when I lived in Boston, but DC is just wayyyy more car friendly.

Many of WMATAs dysfunction stems from its funding structure, leading to a lack of coordination, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.

No reason to take Metro when it's not much more to just drive and pay for parking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

I think it's their proposal to balance next year's budget. They took a major hit because of the pandemic, and Congress isn't passing the necessary relief. Their ridership is down well over 50 percent. I think the cuts are awful, but if they don't have the money, they don't have the money.

It's not about the pandemic. WMATA has been mismanaged for decades. Not worth bailing them out time and time again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

I think it's their proposal to balance next year's budget. They took a major hit because of the pandemic, and Congress isn't passing the necessary relief. Their ridership is down well over 50 percent. I think the cuts are awful, but if they don't have the money, they don't have the money.

It's not about the pandemic. WMATA has been mismanaged for decades. Not worth bailing them out time and time again.

It's totally about the pandemic. Ridership plummeted, and hasn't really recovered. Overall, it's at something like a tenth of pre-COVID levels. It's easy to say it's not worth bailing them out, but a lot of people ride Metro. What happens when all of those people are forced onto the road because Metro isn't available anymore? Are you ready for that congestion? Lack of parking? Public transportation is a public good. Metro's management structure is crap, in large part because it's a hybrid of three jurisdictions that won't commit to funding, making long-term planning hard. But we need public transportation for the local economy to work, and we'd better find a way to make it work. We subsidize driving in many ways, it's not asking too much to ask that leadership figures out a way to keep Metro afloat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

I think it's their proposal to balance next year's budget. They took a major hit because of the pandemic, and Congress isn't passing the necessary relief. Their ridership is down well over 50 percent. I think the cuts are awful, but if they don't have the money, they don't have the money.

It's not about the pandemic. WMATA has been mismanaged for decades. Not worth bailing them out time and time again.

It's totally about the pandemic. Ridership plummeted, and hasn't really recovered. Overall, it's at something like a tenth of pre-COVID levels. It's easy to say it's not worth bailing them out, but a lot of people ride Metro. What happens when all of those people are forced onto the road because Metro isn't available anymore? Are you ready for that congestion? Lack of parking? Public transportation is a public good. Metro's management structure is crap, in large part because it's a hybrid of three jurisdictions that won't commit to funding, making long-term planning hard. But we need public transportation for the local economy to work, and we'd better find a way to make it work. We subsidize driving in many ways, it's not asking too much to ask that leadership figures out a way to keep Metro afloat.

They were already facing budget issues well before the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro considers ending weekend rail service, closing 19 stations and reducing the number of trains to cut operating costs...

Is this just during covid or post covid as well?

I think it's their proposal to balance next year's budget. They took a major hit because of the pandemic, and Congress isn't passing the necessary relief. Their ridership is down well over 50 percent. I think the cuts are awful, but if they don't have the money, they don't have the money.

It's not about the pandemic. WMATA has been mismanaged for decades. Not worth bailing them out time and time again.

It's totally about the pandemic. Ridership plummeted, and hasn't really recovered. Overall, it's at something like a tenth of pre-COVID levels. It's easy to say it's not worth bailing them out, but a lot of people ride Metro. What happens when all of those people are forced onto the road because Metro isn't available anymore? Are you ready for that congestion? Lack of parking? Public transportation is a public good. Metro's management structure is crap, in large part because it's a hybrid of three jurisdictions that won't commit to funding, making long-term planning hard. But we need public transportation for the local economy to work, and we'd better find a way to make it work. We subsidize driving in many ways, it's not asking too much to ask that leadership figures out a way to keep Metro afloat.

They were already facing budget issues well before the pandemic.

But nothing like this. They weren't talking about suspending weekend service or closing over a dozen stations.