The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro)
was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to plan, develop, build, finance,
and operate a balanced regional transportation system in our nation’s capital.
The Authority began building its rail system in 1969 and acquired four regional
bus systems in 1973.
Metrorail:
The first phase of Metrorail began operation in
1976. Today, Metrorail serves 86 stations and has 106 miles of track.
Metrobus:
Serving the nation's capital 24 hours a day, seven
days a week and operating more than 1,500 buses. Metrobus helps transport a
population of 3.4 million within a 1,500-square mile jurisdiction.
MetroAccess:
Metro began its paratransit service, MetroAccess,
in 1994; it provides roughly 1.5 million trips per year.
As with most public transportation services, fares and
advertising revenue do not pay for all of the costs of operating Metrorail,
Metrobus, and MetroAccess services. The shortfall is covered by contributions
from local jurisdictions including the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland,
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Fairfax County, and Falls Church Virginia.
Metro claims that it is committed to compliance with
environmental laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and other adopted
requirements. Within their published materials Metro states that, “All
executives, directors, managers, supervisors, and employees are accountable and
have a personal and corporate responsibility to ensure that this commitment is
incorporated into daily activities and functions.” A further claim is that “Metro
aims to provide the nation's best transit service to improve the quality of
life in the Washington metropolitan area.” Beyond a pledge there is little
evidence that Metro is doing more than simply abiding by the laws and
regulations that govern a transit agency.
Combined Metrorail and Metrobus serve a population
of 5 million within a 1,500 square-mile area. Overall, 45 percent of those
working in the center core—Washington and parts of Arlington County—use mass
transit.
In FY 2012, Metrorail’s highest ridership days
were: on March 23, 2012: 845,669 (Cherry Blossom Festival) and on June 7, 2012:
844,671 (Nationals Baseball Game V. New York Mets)
Revenue
Metro and the Federal government; linked at the
purse strings. Thirty-five Metrorail stations serve federal facilities and
nearly half of Metro’s peak period commuters are federal employees. The federal
government contributes roughly 56 percent of the capital costs. Fares and other
revenue currently fund 55 percent of the daily operations, while state and
local governments fund the remaining 45 percent. Customers receive a discount
on their fare when using SmarTrip cards instead of cash (on Metrobus) and paper
faircards on Metrorail.
Metro
Forward
In 2012, Metro embarked on a 6-year, $5
billion improvement program designed to enhance the transit experience for
passengers. The program, known as Metro Forward, includes renovation and
rebuilding of infrastructure and track, new railcars and buses, and upgraded
technology. The result will be a thoroughly modernized Metro system to provide
riders with safe, reliable, and comfortable transit, and return the system to a
state of good repair.
Very nice profile on D.C. transit. I would be interested to know how the residents of the D.C. area rate the service (my only experience with the Washington Metro system comes from Fallout 3). It seems like they have a very comprehensive, well-rounded system infrastructure-wise, but I have heard complaints about delays and, of course, news about fatal rail collisions.
ReplyDelete