WASHINGTON — Metro says its financial situation is so dire that the cuts required to offset a looming $750 million budget shortfall will be so severe it will make it harder for riders to rely on trains and buses - which, in turn, will mean fewer commuters using Metro and from there the agency says its financial problems could spiral.
"The region that we know today, in my opinion, does not exist with these cuts," WMATA CEO Randy Clarke said earlier this year adding that an unreliable Metro system would mean more commuters on the road which would mean "misery" for even those who don't use Metro.
The $750 million Clarke says Metro is short for its fiscal year 2025 budget which starts next July is nearly a third of Metro's entire budget.
Metro says its operating costs are increasing at the same time revenue is down - with more people working from home and federal pandemic aid about to run out.
Tuesday, Metro posted plans for how it could make up the shortfall. In a worst-case scenario, Metro says it could cut more than 60% of its service. Eliminating as many as 95 of its 134 bus routes and bumping wait times between trains from 6 to 12 minutes, up to 20 to 30 minutes.
Additionally, ending Metro by 9:30 p.m. and possibly closing the service all of Saturday or Sunday.
Several Metro stations could close completely. All while fares would go up.
Metro says less service would mean even fewer riders making the budget problems even worse.
"Once it starts to pull back, the ability to return to good service levels is difficult, close to impossible," said Clarke.
Metro says to avoid these cuts, it needs more dedicated funding from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to fully fund its 2025 budget and in the years going forward.
We've reached out to the offices of the Mayor and both governors and hope to get a since of how seriously they're taking Metro's warnings by the time Metro discusses these plans publicly for the first time this Thursday.