Will Metro start closing at 10 p.m.?

WASHINGTON -- Metro riders may have to get used to some big changes due to the transit agency's budget woes.

Metro is facing a $154 million budget gap in fiscal year 2010, and about $80 million of that figure may have to be in the form of service cuts. Now, transportation leaders from D.C., Maryland and Virginia are putting together a list of possible service reductions that may have to go into place to save Metro money.

"All of the possibilities are unpleasant," says Metro Board member Chris Zimmerman, who represents Arlington.

"We have more people riding than ever before, and we are providing a higher quality (of service) than ever before, but we may have to tell people that service is being cut. It is a heck of a thing to do."

Some of the potential options being talked about as ways to save the transit agency money include the following:

• Closing the rail system early on weekdays. Right now 10 p.m. is the closing time that's being discussed.

• Cutting late night service on weekends.

• Increasing headways for trains and buses. That means decreasing the frequency of service. For instance, if trains run every three minutes during rush hour now, a change to trains running every four minutes would be explored.

• Closing entrances to some Metro stations to save on staffing costs.

• Eliminating low productivity bus routes.

• Seeing which bus service is duplicated and consolidating it.

The potential cuts are being put together by a group known as the Jurisdictional Coordinating Committee, or the JCC. That group is made up of transportation leaders from around the region.

The JCC will provide a full briefing on possible service cuts to the Metro Board of Directors next week.

"Cutting service is the very last thing any board member wants to do," says Metro Board member Peter Benjamin, who represents Montgomery County and the state of Maryland.

"Everything is being kicked around right now, but what is important to remember is that we are looking at a 'what would happen if' scenario. There's no point in running a transit system if all you are going to do is shut it down."

At a time when Metro is literally bursting at the seams, some wonder why the transit agency would have to cut service at all. The reality is that it takes more energy and more manpower to move the record crowds that are showing up on Metro every day. With the tough economic climate, Metro has less funding available to provide that service. The local jurisdictions in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia -- the main source of Metro's funding -- also are all cutting back on their own spending, providing even fewer dollars for the transit agency.

"We are in a difficult bind here," says Benjamin. "The ability of the jurisdictions to pay is limited, and the ability of our riders to pay is limited. All of our choices are bad ones."

Metro is currently focused on making internal cuts as well. The agency has already announced that it expects to eliminate 313 filled and vacant administrative positions in the coming weeks. General Manager John Catoe has said business, travel and consulting expenses also need to be trimmed.

And what about the possibility of a fare hike? Metro's Board of Directors recently put a provision in place stating that fares could only be raised once every two years. The largest fare increases for rail and parking in the transit system's history were put in place about a year ago, so it would seem that riders are safe from an increase in the immediate future. Board members do admit however that everything is being considered.

Metro leaders say the earliest any service reductions would take effect is at the beginning of fiscal year 2010, which starts in July. Any potential service cut will also go to a full public hearing before being finalized.

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