Metro stuck with big bill for Inauguration

WASHINGTON - Local taxpayers may be stuck with one more bill from the Presidential inauguration - part of the cost of Metro service.

Metro put more cars on the tracks than ever before and handled 1.5 million passengers on January 20, but the federal government has only paid back about a million of the $2.5M it cost to expand the both bus and rail service that day. Metro Board Member Chris Zimmerman was surprised to hear that.

"The understanding was that the extra cost for the big events around the inauguration were going to be borne by the federal government," says Zimmerman.

Metro is facing a $154 million dollar budget deficit. The transit agencies buses and trains carried more people on Inauguration Day than ever before. There were no mishaps.

It will now be up to congress to decide if Metro gets the rest of the money.

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