WASHINGTON — The Metro Board of Directors voted Friday on potential service cuts, schedule changes, and other cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, that will be necessary to balance the budget if federal CARES Act funding runs out without new revenue.
Metro is required to have a balance budget, so if federal funding ends, the Board could consider $200 million in spending cuts, a spokesperson for Metro said in a release.
Metro has estimated that it will deplete its share of CARES funding by the end of the calendar year. The funding has been used to maintain essential public transit service in the region at a time when ridership and revenue has dropped as much as 90 percent on some lines.
"CARES Act funding has replaced fare revenue. If that funding isn't there after December, Metro will need to implement measures that hurt the region's economic recovery and adversely impact essential workers," said General Manager and CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld.
While Metro has returned to a normal schedule with coronavirus protocols still in place, Metro says ridership is still only at 12% of pre-pandemic levels, and is not expected to return to those earlier numbers until after a coronavirus vaccine is developed.
Fare revenue accounts for 28% of Metro's total operating budget.
"As tough as these choices are for this fiscal year, much deeper and more painful cuts will be required for the next fiscal year if federal relief doesn't arrive in time," said Board Chair Paul Smedberg. "We hope people who depend on Metro will come forward to share their views about the proposed changes before the Board makes a final decision in November."
While Metro is delaying capital projects that are not safety related, cutting back contractors, and freezing vacancies, they say covering a $200 million budget shortfall is not possible without service cuts and layoffs.
"Metro is what drives the region's economy and moves our federal workforce. Cutting service, shortening operating hours, laying off and furloughing workers – these all run counter to the strong recovery that everyone wants," Wiedefeld said.
Here are some of the proposed changes:
Metrorail
- Reduced Metrorail service: Standardize weekday train frequencies to 12 minutes on each line.
- Reduced Metrorail hours: Close Metrorail at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday (Friday and Saturday closure would remain 11 p.m.).
- Turnbacks: On weekdays, half of Red Line trains would operate between Grosvenor-Strathmore and Silver Spring only. All Yellow Line trains would operate between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square only, seven days a week.
Metrobus
- Continue reduced Metrobus service levels and hours, instead of adding service in early 2021 as planned.
Metro's Board of Directors will be asking customers and residents to provide feedback on the proposed service reductions online or at a virtual public hearing, but details about how to provide feedback have not been released.