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Metro suggests it stop rail service on weekends, close 19 of its stations and halve its bus routes, according to budget proposals released on Monday, as the transport industry grapples with boosted financial difficulties by the coronavirus pandemic.
The budget proposed by Metro CEO Paul Wiedefeld for the next fiscal year, starting July 1, aims to reduce his planned operating expenses of $ 1.945 billion by nearly $ 500 million, The Washington Post reported.
Wiedefeld told the Post that the desired reduction in spending was so large that it could only be achieved by eliminating train service on weekends.
Metro recommends cutting 2,400 positions through attrition, buyouts and layoffs in addition to the 1,400 the agency seeks to cut this year. Metro employees may not receive raises in order to save more jobs.
“When I talk to my peers, we all face these almost terrible decisions together,” Wiedefeld told the newspaper. “It’s like, how do we do that?” Unfortunately, this comes down to some very difficult calculations that you just can’t do without having significant impacts.
In addition to Saturday and Sunday rail service cuts, weekday train wait times would be 30 minutes, except at busier stations in the city. Rail service would also end two hours earlier at 9 p.m. About a fifth of metro stations would close.
Metro’s board plans to discuss the proposal on Friday before holding public hearings and accepting public comment until February. The council will vote on the budget in March, according to the Post.
The transit agency could potentially halt some of its cuts if Congress passes a stimulus package that includes assistance to transit agencies next year. But Wiedefeld said even with a stimulus bill, Metro would need time to ramp up its service.
Wiedfeld’s FY2022 plan is not based on Metro’s worst-case scenario, but rather calls for ridership to increase to 20% from current levels.
“I don’t think this is the worst case,” Wiedefeld said. “The reality is that the worst-case scenario is that we stay where we are in terms of traffic. We therefore anticipate an increase in ridership. “
Last week, Metrobus recorded between 16% and 55% fewer trips compared to the pre-COVID-19 era, while weekday train trips fell from 77% to 86%, according to the Post.
Transport agencies across the country have been hit by rising unemployment and teleworking, and people have been reluctant to use public transport for fear of catching the virus.
The travel and hospitality industries also struggled amid the pandemic, leading to a decrease in ridership for metro services as the agency relies on tourism.
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