WMATA warns of big cuts with projected $750 million deficit

WASHINGTON - The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is warning extreme service cuts to the tune of about 67% could come if the transit system cannot solve a projected $750 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2025.

WMATA’s leaders first sounded the alarm on Tuesday, a couple of days before the transit board’s Finance and Capital Committee hearing. 

"FY2025 marks the precipice of Metro’s funding crisis," part of WMATA's presentation reads.

How would a 67% service cut impact riders?

The capital region’s transportation system says they’d have to cut the number of trains in service down from 124 in FY 2024 to just 52 trains in service in FY 2025. Trains would go from running every 5-to-12 minutes in FY 2024 to now running every 20-to-30 minutes with no more night service in FY 2025.

Instead of closing at midnight on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends, Metrorail would have to close every day at 9:30 p.m. with no special event service for big nights like when a Nats or Caps game is in town. 

WMATA has warned of major budget shortfalls before.

"Do you think that’s really going to happen?" FOX 5 asked a Silver Spring metro rider on Thursday. 

"Oh gosh," said the woman, "I hope it won’t happen because we depend – we depend on Metro a lot because we believe in, you know, mass transit."

"I know they have some issues with revenues. All the lost fares to fare jumpers. I mean that’s outrageous. I think last year the general manager reported it’s over $40 million," the female rider’s partner added.

"They’re trying to scare people. They like being scary," another rider said.

WMATA says a major issue is the fact that a majority of the transportation system’s funding does not come from dedicated funding. About half is funded by D.C., Maryland and Virginia contributions. So with federal dollars gone, ridership down, and a plethora of other issues including high inflation costs, WMATA is now warning it’s on a cliff.

WMATA says Metrorail ridership is up about 50% — but that’s up 50% from pre-pandemic levels.

Maryland State Delegate Marc Korman, who chairs the Environment and Transportation Committee, is not surprised by the warnings.

"The dream is that the federal government steps in with operating assistance. They, outside of COVID context, have not historically done that with Metro or any other systems in the country. So, then it comes to the jurisdictions that created Metro through the compact to step up as they have before," Korman said, telling FOX 5 partners will have to come together and figure out what kind of system leaders want for the nation’s capital.

"The federal government has been of enormous assistance to Metro, but sometimes it feels like from Metro’s point of view, we apparently didn’t do anything," Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly in an interview with FOX 5, "And I guess I’d like some kind of accounting having had that kind of huge footprint, the federal government is entitled to know why didn’t that provide the kind of stability you had hope for."

"We don’t want to have a metro system whose ridership is limited to only people who have no other choice. We want to make it the optimal choice for everybody, but that requires safety, reliability and good customer service and right all three are in question in the public’s mind, and we’ve got to restore that," Congressman Connolly added.

When FOX 5 asked Delegate Korman whether Maryland taxes could go up to pay for this, Korman mentioned a commission that will soon study all of Maryland’s transportation needs. Part of that study will also review how much of the state’s taxpayer dollars should be funding WMATA. 

A report is due in December.

WMATA’s Board is holding a Finance and Capital Committee hearing on the matter starting a 10 a.m. Thursday.