Posts tagged Wmata Budget
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Board debates 3 am, $4 flat fare, parking charges and more
At yesterday’s meeting, WMATA Board members finally got down to the brass tacks of negotiating over individual fare increases and service cuts. Various members spoke up about late night service and fares, parking fares, and bus-rail transfers. Jim Graham focused his advocacy on the late night service. He argued for preserving the current 3 am closing time, instead of… Keep reading…
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WMATA considering 50c, core-only peak-of-the-peak fare
WMATA staff will evaluate the MetroRiders.Org/Greater Greater Washington/Coalition for Smarter Growth recommendation to replace the generalized peak-of-the-peak charge with one of up to 50¢ that only applies to trips in the “congested core.” At yesterday’s Board meeting, Arlington’s Chris Zimmerman brought up the letter from the three… Keep reading…
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Fare hike loses more riders than necessary
The most recent budget proposal from the General Manager makes great strides to reduce service cuts, but as a recent letter from transit advocates argues, the proposed fare increase will still drain away more riders than necessary. The fare increase instead “follows the politically expedient approach of across-the-board fare increases,” the letter argues. Keep reading…
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Post editorial decries O’Malley “pushing [WMATA] downhill”
An editorial in today’s Washington Post warns that the O’Malley Administration’s withdrawal of capital support is putting Metro “on a slippery slope.” Keep reading…
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Arlington formally offers Fair Share for Metro; Maryland delinquency continues
Arlington County has finalized their budget including more money for WMATA, the Post reported this weekend. County Board member Chris Zimmerman, who is also Arlington’s representative on the WMATA Board, specifically talked about transit funding: “Arlington is saying if the other jurisdictions will step up to the plate, we will be willing to ensure that… Keep reading…
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Maryland moves slightly on operating funds, but plans more bus cuts for Prince George’s
Maryland’s WMATA board members announced April 22 that the state would meet its proposed contribution requirement of $13.9 million in GM Richard Sarles proposed budget through a combination of increased funds, possible local revenue and likely bus service reductions within Maryland. The announcement at the WMATA board meeting followed a rally last Tuesday at Addison… Keep reading…
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We can’t let Governor O’Malley sabotage Metro
The press has been thoroughly covering the impact of interim WMATA GM Richard Sarles’ proposed modified FY2011 operating budget, which has significant and immediate impacts on riders, but the much more important story from yesterday’s Board meeting is how the O’Malley Administration kneecapped prospects for repairing Metro’s aging infrastructure. To… Keep reading…
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Region poised to back away from Metro good repair
The consensus emerging from months of negotiations between area jurisdictions that fund Metro is for fewer dollars for capital projects and diminished guarantees that the dollars committed will actually materialize. The WMATA board will be updated today and presented with three possible capital funding agreement renewal options. All them provide fewer dollars and fewer… Keep reading…
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Sarles proposes budget with far fewer service cuts
WMATA interim GM Richard Sarles has revised the proposed FY11 operating budget to substantially pare back proposed service reductions. He will present his proposal to the Board of Directors today. Sarles manages to reduce the need for service reductions by cutting departmental costs and increasing some revenue, but the biggest change is restoring the tactic of using capital… Keep reading…
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Graham proposes regional gas tax hike for WMATA
Yesterday, Councilmember Jim Graham introduced a bill to raise the gas tax and provide a dedicated funding stream for transit, if and when Maryland and Virginia join DC in passing the tax regionwide. The bill would add a 10¢ surcharge and dedicated all of the revenue to WMATA. However, it would not take effect until other funding jurisdictions (basically, Virginia and Maryland)… Keep reading…