Saving America's Subway

The Washington regional subway system, Metro, desperately needs to secure $2.4 billion in capital funding over the next 10 years in order to improve capacity and level of service. A Congressional hearing held recently by the Committee o Government Reform was the first step towards saving Metro from falling apart. "It's either pay now or pay vastly more later -- which is exactly what happened in New York," Dana Kauffman, the recently-appointed Metro Board Chairman, said. "We have a $24 billion investment to protect here." Transit advocates are pushing for an increased federal role in funding Metro. Jack Corbett, a director of MetroRiders.org, a recently formed transit riders group, said, "We're fearful that without some congressional leadership, there never will be a good year to resolve this issue." Some argue that the federal government has a larger responsibility to fund Metro than it does with other transit systems nationwide. More than 47% of Metro's peak-hour travelers are federal employees. "Metro, in short, possesses a national significance," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), the chairman of the committee. Davis described the hearing as a way of "laying the groundwork" for a persuasive argument for federal aid for Metro.

Thanks to Peter Buryk