Beset by chronic safety problems and rising fares, Metro is looking beyond its immediate concerns by focusing on the future, and asking its customers to help it plan for how the system should grow over the next 30 years.
With a 30% increase in population, and 40% increase in jobs, projected for the Washington D.C. area over the next three decades, and new heads of Planning and Real Estate in place, Metro is looking to chart a course for its future growth.
"While we are rebuilding the system, we need to address crowded buses,
trains and stations and develop plans to grow the system to meet
ridership demand," Catherine M. Hudgins, chairman of the Metro board,
said in a statement. "The quality of life for our residents and our
regional economic well-being depend on a robust Metro system."
In support of that strategic planning effort, this past week Metro launched a public campaign dubbed "Momentum: The Next Generation of Metro," which, as Jonathan O'Connell notes, is "aimed at eliciting answers to
some big questions: How should the agency increase capacity to reduce
crowding? Which additional types of transit are needed? What is the best
way to ensure the agency's fiscal stability?"
FULL STORY: Metro looks to riders for suggestions about the future
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