Track repairs and inconsistent service have lead to a 14 percent decrease in ridership, enough to wipe out the year's gains of all other U.S. rail systems put together.

Without factoring in WMATA's Metrorail system, U.S. rail and subway ridership was up .6% between '15 and '16. But when you include the D.C. region's losses, that change becomes a .3% decrease in riders. "Most of the drop in Metro’s ridership can be attributed to the agency’s SafeTrack initiative, which is closing chunks of the system for weeks at a time for long-overdue repairs," Benjamin Freed writes for the Washingtonian.
TransitCenter, the New York research group that originally reported on these figures, says the other piece of the problem is that politicians in the region have not made the system a priority and failed to lead on the issue. Metro's issues look unlikely to be solved by federal money either. "Recently sworn-in Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced last month she will withhold federal funding from DC, Virginia, and Maryland until the three jurisdictions create a new safety commission to oversee Metro," Freed reports.
FULL STORY: Metro Has Lost So Many Customers It’s Dragging Down National Ridership Figures

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower
A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”
The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.
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