Metro Matters

A campaign to meet Metro's
capital funding crisis

Metro Matters is a public outreach campaign launched Oct. 23, 2003, to raise awareness about Metro's financial crisis and urgent need for $1.5 billion in capital funding. “It’s capital funding…bricks and mortar, train cars and buses,” explained Board Chairman Jim Graham.

Capital funding is not for day-to-day operations or system expansion. It’s monies required to rehabilitate the equipment and facilities of the three-decade old system, add ridership capacity and bolster security.

“Failure to act on this crisis will result in a significant deterioration of our regional transit system, a severe degradation of service reliability and increased overcrowding,” said CEO Richard A. White.

Metro would allocate a substantial portion of the funds to repair and maintain and replace its aging equipment, including trains, buses, elevators, escalators, tracks, power cables, stations and maintenance facilities. Capital funding also would provide for 120 new railcars and 185 new buses to alleviate overcrowding. Additional railcars would enable Metro to operate eight-car trains, taking better advantage of the rail system’s design capacity to accommodate eight cars. Part of the $1.5 billion would also help fund projects that are urgently needed for homeland security, such as a back-up Operations Control Center and chem/bio detection equipment.

As part of Metro Matters campaign, Metro will work with legislators, stakeholders, businesses and community leaders to emphasize the need for federal, state and local governments to renew their commitment to the Metro system.

Metro Matters

A campaign to meet Metro's capital funding crisis

A campaign to meet Metro's
capital funding crisis