Metro General Manager’s proposed budget calls for improved rail and bus service with no fare increase

Metro’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer presented the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, July 2026 to June 2027, to the WMATA Board of Directors on Thursday. The budget focuses on bus and rail improvements to increase ridership and revenue without raising fares while continuing to identify cost saving opportunities. 

The service plan calls for shorter weekday wait times on the Orange, Silver, and Blue lines, and reduced wait times on the Red Line at night. Additionally, bus service would increase on 15% of routes across the region. 

“Metro ridership has grown in recent years, and we want to continue to meet that demand for the region,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “This proposal reflects our commitment to delivering safe, frequent, and reliable service, while preparing Metro for the potential long-term capital challenges ahead.”

Overall, the proposal will make bus and rail operations more efficient through schedule optimization and by adding capacity to address emerging crowding while improving reliability.

For the first time, the budget proposal includes a multi-year budget and service plan forecast to foster better planning and predictability for Metro and our regional partners.

Bus proposals

Bus improvements include shorter wait times on nine high ridership routes, route enhancements on five routes, longer hours of service on four routes, and the potential for two new limited-stop routes in Northern Virginia. 

Rail proposals

Rail would have better all-day and late-night service with trains running every 3-6 minutes in the core and 6-10 minutes in others parts of the system on weekdays. After 9:30 p.m., trains would run every 4-8 minutes in the core. 

Overall, the proposal calls for 6% more daily train trips on weekdays. 

Specific increases include: 

• Orange, Silver, and Blue line trains would run every 10 minutes on weekdays, an improvement on the current 12-minute service . 

• Red Line trains would run every 7 to 8 minutes after 9:30 p.m., an improvement from the current 10-minute service. 

Capital Program proposal

Metro is proposing two scenarios for its six-year Capital Improvement Program outlook:

• One scenario is significantly constrained and assumes no new regional DMVMoves investment. Under this scenario, Metro will reduce capitol spending and defer projects that will lead to declining reliability, worsening customer experience, and increased safety risk over time.

• The other scenario includes the additional $460 million regional investment called for in the regional DMVMoves endorsement. DMVMoves calls for Metro to modernize its bus and rail system. Part of the improvements would address and update the rail signaling system, ensure bus reliability, and make Metro safer and more cost efficient.

Additional information on the capital program fiscal cliff can be found here. Additional information on the DMVMoves initiative supported by our region can be found here.

Next steps

Metro will hold in-person and virtual public hearings in February. 

The in-person hearing will be Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Arlington County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 307, Arlington VA 22201. An informational open house will be available 5:30-6 p.m.

Two virtual (video conference or phone call-in) hearings will be Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at 12 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. 

Check wmata.com/budget in the coming weeks for FAQs and updates on the launch of the online public comment period. 

The WMATA Board of Directors approves the final budget in April 2026.

The new budget year starts July 1, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2027.

About Metro

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 125 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community. Safety and security are a core value at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro is currently at an 8-year crime low with fare evasion down 82%. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.