New conflicts between the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and its regulator have called into question the effectiveness of an oversight arrangement established by Congress six years ago to make service safer, lawmakers say.
Metro is planning normal service this year, but hoping for a cash infusion in 2022 Justin George With the most recent federal stimulus coming to Metro’s rescue, the transit agency is proposing to leave service levels stable for a year until the money runs out. Then it will turn to tough decisions that could include layoffs and service cuts if more money doesn’t come through. That didn’t sit well with some Metro board members, who said the transit agency is delaying hardships until January 2022, when it would be in the same straits as weeks ago: either hoping for another bailout or forced to cut service to grim levels.