$1.5B Metro funding bill passes key Senate vote
By Taryn Luntz
Examiner Staff Writer 9/30/08
The Metro funding measure, which has died in Congress twice before, is wrapped into a large rail safety overhaul bill that has gained momentum in the wake of a Sept. 12 Metrolink commuter train accident that killed 25 people in California.
The Senate voted 69-17 Monday to close debate on the bill and proceed to a final vote, which Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated would be held Wednesday.
The measure must win 51 votes in the Senate and be signed by President Bush to become law.
Metro General Manager John Catoe announced last week that the aging transit system needs $7 billion in federal and local funding over 10 years to maintain current levels of service and an additional $4 billion for improvements.
Metro is the second-largest transit system in the nation but is the only one that does not have a dedicated source of revenue.
Revenue from fares pays for a portion of the system’s operating costs but does not contribute to its extensive capital costs.
The 32-year-old rail system is beset with crumbling platforms, leaky tunnels and railcars that have reached the end of their useful lives.
More than 40 percent of Metro’s rush hour rail riders are federal workers, Metro officials have said.
Regional transportation leaders have been closely following the congressional bill, which would infuse the cash-strapped transit agency with $1.5 billion in maintenance funding over the next 10 years, as long as Virginia, Maryland and the District match the money.
The jurisdictions have pledged to come up with the funds, which amount to $50 million each a year, although Virginia’s money is in jeopardy following a state Supreme Court ruling invalidating its transportation-funding body.
The D.C. Council voted last week to dedicate one half of 1 percent of the city’s sales tax to Metro to account for its portion of the match.
The congressional bill would place two federal representatives on Metro’s board of directors, which currently is comprised only of members from the surrounding jurisdictions.
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