The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will be getting a boost to the tune of $876 million in federal funding, a Democratic delegation from Maryland announced Tuesday.
Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Reps. Steny Hoyer, John Sarbanes, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone, say WMATA and its local transit partners will get the funds through the CARES Act. Of the federal funding, $41.1 million of that will go to Montgomery and Prince George’s counties’ local transit providers.
“Metro is an essential service, central to the success of our region and a safe reopening,” the lawmakers said in a news release. “While ridership and revenues have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, we must ensure that our national transit system — and the employees who keep it running — are able to weather this storm.”
Earlier this month, Metro General Manager presented a “phased plan” to begin restoring service. Currently, Metro is encouraging only passengers with essential trips to use the system. Trains are running only every 15-20 minutes, some stations are closed and the system closes at 9 p.m.
Metro anticipates beginning to restore some service this summer after local stay-at-home orders are lifted. But full, regular service isn’t expected to be restored until a vaccine or treatment is widely available, according to Metro’s plan.
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Congressional Democrats say they’ve worked to provide $25 billion through the CARES Act to support transit agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration, is designed to help WMATA maintain a balanced budget while providing the resources necessary to safely scale up operations as the region looks toward a safe, gradual reopening, according to the release.
Safety precautions — including personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees, the implementation of disinfectant and cleaning measures and additional expenses from modified work schedules — are a priority.
