Pete K.

Rahn
Secretary of Transportation
7201 Corporate Center Drive
Hanover, MD 21076-0548
Dear Secretary Rahn:
We write to thank you for proposing to allocate an additional $41.8 million dollars in operating
funds to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro) in the
proposed 2018 budget, as requested by the Metro General Manager. We also write to ask that
you do more to help make sure that Metro can be a safe, reliable, and affordable transportation
option for Marylanders.
We share your frustrationsand those of our constituentsand about the state of the Metro
system, which has seen innumerable delays and service disruptions in recent years. While Metro
has faced difficulties, it is important that Maryland and the other jurisdictions continue to invest
in the system in order to prevent further decline and return the system to a state of good
repair. The prudent allocation of additional funds provides Metro with the necessary resources
to provide a decent level of service to their riders.
Despite the additional operating funds included in the budget for Fiscal Year 2018, Metro riders
are still facing service cuts and fare hikes under the General Managers budget proposal; a
combination that threatens to drive away riders and add traffic to our already-crowded
roads. Metros proposed budget would:

Raise fares for both bus and rail riders, a move predicted to result in 10 million fewer
trips on the system in the coming fiscal year.
Reduce service on all six lines by increasing the amount of time between trains, which
will result is slower, less-predictable trips. The Metrorail lines in suburban Maryland
will be most affected by these service cuts, with time between trains planned to be 15
minutes during off-peak hours and eight minutes during rush hour.

The reduction of service proposed in Metros proposed budget paired with the planned fare
increases will only deter potential riders from using the system, and it will have an especially
negative impact on Metro riders from Maryland. We are requesting that the State do more to
insulate riders from these planned fare hikes and service reductions. The General Manager
estimates that $50 million is being saved through changes affecting riders, meaning that if
Maryland, Virginia, and DC each contributed $17 million more, harm to riders could be

avoided. Even a subset of that increase could help reduce the burden on Marylanders who rely
on the system and those who would be negatively affected should riders switch to single
occupancy vehicles.
Please continue to engage with Metro and its Board members on a reasonable 2018 budget that
does not further endanger the health of the Metro system. The Metro systems importance to
Maryland cannot be overstated, as it serves riders from all over the state and is critical to the
economic productivity and prosperity of our region. Protecting riders from service cuts through
additional investment will retain ridership and allow Metro to continue long-overdue system
maintenance and improvements.

Sincerely,
Senator Brian Feldman

Delegate Karen Lewis-Young

Senator Douglas Peters

Delegate Brooke Lierman

Senator James Rosapepe

Delegate Daniel Morhaim

Senator William Smith

Delegate Andrew Platt

Delegate Kumar Barve

Delegate Susan Proctor

Delegate Charles Barkley

Delegate Kirill Reznik

Delegate Erek Barron

Delegate Shane Robinson

Delegate Benjamin Brooks

Delegate Frank Turner

Delegate Kathleen Dumais

Delegate Valentino- Smith

Delegate Tawanna Gaines

Delegate Kris Valderrama

Delegate Anne Healey

Delegate Jeffrey Waldstreicher

Delegate Ariana Kelly

Delegate Mary Washington

Delegate Marc Korman

Delegate Pat Young

Delegate Clarence Lam

CC:

Keturah D. Harley, WMATA Board of Directors

Michael Goldman, WMATA Board of Directors
Kathryn Porter, WMATA Board of Directors
Malcolm Augustine, WMATA Board of Directors.