A capital crunch: Washington Metro has adopted a six-year, $3.3 billion capital program that falls short of meeting the needs of an aging rail system bursting at the seams with riders

Railway Age, Feb, 2005 by William D. Middleton

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" wrote Charles Dickens in the memorable opening lines of his 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority head Richard A. White may well have similar thoughts as he faces today's problems on Metrorail, WMATA's rapid rail system.

WMATA's best of times reflects completion of a world-class rail transit system that has profoundly affected its service area. The originally planned system, completed after 30 years and $9.4 billion worth of construction in 2001, has helped shape and develop the Washington area in ways that would have been unimaginable without it. Metrorail now transports a weekday average of 653,000 riders--the second-highest in the U.S., surpassed only by New York City. Passenger trips per vehicle-mile and a favorable farebox operating ratio (61.6% in 2002) are also second only to New York.

Metrorail's worst of times? They closely parallel the very. success of the rail system and the capital needs to continue it, which have been increasingly difficult for the local jurisdictions and their federal partners to meet.

Steadily growing demand calls for major additions to expand car and infrastructure capacity. With its oldest segments now approaching the 30-year mark, the rail system is confronting an increasing need for rehabilitation or replacement of both. These needs are currently greater than WMATA's ability to secure long-term capital dollars. The resulting pressures on the rail system, combined with some recent well-publicized problems, have of late frequently made Metro a favorite target of critics.

WMATA's most difficult problem has been maintaining reliable service. Peak period traffic frequently exceeds the capacity of its six-car-maximum trains, which are often crowded to full crush loads, forcing passengers to wait for the next train. Equipment reliability has dropped: Average MDBF (mean distance between failures), at 70,457 miles in 2002, dropped to 38,103 miles last year. Increasing component failures on some of the oldest cars are part of the problem. Door problems caused by riders trying to crowd into packed trains have been common. During two months last fall, Metrorail experienced rail cracks on the Red Line that, combined, delayed service for several hours. Platforms and connections at key stations are becoming inadequate to handle the traffic. Frequently inoperable escalators are making matters worse.

Problems moved to front page status on Nov. 3, 2004, when an out-of-service train rolled backwards down a 4% grade and collided with a following train in the Red Line's Woodley PakZoo/Adams Morgan station. Twenty passengers received minor injuries in what could have been an even more serious accident.

Capacity and renewal

In 2002, WMATA released a 10-year, $12.2 billion Capital Improvement Plan that identified needs for rail and bus through 2013: $3.3 billion in infrastructure renewal, $2.9 billion in system access and capacity, and $6.0 billion in expansion projects. Rail projects included 300 new railcars; improvements to six maintenance facilities, terminal stations, and two storage facilities; upgraded traction power; and station enhancements with better bicycle and pedestrian access. Expansion projects will extend fixed guideway transit to new markets; WMATA expects them to be funded by the local jurisdictions.

Full funding for these programs has not been identified. Late in 2004, WMATA and its local jurisdictions agreed upon the $3.3 billion, six-year "Metro Matters" program, which will meet the most urgent rail and bus needs through 2010. Principal programs include 120 new railcars (adding to an earlier order for 62), upgrades to two maintenance facilities and traction power systems, 185 new buses and one new bus garage, and 20% of the customer facilities described in the 10-year plan. This will allow Metrorail to increase 33% of peak period trains to eight cars, and reach 75% of the system's design capacity.

The most visible part of Metro Matters will be the expansion to eight-car trains. Alstom Transport will deliver prototypes for the initial 62 cars by late summer 2005, with all in service by late 2006. The follow-on 120-car order, awarded late last year, should be completed by 2008. Alstom also is completing a midlife modernization and life cycle extension program on 364 Breda cars under a 2002 contract that should be complete early next year. WMATA is also investing $236 million to upgrade 44 of 93 electric traction power substations and the station-stop portion of its ATC (automatic train control) system to handle eight-car trains.

Metro Matters infrastructure replacement/rehabilitation projects affect aerial structures, station and tunnel ventilation, power and electrical, fire equipment, ATC, communications, drainage and pumping systems, and railyards and car washes. Fairfax and Mexandria counties are funding enhancements to the Ballston and King Street stations in Virginia.

Dedicated funding?

Unlike many large transit systems, WMATA does not have a dedicated funding source. It must compete annually for local and federal funds dispersed throughout its service area. With these sources proving increasingly inadequate, local legislators recently initiated a study of WMATA's long-range needs, and how they might best be met.