What’s the real cost of running the Washington Metro? Does anyone really know? Metro authorities cite problems such as worn track fasteners, crumbling concrete platforms and corroded traction power cables, reports Lena Sun with the Washington Post. The agency needs $489 million for “urgent” maintenance work, $244 million of it in the next two years. Metro doesn’t have the money, and municipal governments in the Washington region are reluctant to cough up any more.
Please note, that half billion dollars just covers Metro’s “urgent” needs. How much would it cost to bring the Metro up to the standards of a first-class commuter rail? How would that liability translate into fiscal obligations for Virginia localities under the current cost-sharing formulas?
As gasoline prices soar, Metro should be riding high as motorists seek alternative modes of transportation. But the railway system is crumbling. Is there any hope that Metro can function effectively under its current governance structure, which must balance the interests of multiple municipalities in three different states?
One more question: Is this a system that Fairfax County really wants to buy into with the Rail-to-Dulles project? Does the county have any idea of what kind of liabilities are lurking off the books?
