VIA THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:

The extra dime per trip that Metro began to charge riders this spring isn’t making up for the emergency budget shortfall it was supposed to help solve, according to a new Metro report.

In fact, the agency says it has an even bigger hole than it forecast. Instead of a $40 million shortfall for the entire year, the latest monthly financial report shows Metro is $54.2 million below budget, with three months left to make up the difference.

Metro began to charge 10 cents extra per trip on Feb. 28 with the idea that the emergency surcharge could bring in $9.6 million through June to help make up for faltering ridership, according to the report. The transit agency planned to scrape together the rest of the $40 million through other funds.

But the winter snowstorms made matters worse. Metro shut down aboveground train service for several days in February and closed early on others.

Then, in March — the first full month of the surcharge — riders’ fares brought in $1.4 million less than anticipated, the report says. March showed somewhat stronger rail ridership, climbing above the same month of 2009. But the report credits one extra weekday, rather than a surge of riders, for causing much of the boost. Even so, it wasn’t enough to meet the monthly budget estimates.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:

In January, Metro waited more than a day to notify the oversight group charged with monitoring its safety that a maintenance vehicle carrying 20 workers slid on an icy Red Line track into a stopped truck.

The communications gaffe violated safety protocols, one more concern after months of safety problems forced out Metro’s top leader and safety chief.

Enter a new general manager and a new chief safety officer, pledging safety would be Metro’s No. 1 priority.

But last week, a communication failure occurred under their watch: The agency waited for a full day before it investigated the incident and before it notified the oversight group about a near miss between two trains.

The agency also reported the wrong time and location for hours after it did make the incident public, saying it occurred near the Red Line’s Forest Glen station at 1 p.m. Wednesday when the train operator actually pushed the emergency brake to avoid another train about 9 a.m. near the Wheaton stop.

“They failed,” said Jackie Jeter, president of Metro’s union representing train operators. “It’s a sign. Even though everyone talks about how seriously they are talking about safety, I haven’t seen that. Somebody has to stop talking and start acting.”

It marked the first major safety incident involving riders since Richard Sarles took over as interim general manager on April 2. His new chief safety officer, James Dougherty, started April 19. In response, both men sent strongly worded letters to staff calling for reform.

But the incident had already renewed outrage toward the agency. Transportation department chiefs from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. together fired off an angry letter. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley slammed the agency’s leadership on WTOP on Monday, telling Metro leaders to get out of the way if they can’t do the job.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:

Metro experienced another near miss Wednesday morning when one Red Line train operator had to push his emergency brake to avoiding hitting another train ahead of it.

The incident is ringing alarm bells for how the agency’s safety system failed to stop the trains from getting so close again, but also why the agency did not notify its oversight group or begin investigating until Thursday.

“We have some concerns about the amount of time it took them to notify us,” Tri-State Oversight Committee Chairman Matt Bassett told the Washington Examiner. “Even though it didn’t cause an accident, it had the potential to cause a serious one.”

The incident occurred about 9 a.m. in the tunnel near the Wheaton station as one train operator spotted another train at the platform ahead, said spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

The operator pushed the emergency brake known as the “mushroom,” spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, “because he thought that his train may have been too close.”

The trains did not crash, and no one was hurt. Metro could not say how close the trains came, as officials were still conducting their investigation, which they did not begin until Thursday.

But Bassett said, “It was close enough it raised alarms and it was closer than it should have been.”

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VIA MYFOXDC:

Customers can expect lengthy delays of up to 30 minutes this weekend (May 7-9) as old track components are replaced on the Red and Orange lines, causing inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track on portions of the rail system.

Red Line Track Upgrades

Metrorail customers traveling between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center Metrorail stations should expect lengthy delays this weekend and should add at least 20 minutes to their travel time because Metro will replace aging rail fasteners with new ones to stabilize tracks in that area of the Red Line. Trains will share one track between these locations from 10 p.m. Friday, May 7 to closing (midnight) on Sunday, May 9.

Red Line Bridge Repairs

Metrorail customers traveling between the New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U and Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail stations should add at least 20 minutes to their travel time because Metro will be conducting maintenance on a portion of elevated tracks that cross a bridge outside the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations the entire weekend from 10 p.m. Friday, May 7, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, May 9.

On Saturday, May 8, and Sunday, May 9, all Red Line trains will depart approximately every 30 minutes from the Shady Grove and Glenmont Metrorail stations. Trains departing the Shady Grove Metrorail station will leave approximately at one minute, and 31 minutes past the hour. Trains departing the Glenmont Metrorail station will leave approximately at seven minutes, and 37 minutes past the hour.

Every other train traveling in the direction of the Shady Grove Metrorail station will terminate at the Medical Center Metrorail station. Every other train traveling in the direction of the Glenmont Metrorail station will terminate at the New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metrorail station. For people traveling between the Medical Center and New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metrorail stations, trains will operate approximately every 15 minutes.

Orange Line Track Upgrades

Metrorail customers traveling between the Stadium-Armory and Cheverly Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes to their travel time because Metro will be replacing old cross ties with new ties and welding new rail on the tracks in that area. Trains will share one track between these locations the entire weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, May 7, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, May 9.

Throughout the weekend, every other Orange Line traveling in the direction of the New Carrollton Metrorail station will terminate at the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station and return to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station. As a result, all Orange Line trains will operate every 12 to 15 minutes between the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and Stadium-Armory Metrorail stations, and every 24 to 30 minutes between the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and New Carrollton Metrorail stations.

Be one of the first to find out when Metrorail is experiencing a service disruption by signing up to receive an e-alert. You can personalize Metro e-alerts by signing up to monitor service on specific lines on specific days of the week and on specific times of the day. You can always unsubscribe or change your e-alert preferences. To sign up, visit http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/ealerts/ .

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VIA THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:

Metro on Wednesday fired a bus driver who struck a pedestrian last month in Southeast D.C. The incident occurred on April 13, shortly before 8:50 p.m., as the W2 Route Metrobus was turning right from Irving Street onto Alabama Avenue, according to Metro. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital; the person’s status was not available Wednesday. The driver, whose name was not released, was put on paid administrative leave during the investigation into the crash, but was found to have failed “to follow standard operating procedures,” said Metro spokesman Reggie Woodruff.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON POST:

The District, Maryland and Virginia are nearly doubling their funding of a safety oversight group that monitors Metro, plus bolstering and reorganizing its staffing, after a federal audit found major weaknesses in the organization.

The little-known Tri-State Oversight Committee laid out the plans in a response due Tuesday to a scathing Federal Transit Administration audit of Metro’s safety problems. The audit, issued in March, cited the lack of a strong oversight group as one of the factors in Metro’s persistent and deadly safety problems.

The oversight group will receive about $804,000 annually, up from the $450,000 total that D.C., Virginia and Maryland typically contributed, according to the report released Tuesday. Maryland and the District will join Virginia in each dedicating a full-time and part-time employee to the committee, separate from the extra funding.

The changes are the first steps in improving what has been called a toothless oversight group. Many top Metro officials, including the transit agency’s chairman, did not even know the committee existed until the June 22 train crash that killed nine people. It had no office, no phone and no Web site. Metro did not follow its requests, refusing for months to allow the committee to inspect train tracks for safety violations — even after track workers were killed.

The additional money will help the agency tap into more expertise, giving it the ability to hire more short-term consultants as needed instead of having them on staff, said TOC Chairman Matt Bassett.

The money also will help train the committee’s staff, which would be required to receive certifications from the federal offshoot Transportation Safety Institute.

The committee would be reorganized with a stronger chairman, who would serve more than a year so the committee doesn’t get bogged down trying to clear permission from all three jurisdictions.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON POST:

Metro is moving ahead with plans to impose the largest fare increase in its history this summer, as the financially strapped transit agency prepares to make its riders shoulder the majority of the $189 million operating budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The Board of Directors on Thursday discussed broad outlines of the fare hike — estimated in the latest budget to bring in more than $102 million for the year — to allow Metro’s staff to start work on programming and marketing the changes.

The main components of the increase — expected to be finalized at a special meeting of the board in mid-May — include a 15 percent increase in rail fares and a 20 percent hike in bus boarding charges, producing $64 million and $24 million in revenue, respectively. In addition, fares for Metro’s paratransit service for disabled and elderly riders will grow to twice the comparable bus fare, raising an additional $1.1 million.

“The staff now has a very good idea of the basic structure of the fare increase,” said Peter Benjamin, chairman of the board of directors.

Board members, however, objected to some specific fare hikes and service cuts set out in a revised budget unveiled last week by Metro’s interim general manager, Richard Sarles.

A proposed 50-cent increase in parking fees drew criticism from some board members as imposing too heavy a burden on rail riders, in addition to the increase in rail trip prices. “This disproportionately hurts folks who are making long-haul trips on the system,” said board member Jeff McKay of Fairfax.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:

Metro had a strong month in March, running 20.3 million trips on its rail system — a million more than a year earlier.

But the transit agency still fell below its projections for how many riders it would carry, according to figures the agency provided to the Washington Examiner. That continuing drop, compounded by months of lower-than-expected ridership, has put into question whether the emergency fare surcharge enacted earlier this year will cover the gap caused by the faltering ridership.

In total, Metro has fallen behind its estimates for each of the nine months so far in the current fiscal year and ridership has been below the previous year’s figures for seven of those months. That translates to less money coming into the agency from fares. Metro officials have known for months that meant trouble; they started charging a dime extra on fares in late February to cover the projected $40 million emergency budget shortfall from such diminished ridership.

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VIA THE WASHINGTON POST:

Metro riders on the Green, Yellow and Blue lines should expect delays Wednesday because of problems on the tracks.

Trains on the Blue and Yellow lines between National Airport and Crystal City stations are moving more slowly than usual following two derailments of a piece of track equipment.

The machine, called a speed swing vehicle, caused some minor damage to the tracks the first time it derailed. Trains had to share a single track until about 7 a.m. while repairs were made.

The speed swing vehicle was returning to the Alexandria rail yard after being used for overnight work. It was moved to an auxiliary track where it will be stored and examined. Metro plans to move it to the rail yard late tonight, without affecting service.

Meanwhile, on the Green line, trains will run at just 15 mph between the Naylor Road and Southern Avenue stations because of a cracked rail. Temporary repairs have been made, and permanent repairs will be made at night when the rail system is closed.

Metro discovered the cracked rail about 7:28 a.m. on the inbound track.

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VIA WJLA:

Metro has fired a bus driver arrested early this month for allegedly displaying a knife during a dispute with another motorist in Southeast Washington.

Dwayne Adamson had been a Metrobus driver for three years. Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein says the driver had been on paid administrative leave since the April 2 incident and was fired Wednesday.

Adamson had been operating the U2 bus route when he was pulled over after an argument with a motorist.

The incident was the latest firing in a string of employee offenses. Last week, Metro fired a bus driver arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover police officer while driving a bus. A MetroAccess driver was fired this month after being charged with sexually assaulting a customer.

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