Washington Metro Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metro train and bus system is facing a mammoth financial deficit of $750 million.
The last few years of reduced ridership and inflation have exacerbated the Metro’s preexisting structural financial problems, and unlike the previous years, the coming fiscal years could see major cuts in service and wreak havoc on the area’s economy, said WMATA officials.
If neighboring jurisdictions and other stakeholders do not work together to find a long-term sustainable solution to the deficit, it will force WMATA to make major cuts to service, leading to a “death spiral,” said WMATA officials….