Will D.C. Metro Fall Into a Transit Death Spiral?

The "Reality Check Budget Plan," as general manager Paul Wiedefeld is calling it, includes less frequent service, higher fares, and employee lay-offs.

Under the new proposal, each line would run every 8 minutes during peak times (on weekdays from system opening to 9:30 am and from 3 pm to 7 pm). At stations in the city center that are served by multiple lines (Blue-Orange-Silver, for example), trains would come every 2-4 minutes. On the Red Line, trains would run every 4 minutes between Silver Spring and Grosvenor.

This reduction in service takes each line's frequency from the current 6 minute spacing to 8 minutes at peak. During off-peak times, the wait for each train would stretch to 15 minutes on every line.

Metro also proposes eliminating the 14 bus lines with the lowest ridership.

Notably, it looks like the idea of cutting Metroway BRT is off the table, at least for now.

The new proposal increases the minimum rail fare to $2 during off-peak times and $2.25 during peak times. The new maximum fare would go up a dime, to $6. Metrobus fares would increase by a quarter, to $2 per trip for one-way rides. Express fares would go up by a quarter, to $4.25. Parking will increase by a dime.