WASHINGTON (AP) — Metro’s general manager says efforts to maintain and refurbish the transit system would take a big hit if Congress gives final approval to a $150 million cut in funding.
General Manager Richard Sarles told The Washington Post’s editorial board on Monday that train delays would become more frequent, Metro would order fewer buses and ticket machines might not be replaced if funding is reduced. Sarles, however, said that safety initiatives would continue even without the $150 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended track equipment upgrades after a 2009 crash on the red line that killed nine people.
Sarles says the region’s congressional delegation and lawmakers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have been working to preserve the funding.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
