Metro To Hold Public Meetings On Service Cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Metro will hold public hearings and town hall meetings next month on possible service cuts and other measures to help reduce a $72.5 million operating budget gap.

The proposed service cuts that will be discussed at public hearings scheduled for May 16 through May 20 include reductions in weekend rail service that would save Metro about $6.6 million. The cuts would increase the time between trains on Saturday and Sunday by five to six minutes during the day and up to 25 minutes after 9:30 p.m.

The shortfall in Metro's fiscal 2012 operating budget of $1.4 billion resulted from several factors, including slower-than-projected revenue growth as well as $16 million in expenses carried over from last year's snowstorms.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)