D.C. Metro on March 28 unanimously voted a 2020 budget proposal of $3.5 billion, which includes several measures approved two weeks ago in a preliminary vote.
“There are a number of improvements for customers in this year’s budget, including running all Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt, running Red Line trains to Glenmont during weekday rush hours and weekends, and improved pass offerings, including a more affordable seven-day bus pass which now costs just $15 for a week of unlimited bus rides,” said Paul Wiedefeld, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager, about the proposal.
Under the new budget, the Yellow Line will be extended and will run past Mount Vernon Square and then to the Greenbelt. This extension will double service during rush hour at the nine stations north of Mount Vernon Square, including Shaw-Howard, U Street, and Columbia Heights.
The agency will also extend all Red Line service to Glenmont. Three stations of Forest Glen, Wheaton, and Glenmont will have increased service according to the new budget proposal.
Arlington County Board Member and Metro Board Finance and Capital Committee head Christian Dorsey told WTOP that the budget “delivers some real benefits to people who ride the system, who hopefully will feel that this is a great way forward to thank them for sticking with us during tough times, but hopefully also encourages other people who may have left or who may have never given us a try.”
For those commuting on busses, the seven-day passes will be now available at $15, instead of $17. Another option is getting unlimited bus pass under visitor and SelectPasses.
The current hours of the Metro have been kept unchanged, but there’s a proposal for subsidized rideshare runs for late-night workers.