WMATA sets $5B budget for FY2026

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) board yesterday approved a $5 billion capital and operating budget for fiscal-year 2026.

The new budget, which is about the same amount as this year's budget, supports service improvements without increasing fares.

The FY2026 $2.4 billion capital budget calls for repair and replacement of aging equipment on WMATA’s bus and Metrorail systems, WMATA officials said in a press release.

Ongoing projects in the capital budget with six-year expenditure schedules include rail vehicle maintenance, rail automation, improvements to Union Station’s First Street entrance and modernization and digitization of fare collection and information displays.

The $2.5 billion operating budget supports service expansions to Metrorail, WMATA officials said. Improvements include the following:

• Effective June 22, 2025, the rail system will open one hour earlier on Saturdays and Sundays and close one hour later on Fridays and Saturdays;
• On June 22, the Silver Line will begin running two service patterns, with half of the trains operating between Ashburn and Downtown Largo — the full route — and half of the trains splitting from the route at the Stadium-Armory station to reach New Carrollton, which is currently only reachable via the Orange Line.
• By June 22, the Silver and the Red lines will begin running more trains during peak hours, according to the press release.
• In December, the extended Yellow Line will begin service, with half of the trains running the regular route between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square, and the other half extending to Greenbelt, which is now available only via the Green Line.

WMATA's FY2026 budget begins July 1. The budget can be viewed here.