WMATA should run more eight-car trains, Virginia commission says

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is recommending several efficiency-improvements strategies to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), including a recommendation that the agency maximize its use of eight-car trains.

The NVTC included the recommended strategies in its draft 2019 report on WMATA's condition and performance, which the commission approved yesterday. The report serves as NVTC's primary mechanism for expressing its priorities for controlling costs and improving efficiencies at WMATA.

The report documents WMATA-funded capital projects that use dedicated funding.

"The success of WMATA remains vital to the economy and quality of life of northern Virginians," said NVTC Chairman Matt Letourneau in a press release. "NVTC’s report stresses the need for diversifying WMATA's income and making sure existing programs operate more efficiently. We look forward to working with WMATA and its leadership to move these priorities forward."

NVTC's recommended strategies include:
• operating eight-car trains during peak periods, which would enable the system to carry more riders per hour through the system's core;
• examining additional solutions to better balance maintenance work on weekends to minimize the impact of service disruption on ridership;
• rebuilding ridership and efficiency of Metrorail and Metrobus, which would improve WMATA's farebox revenue;
• continuing ongoing initiatives and efforts to increase and/or optimize non-fare revenue to contain growth in annual operating subsidies; and
• continuing efforts to reduce cost increases and improve operational efficiency by enhancing employee performance management.

The Virginia statute that authorizes dedicated funding for WMATA requires that the NVTC produce the annual report. The commission's final report will be posted on novatransit.org by Oct. 31.