Washington, D.C. (November 30, 2020) – The budget axe could soon be falling hard on Metro as the agency fights to stay afloat.  Faced with a nearly $500 million dollar deficit, the transit agency is proposing eliminating weekend rail service, slashing 2,400 positions through layoffs, attrition, and buyouts while at the same time closing 19 stations.

The proposals are part of Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld’s proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1st.  The transit agency has been especially hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, seeing its ridership plummeting since March.  Metro’s money woes are exacerbated by a deadlocked Congress failing to come up with another COVID-19 relief package, which would provide much needed aid.