D.C. Metro: Update

PURPOSE:

• To continue oversight of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metrorail system.
• To examine the role of the Office of Inspector General.
• To review the current and future financial situation of WMATA.

BACKGROUND:

• WMATA was created in 1967 by an interstate compact between Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, with congressional consent, to provide for a public transportation system in the National Capital Region.
• WMATA provides three types of transit service: heavy rail/subway (Metrorail), bus (Metrobus), and paratransit (MetroAccess).
• Metrorail accounts for about two-thirds of WMATA passenger trips, making it the largest component of the system.
• WMATA serves a population of five million within a 1,500 square-mile area.