If the FTA's report wasn't bad enough, The Washington Post reported on March 12 that another report authored by former Metro General Manager David Gunn was downright "withering" in its condemnation of the DC mass transit system's many woes. Here's the link to the story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/11/AR2010031104467.html

The civil rights movement galvanized around inequities in transportation, and 55 years later, the inequities in DC metro area transit only deepen the crisis WAMTA has to face down. There is a serious inequity in WAMTA’s potential list of methods to address the $189 million dollar budget shortfall: bus riders may face a fare hike of $0.50 per ride, while the proposed fare hike for rail riders is $0.25 per ride, plus a distance surcharge.

By WAMTA’s own analysis, bus riders are twice as likely to be people of color, have average incomes of less than 60% of rail riders, and one in five do not own cars, compared to one in fifty for rail riders. TEN doesn’t want to polarize bus riders and rail riders, but inequity on this scale is unacceptable. The bus is a civil rights symbol that is as important today as it was in 1965, and the back of the bus has turned into the entire bus for too many routes in too many neighborhoods.

WAMTA should think outside the box and work with the multiple judicatories to raise additional revenue to prevent route reductions and fare increases. If WAMTA does raise rates, the board should set up a method to measure the impact it will have on ridership—and the racial equity impact of the hikes.

In the last few years, more and more young professionals are beginning to rediscover life inside America's urban centers. This is for a wide variety of factors; be it cultural connectivity, social amenities, cost of living, or even simply a change in view. While living preferences vary from young professional to young professional, a major common demand amongst most of us is time - or the lack thereof. We seek instant delivery of information, things, ideas, but most importantly we want to know that we can get from point A to point B with little or no delays in between. Combine all of these preference together and you see the recent real estate booms in places like Columbia Heights and Clarendon -- and the enabler of this lifestyle is Metro. Young professionals, even those with access to cars, have become almost entirely dependent on Metro, a system that until recent years met the lofty expectations we set for it. But key to meeting these expectations is reliability of Metro. Recurring safety issues, trains crowded beyond capacity , and frequent delays destroy any sense of predictability and reliability for Metro users, inhibiting the fast-paced lifestyle of Beltway young professionals. From the beginning, Metro had instant fans among young professionals inside the Beltway. We hope Mr. Sarles can bring a renewed sense of pride to Metro and bring back a sense of excitement and enthusiasm amongst a dedicated group of fans.

Congratulations to Rich Sarles as he moves into the role of interim general manager of the dc metro. He certainly has some challenges ahead of him. They can be overcome!

Knowing the value of free advice, I offer the following suggestions:

1. Begin from a position of strength by focusing on the many positive aspects of Metro. Clearly and firmly pledge to create the best-managed and most fiscally sound and safe transit system in the country. Notwithstanding recent tragic accidents, remind the public of Metro’s track record of safety in light of the fact that with nearly a million trips a day, it is the second busiest rapid transit system in the United States in number of passenger trips after the New York City Subway.

2. Remind the public and all decision makers that Metro contributes to the economic success of the region and can help the housing market rebound. Studies show property values increase, hold or rebound quickly in areas served by Metro. Metro is a significant factor in our region's national and international economic competitiveness. That is why the regional and the national government must invest much more regular, predictable financial support to Metro. For decades we have shortchanged both the operating and capital budgets. Constant fare increases and revenue uncertainty will no longer work.

3. Bring together a group of outside experts from a variety of backgrounds to engage in a one-day free-flowing dialogue regarding a vision for the future of Metro.

4. Take the lead in advocating for an integrated fare system linking the region’s major transportation service providers, including Amtrak, and providing one fare card for all local systems. If we can do it for our cars with Easy Pass, then we can do it for our transit riders. This would be a first step, eventually expanded to all systems in the Northeast Corridor covering almost 110 million people.

5. Impose a sense of urgency for adequate funding to address maintenance, capital investment and expansion. Imagine what will happen to this region when gas prices not only reach $4 a gallon when the recession is over, but likely go up to $7 a gallon shortly thereafter. Now is the time to invest!

The vision should be nothing less than having the best transit system in America, if not the world. It will take leadership and political will from WMATA, our elected leaders and the public. Good luck.

Rich Sarles will make an excellent interim General Manager and I have no doubt he will be ably supported by Board Members like Mort Downey. But let’s be realistic with WMATA for a change. Rich’s job is a short-term position and the best we can expect from him is to begin the process of introducing the type of cultural change my colleagues have addressed. These are long-term, multifaceted and multiple General Manager endeavors.

The problems with WMATA are deeply ingrained and in addition to safety include an unwieldy governance structure and beggar-they-neighbor politics with the three local jurisdictions and the federal government. WMATA is a national, regional, and local resource and should be treated that way. Instead, a shortage of funding, even now, is leading to crazy talk about cutting operations and deferring maintenance. In addition to a safety audit, it would be a good idea to review the Board structure, the role of the sponsoring jurisdictions and the ways in which WMATA is funded. If we do not place WMATA on a more sustainable footing, we will not be successful.

WMATA’s problems are not unique. Many of the older transit systems in the United States started as construction agencies and there has been uneven progress in making the required transition to agencies that develop workforces that support a safety culture, maintain a state of good repair, and operate efficiently.

From a transit industry perspective, Secretary LaHood and Administrator Rogoff appear to understand what needs to be done, providing critical leadership on the safety and state of good repair issues. These priorities should be joined with greater federal support for executive and workforce development which will help provide the long-term foundation for completing the necessary transitions across the nation. Ken Orski rightly cites London and Paris, two systems which prioritize workforce development and training, spending the time and money to develop the people who lead, operate, and maintain their older systems.

As one who was born inside the Beltway and has commuted to work using Metro from each of the three local jurisdictions I wish only the best of luck to Rich and his successors. Hopefully all of this attention will encourage D.C., Maryland, Virginia and the federal government to be steadfast partners in the important effort to improve Metro.

For those of you who don't see The Washington Post regularly, today's lead editorial made it painfully clear the tough road that lies ahead for Mr. Sarles (and suggests that the FTA safety audit might provide "the outline of a road map for how to proceed"). Here's the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/07/AR2010030702357.html

Updated at 4:27 p.m. on March 8.

As a frequent user — and occasional sufferer— of Metrorail I would like to join Mort Downey in welcoming Rich Sarles as WMATA’s interim General Manager. He brings impressive qualifications to this assignment and I wish him well. Like most of us, I was disturbed reading the FTA’s highly critical safety audit. Blaming the problems on Metrorail’s age sounds to me like a lame excuse, considering that the 100+ year old rail systems of New York, London and Paris have a far superior safety record. Moreover, their escalators are far more reliable. Rather, WMATA’s problems lie, I suspect, with the internal culture of the Metrorail organization. I would rather not second-guess what corrective measures are needed to restore discipline, system reliability and the trust of the public. I leave this to the judgment of professional transit managers such as Rich and to knowledgeable old transit hands such as Mort and my old UMTA colleague Pete Benjamin, the new Metro Board chairman. All I can say, is I fully agree with Beverly Scott’s wise words that WMATA's Board, management and employee will have to "critically and constructively" look at themselves, figure out where the problems lie and take the necessary steps to restore our confidence in the system’s safety and reliability.

First, I have never been one to Sunday Morning quarterback. It’s not helpful. And, I have personally been around long enough to know that if you ever walk in someone else’s shoes, you will invariably have a very different perspective. Now, that said, I have personally lived in the District twice in my life; and, been privileged to work at WMATA as their Deputy General Manager for Administration in the mid-1990s. When I worked for WMATA, I did not own an automobile because I didn’t need one. I made the decision to live on the METRO; and it worked well for me, my family and our lifestyle. As I know is the case for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the District, northern Virginia and Maryland; and literally millions of visitors and business travelers to our nation’s Capitol. As a transit veteran for 30 years and one worked at WMATA, I have always felt that the organization’s employees – their genuine pride and professionalism – in serving the nation’s Capitol is one of their greatest strengths. While predictable and significantly increased funding are certainly critical for WMATA and other transit systems across the country, I would simply say that at the end of the day – restoring the public’s longstanding (and deserved) trust, confidence, and pride in their system – has to come from within. While all kinds of external help and support in the short-term can be beneficial, at the end of the day, it is WMATA and all of its employees – management and labor working together -- that have to critically and constructively look at themselves. And, hopefully, each and everyone make the true re-commitment to be and do the very best that they can every single day. In my experience, when you have a team working together that is focused on doing their best, it simply doesn’t get much better than that.

I hope all of the participants will weigh in with constructive and actionable ideas that our fellow blogger Rich Sarles can bring to the job when he takes over on April 3rd. I’m sure all of us want to see Rich succeed as he takes over this challenging interim assignment, and no one feels that more acutely than I do!

As a new member of the WMATA Board, I’ll hold my advice for the Board meetings, but I will also be monitoring this week’s exchange for your good ideas. Metro and its transit services are vital to the health and success of the Washington region, and our choice of Rich as the Interim GM was made with the belief that he can take over and get us moving in the right direction from Day One.

I’ve seen Rich in various contexts—as a fellow worker at the Port Authority’s PATH system, as an Amtrak Board Member while he was restoring the Northeast Corridor and as an advisor to New Jersey Transit in recent years. I think he has just the right mix of skills for the current job—the knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the railroad and the perspective of the CEO, with a understanding that safety has to be the first priority if employees and passengers are to have confidence in the system.

So, please join with me in welcoming Rich to WMATA and I hope you will shower him with good ideas.