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WMATA board adopts proposed $4.8B package; jurisdictional subsidy changes reduce Virginia’s share
Summary
Kirk Dans summarized WMATA’s adopted proposed FY‑27 budget (roughly $4.8 billion total; operating ~$2.7B, capital ~$2.1B), described jurisdictional subsidy adjustments that reduced Virginia’s percentage, noted removal of some DC bus expansion pending Title VI/subsidy work, and reported a new $3 administrative fee for some MetroAccess trips starting this July.
Kirk Dans, Arlington County’s WMATA service coordinator, briefed the Transit Advisory Committee on the WMATA board’s recent adoption of a proposed FY‑27 budget package.
Dans said the total presented budget was roughly $4.8 billion, with an operating component around $2.7 billion and a capital component near $2.1 billion. He described how jurisdictional requests and adjustments during public review affected subsidy shares: Maryland sought a lower increase after initial figures were released, which in turn reduced the percentage increase for Virginia. On the day the board adopted the package, Washington, D.C., asked that some planned bus expansions be removed pending separate Title VI and subsidy recalculations; the adopted package therefore removes certain DC expansions and may require rerunning subsidy calculations.
Dans noted a change to the MetroAccess pilot called Abilities Ride: starting this July there will be a $3 per‑trip administrative fee on trips carried by the pilot’s TNC providers. He said there are no planned fare or parking increases for FY‑27 but signaled that a fare increase might be possible in FY‑28 as agencies revisit costs.
Service changes referenced in the materials include increased frequency on certain Metrobus and Metrorail lines and capital investments ranging from fleet acquisitions to rail modernization. Dans posted links to the full WMATA budget documents in the meeting chat and encouraged committee members to review them.
Committee members asked about timing for service changes; Dans noted some changes roll out in June and July with additional adjustments later in the fiscal year once subsidy calculations are rerun.
