Understanding Government received a backhanded compliment from a high-ranking D.C.-area transit official who has read our new report on WMATA — the parent organization for Metrorail and Metrobus in the nation’s capital.  The official called it "not a bad report from authors who have no background in transportation."  Yesss!

Actually, we appreciate a critical reading from experts in government agencies who know their subject better than we do (when they don’t know it better, we’re all in trouble).  Our job is to get things rolling with the best research we can do, presented in the most accessible way, for the broadest possible audience. 

This particular critic (not, by the way, a WMATA employee) took issue with two main issues in in our report.  One was a management issue relating to WMATA’s Board of Directors and overall governing structure, which this expert said "is regarded in the industry as . . . one of the worst governance structures around."  He added that "too many elected officials serve on the Board but given [WMATA's] dependence on annual appropriations, this may be unavoidable."  He called into question the fiduciary responsibility that individual Board members, who come from the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, have for WMATA in contrast to their local loyalties.  And according to this expert, WMATA’s Board makes too many decisions in executive session — which means less public scrutiny than in full Board meetings, which are open to the press and the public.

This D.C.-area transit official also questions the "capacity scare" in Metrorail, saying that "by industry standards, WMATA has very generous loading standards, esp. in off-peak periods.  By this I mean WMATA and Metrorail riders consider trains crowded at load levels that riders in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York might laugh at."  Our report had identified a "capacity crunch" that WMATA may face in the next twenty years as the system reaches its projected ridership limit of one million rail riders per day.  The official acknowledged that rush hours on Metrorail can be rough but noted that the system has "massive amounts of underutilization the rest of the day."  This means more or less empty trains are running — and D.C., Maryland, and Virginia taxpayers are helping to pay for them.

Speaking of capacity,  our transit agency critic pointed out one alarming reality familiar to anyone who takes Metro to sporting events or big happenings on the National Mall.  The issue is "vertical capacity" — how quickly large numbers of passengers can flow through a station to trains and on their way.  Vertical capacity reflects just how many people can safely be on escalators, in vestibules, and on train platforms at one time.  This official said that vertical capacity in stations was "WMATA’s big problem," rather than crowded trains.

WMATA has received numerous accolades from industry observers.  Recently, for example, WMATA General Manager John Catoe was honored as 2009 Outstanding Public Transportation Manager by the American Public Transportation Association.  To see the report, or receive a printed copy, please click here.  -NH

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