During the shutdown, Metro ran six-car trains during rush hour instead of the usual eight-car configuration. Photograph by Flickr user Elvert Barnes.
Last month’s government shutdown cost Metro $5.5 million in lost revenue, the transit authority reported in its most recent quarterly report. Metro estimates that it lost out on 1.7 million passenger trips during the 16-day shutdown. Some of the lost revenue was also attributed to fewer cars parked at Metrorail stations.
Metro tried to stem the bleeding early on, when it cut eight-car trains to six. The agency reported on the shutdown’s second day that it was seeing ridership drop by 22 percent, with the greatest decline reported at stations around Capitol Hill and the Pentagon.
Although the figures released today are preliminary, they offset the positive results Metro had in the first quarter of its current fiscal year by nearly half. From July through September, Metro’s budget had a positive net position of $11.6 million.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Metro Lost $5.5 Million During Shutdown
The transit agency was hit hard by the 16-day shutdown.
Last month’s government shutdown cost Metro $5.5 million in lost revenue, the transit authority reported in its most recent quarterly report. Metro estimates that it lost out on 1.7 million passenger trips during the 16-day shutdown. Some of the lost revenue was also attributed to fewer cars parked at Metrorail stations.
Metro tried to stem the bleeding early on, when it cut eight-car trains to six. The agency reported on the shutdown’s second day that it was seeing ridership drop by 22 percent, with the greatest decline reported at stations around Capitol Hill and the Pentagon.
Although the figures released today are preliminary, they offset the positive results Metro had in the first quarter of its current fiscal year by nearly half. From July through September, Metro’s budget had a positive net position of $11.6 million.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2024
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Nominations Are Now Open for Washingtonian’s 500 Most Influential People List
More from News & Politics
Lauren Handy Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison
Are Friends More Important Than Romantic Partners?
The Local Girls Who Inspired the Hollywood Classic “Mean Girls”
These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?