Chris Zimmerman answers the rest of your questions

Chris Zimmerman, WMATA Board member from Arlington, was disappointed that he couldn’t reply to all of your questions during his live chat a month ago. He asked us to send him the questions that we didn’t have time to post, and emailed his replies.

Karl Johnson: So you think ridership would be at the current levels if the accidents and numerous safety issues had not occurred?

CZ: Clearly the capacity of the system was reduced in the period after the June 22 collision, and that inevitably affected ridership. Even now, the effect of running entirely on manual doubtless impacts ridership. That said, the current forecast for the year (leading to the $40 million dollar gap the Board is now struggling with) is about a 2 percent drop in rail ridership over the previous year. In the current economy, that is at the moderate-to-low end of the spectrum for what is being experienced by transit systems nationally.

LisaJ: I just moved here from Boston where the MBTA is in huge financial trouble and has deferred maintenance for years. It’s gotten to the point where it’s almost unsafe to ride some of the trains. How can the Metro not fall down the slippery slope of deferring maintenance for too long?

CZ: Your concern is one that I and several of my Board colleagues share. It is why I opposed using capital funds to balance the budget last year, and why I am concerned about the proposal to close the current $40 million gap by diverting yet more capital funding. And, it is why this is the most critical question for the Board in approaching the budget for FY 2011 — and the projected $175 million gap.

As an aside, I would note that this is why the Metro Matters program initiated back in 2004 was so important, and why it is important that a follow on agreement for Metro Matters is put in place. (Metro Matters was an agreement between the jurisdictions served by Metro to provide money for maintenance of the system. Over the last six years, this agreement has provided about $3 billion for that very maintenance. Still, we have had to prioritize. Over the next ten years, we will have maintenance and expansion needs of at least $11 billion. The new federal money promised by last year’s legislation, even with the full state match, over a ten-year period, will only provide $3 billion. Thus, a follow on capital funding agreement is crucial. Even then, we will still have to prioritize our projects, always with an eye to safety.)

Kevin M. Will you make sure that WMATA staff considers and presents for public review multiple options for combinations of fare/fee increases and service cuts, including those options that may be requested by citizens and advocacy groups? Typically, the staff does not present a wide range of options, and the public is left to consider only what Metro has already decided it wants to do- that is not acceptable this time around!

CZ: I agree with your approach completely, in fact, it was the position I took on the budget last year, and it is again this year. I have argued strongly for this approach both on the upcoming 2011 budget, and for any measures to address the current year budget gap. Unfortunately, I was not successful last year, as the current Chairman of the Board takes a very different view.

Jason: Is there any timetable for when automatic train operation will resume? If not and the future of Metrorail is under manual operation, would there be some way to train operators to refine their operation and to stop at markers than to default to the front of the platform?

CZ: Trains will likely continue to operate in manual mode until after the NTSB issues its final report on the accident, and WMATA has put measures in place that will preclude an accident of this type from happening again. WMATA is somewhat handicapped in dealing with this, because of the imperative to respond to whatever NTSB ultimately says, and the protracted process by which they do their work. (No finding on the cause of the accident has yet been issued by NTSB.) They often take a full year before reporting. There is already preliminary work being done by WMATA, in anticipation of likely recommendations. Implementing anything will take months, in any case.

The practice of pulling trains to the far end of the platform was put in place because of the problem that some operators were “forgetting” that they were pulling 8-car consists, and were stopping at the mark for 6-cars, leaving some cars, and their passengers, in the tunnel. I don’t like it either.

Blue Line Rider in VA: Is the realignment [of some Franconia trains to go on the Yellow Line route] going take place? Can you estimate when?

CZ: This is a matter I expect the Board will be taking up in 2010. My own view is that we simply have got to take advantage of the only existing unused capacity over the Potomac River, which is the Metro bridge that carries the Yellow line (the “Fenwick Bridge”). Metrorail has only two ways across, and the Rosslyn tunnel has been used right up to capacity for years. The bridge can accommodate more trains right now. Meanwhile, the greatest growth in employment downtown is coming on the “east side”. This also points to the need to get more trains over the bridge and into L’Enfant.

Natalie Collins: Often it seems as though the increasing use of MetroAccess and the significant cost to the system are put forth, in the discussion of financial concerns, as if it is just another unfunded mandate making it hard for the rest of us. Could you discuss the costs of the service in the context of the benefit provided to the community it serves and to the community as a whole?

CZ: It would be difficult to adequately quantify the full value of the MetroAccess service to the region, as we discuss our budget. Paratransit attempts to fulfill the promise of one of our greatest values: opportunity for all. It is an expression of fundamental values of our society. These services provide mobility and access to employment and medical care, among other things, for numerous citizens with disabilities. There are also benefits to all of us when people with talents, who happen to have physical disabilities, are enabled to be part of the work force and fully participate in the life of the community. For all of these reasons, great resources have gone into making the regular system as accessible as possible for everyone, as well as into paratransit. Having said that, in the context of Metro budget discussions, it is a fact that the cost of paratransit service is not subsidized by the federal government, which requires the service by law. It is an unfunded mandate.

Karl Johnson: Is the board considering changing out high level management positions at all because of all of the problems that have happened in 2009? The public’s perception is that things need to change when significant accidents and issues continue to occur. The public has lost confidence in the Metro system.

CZ: In fact, the General Manager has recently made sweeping changes to the upper-level management of the Authority, including changes in key personnel and reporting relationships, and a restructuring of the administrative system. Personnel changes have included the replacement of the person in charge of operations (rail and bus), the chief safety officer, the chief administrative officer, and the head of communications. Nationwide recruitments are currently underway for several top positions, and the function of the management system (especially involving safety) is under intense scrutiny.

InArlington: To follow up on personnel costs, I’m wondering whether any WMATA employee, management or otherwise, will receive a bonus this year.

CZ: The proposed FY2011 budget contains no pay raises for employees other than those required by labor contract.

Natalie Collins: Isn’t it true that WMATA’s labor costs are in line with the labor costs for similar systems throughout the country?

CZ: I believe so, broadly speaking, though this is a complex question. If you look at the Federal Transit Administration’s National Transit Database you can compare numbers. In 2007, the most recent year compiled in the database, WMATA’s labor costs were about 70% of the operating expenses, while MBTA’s were 71%, while the Chicago Transit Authority was about 80% and New York City Transit was at 90%. Transit is a very labor intensive industry.

David T.: I noticed part of the deficit is a pension contribution. I get that this part of a collective bargaining agreement, but why should we have to pay fare increases so Metro workers’ can get 1950s-style benefit plans? Can Metro move away from a defined benefit pension plan?

CZ: The merits of defined-benefit versus defined-contribution approaches to retirement plans is a big subject, and I don’t think has a simple answer. (And I mean both the values for the employee and for the employer.)

It should probably be noted that there have been years, when the stock market was strong, in which the pension plan required no funding from Metro. Of course, with the economic downturn, the pension plan has suffered market losses that need to be made up.

Changes to the pension plan can theoretically be negotiated as part of the collective bargaining agreement, and Metro did propose significant changes. As a practical matter, WMATA has fairly little flexibility in such things, given the nature of the collective bargaining arrangements that are in place and mandatory arbitration. As you know, the recent arbitration is currently under appeal.

InArlington: “Governed by arbitration.”? Maybe that should be reconsidered?

CZ: Changing the requirement for arbitration would require a change to the Metro Compact, which requires the approval of all signatories to the Compact (the states of Maryland and Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Congress).

InArlington: What will it take to change the arbitration stipulations that governs the relations with union employees? An act of Congress?

CZ: The signatories of the Compact which governs Metro (State of Maryland, the Common Wealth of Virginia, and the District of Columbia) must all agree to any changes to that Compact.

Arlington: When will work begin on the Columbia Pike Streetcar? We are all really excited about it. What are the road blocks in the way?

CZ: The preliminary environmental engineering and design work is now underway. There is a Policy Advisory Committee, chaired by myself and Fairfax Supervisor Penny Gross, composed of local and state officials. There will shortly be a “Community Coordination Committee” announced that will include representative of all the communities along the alignment. This process should conclude within two years. It is hoped that construction can begin in 2012.

Glen at FCF: What are the prospects of extending the Columbia Pike Streetcar through Crystal City and into Potomac Yards? Are there other oppportunities for streetcars in Northern Virginia?

CZ: There is a “companion” project in the works for Pentagon City-Crystal City-Potomac Yards. (The two would meet at the Pentagon City Metro Station.) The Arlington County Board gave preliminary approval to an alignment in 2008, and this is incorporated in Crystal City re-planning that is underway.

It is easy to imagine extensions from this initial segment, generating a network that would connect major activity centers in Northern Virginia. Along Route 7, both north and south from Skyline, is an obvious possibility — and in fact, a light rail connection through Falls Church and up to Tyson’s Corner has been in Northern Virginia plans for about a decade now.

Arlington: Why aren’t there more bus routes that go into DC during off-peak hours? Too many buses stop at Rosslyn and Pentagon and make it harder to get to the going out areas of the district. It would be better to offer an alternative to going out, having drinks, and driving home.

CZ: This goes back to the development of Metrorail. As the system was opened and expanded, it was thought that the train should replace bus service, and that “redundant” service should be deleted. Eventually, this led to the elimination of almost all bus service over the river, even at peak times. In more recent years, with transit ridership booming and the rail system getting choked at peak hours and key points, there has been a new appreciation of the benefits of “complementary” service. (E.g., The 38B as “Orange line with a view.”) A few years ago, Arlington initiated the first new Metrobus service across the river since the advent of the rail system, with the 16Y (which runs from Columbia Pike over to Farragut and Macpherson). This has proven immensely popular, and led to the introduction of the 3Y (connecting Lee Highway to the District). These of course are rush-hour services.

The simple answer to your question, however, is the same as to the more general question, “Why aren’t there more buses?” It costs money. Initiating any new bus service is very difficult, given the inherent biases that are built into our transportation finance system. When it is possible, it is almost always in places and times that will have high demand — which means that it is almost always for peak times. If that does well, sometimes we can get extensions into off-peak. Of course, in the current economic and fiscal climate, those are the very services that will be targeted for cutting, as “inefficient.”

Karl Johnson: What is the board’s opinion on the Obama administration’s efforts to take over safety oversight of subway systems?

CZ: I strongly support federal oversight, including new standards and a new administrative apparatus to ensure compliance. At the December meeting the Board adopted a resolution I proposed to that effect, so WMATA is on record endorsing the concept.

SOS redline: Why not increase the lower end fares while capping the higher fares where they are currently. Why should we be paying $4.35 a trip when our brethren in NYC pay $2.25?

CZ: Riders on the subway in New York City pay $2.25 to move around within the City. If you want to travel from the suburbs beyond the City boundaries, you generally have to take commuter rail (Metro North, the Long Island Railroad, PATH), and you pay more. One of the unusual features of Washington’s Metrorail system is that it was developed to be both an urban circulator and a commuter line. That creates certain complexities. While some riders travel long distances and may fill a seat for 30 minutes, others only take short trips (and may never get to sit down). It wouldn’t make sense to charge them the same fare.

Fortunately, the state of technology had progressed from the beginning of the 20th Century, when New York’s subway was built, and so WMATA’s builders could create a fare system that is more equitable and efficient. This is one of the strength’s of the Metrorail system we have inherited.