Metro Needs a President Committed to Transit

By U.S. Rep. James Moran
October 14, 2008

Our region scored a big victory last month with passage of a bill authorizing $1.5 billion in federal funds to operate and provide system upgrades to the 103-mile Metro rail system. The bipartisan proposal spearheaded by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) implements a cost sharing agreement requiring Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to dedicate Metro funding before federal funds will be released. Metro remains the only public transit system in the U.S. without a dedicated source of revenue, an impediment to needed improvements and strategic, long term planning. Further, Dulles International remains the only national capitol airport among modern nations without rail service.

While the bill passed Congress on a strong, overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, I was troubled that the Republican nominee for President, Senator John McCain, joined a small minority of members in voting against Metro. In fact, the statement released by his office after the vote explicitly singled out the Metro funding package as the reason for his “no” vote.

Northern Virginia, with the second highest traffic congestion in the nation, needs leadership in the White House that recognizes the importance of public transit.  We simply cannot pave our way out of the transportation challenges facing our region.  Public transit is the centerpiece of our region’s transportation infrastructure, conserving energy and providing residents a cost effective way to get around, especially with record high gas prices. Metro also helps tourists from all across America explore their nation's capital.  And Metro is necessary to our federal government's most basic functions, as it is used by more Federal employees than any other transit system in our country.

Regrettably, Senator McCain’s opposition to Metro is not limited to this one vote. He is also an opponent of federal funding for rail to Dulles.  Fortunately, some of my Republican colleagues – Tom Davis and John Warner -- have called on Senator McCain to support the expansion to Dulles.  I am hopeful that their efforts will educate the Senator on the importance rail has on the region, so that the next major vote involving Metro and Dulles rail will result in a different outcome.

There has been an absence of leadership in the White House over the last 8 years on public transportation.  In fact, the Department of Transportation under the current administration has repeatedly thrown up obstacles to the Dulles rail project. Northern Virginia simply cannot afford four more years of ideological indifference to our region and our country’s public transportation. Given the region’s unified support for improving and expanding public transit of all kinds, Senator McCain’s opposition to Metro, our nation’s subway, is simply inexcusable and unacceptable.