Fairfax County is likely to receive most, but not all, of the funding it is seeking through a regional transit grant program.
The county’s request for just under $4.4 million in funding to support a new limited-stop Fairfax Connector service between the Tysons and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations has been removed from the list of projects being considered for the fiscal years 2027-2028 I-66 Commuter Choice funding cycle.
Fairfax County supervisors voiced cautious optimism last Tuesday (Feb. 3) about Metro’s proposed fiscal year 2027 operating and capital budgets.
“A financially stable and reliable transit network is essential to the economic vitality of Fairfax County, Northern Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and the entire metropolitan region,” county leaders said in a letter to Valerie Santos, who chairs the Metro board of directors.
It wasn’t unanimous, but the leaders of Virginia’s largest locality have gone on record supporting a regional plan for funding to sustain Metro into the future.
With a 8-1 vote on Dec. 9, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors backed the DMV Moves initiative started by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to identify dedicated funding options for the rail and bus transit system.
Workers and visitors at Capital One Center can now take a more direct route to and from the McLean Metro station.
After years of planning and construction, a new entrance with bicycle parking has opened on the station’s north side facing Capital One Drive, providing easier access to the development on Capital One’s Tysons campus, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced last week (Nov. 17).
A plan to upgrade Metro’s service and long-term sustainability by establishing dedicated funding for the transit system won backing Monday afternoon (Nov. 17) from two key panels.
The boards of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) each formally endorsed the funding plan laid out in late October by the DMV Moves Task Force at a joint meeting.
Virginia’s state and local governments would be required to come up with $136 million annually in additional funding for Metro rail and bus service starting in mid-2027, if recommendations from a key regional task force make it through a still-uncertain future.
The DMV Moves task force approved a nonbinding framework yesterday (Wednesday) for increased, dedicated capital spending in support of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It recommends $460 million in additional funding split between Virginia, Maryland and D.C., starting in fiscal year 2028 and rising after that at a rate of 3% per year.
On-time Metrobus performance declined in fiscal year 2025 from the previous two years, leading transit leaders to plan more aggressive moves to keep the buses on schedule.
“We’ll be focusing on things in our direct control,” said Jordan Holt, senior director of performance, benchmarking and customer service at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) at the Sept. 11 meeting of WMATA’s safety and operations committee.
While regional leaders continue to discuss a path forward for funding transit, Metro is turning to the public for help on deciding a look for its newest trains.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) unveiled three options today (Monday) for the exterior design of its incoming 8000-series rail fleet, which is expected to arrive next year.
Metro’s summer celebration will be held in Vienna this weekend.
Transit fans of all ages can indulge in a variety of WMATA-themed activities at MetroFest on Saturday (July 26), providing them a behind-the-scenes look at the D.C. region’s largest public transportation provider.
Blue Line riders be aware: there’s some rehabilitation work coming up this month that will close parts of the route in Fairfax, though replacement buses will be available.
Metro reminded riders in a release that the upcoming track work is scheduled to run from Saturday, July 5, through Saturday, July 26.
