Traffic and congestion in Northern Virginia dramatically affects the quality of life for residents and workers in the area.  By improving National Capital Region transportation, including our Metrorail system, we can provide an alternative to rising energy costs and reduce the number of cars on the road.
 

My colleagues and I have consistently called for dedicated, federal funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). As a result, this vital federal funding has been authorized at $150 million per year, with Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia providing matching funds.   As the employer of nearly half of all rush-hour Metro riders, the federal government has a special responsibility to its workers and the region to support Metro’s revitalization. 


I supported passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to revive our struggling economy by investing in long-standing needs throughout the country. As a result, the U.S. Department of Transportation dedicated $77.3 million to accelerate work on Northern Virginia’s Dulles Corridor Metrorail extension. This funding brings Northern Virginia one step closer to a crucial Metrorail extension that will relieve congestion, improve quality of life and foster sustained economic growth in the region.


Through the ARRA, Virginia has also received $116 million in funding for mass-transit projects. These funds have been distributed to both urban and rural areas through the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Capital Grants program. Funds will be spent on a wide range of public transit investments including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, and high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes.

I have also cosponsored the National Metro Safety Act with Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, to establish strong federal safety standards for transit systems.  The bill was originally introduced a month after the 2009 Metro crash near the Fort Totten station – the deadliest crash in the history of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) rail system.  Rail transit, which carries 14 million daily riders, is the only mode of transportation without federal safety standards, oversight and enforcement.