WMATA
WMATA on Jan. 15 released its second annual personalized ridership report.
This year’s report, “Metro Rewind,” builds off last year’s “Your Metro Report,” which the agency says nearly 100,000 customers used to learn about their ridership activity from 2023. It was the first report of its kind in the public transit industry, according to WMATA.
This year, the report includes more data analytics and creative elements to help users celebrate their ridership on Metro and learn how their travel patterns factor into their DMV identity.
Customers can head to MetroRewind.com for detailed information about their use of public transit last year including:
- Number of bus and rail trips.
- Rides by month.
- Where they rank among all Metro customers.
- Miles traveled on transit and how far that is across the globe
- How much carbon dioxide emissions they saved by taking transit instead of driving or ride-hailing.
- Most used Metrorail stations.
- Most used Metrobus routes.
- A recommendation for a new station they haven’t visited.
- Their Metro archetype (ex. 9-5er, Stop Collector, Explorer, and more).
- Number of stations visited.
- Option to buy merch for their top station.
In 2024, overall Metro ridership increased more than 12% across Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess compared to 2023, according to the agency. The system had more than 250 million passenger trips.
BART
The Passenger Information System on BART’s railcars is being updated to show major transit transfer connections at stations as part of a larger effort to make it easier for riders to navigate the Bay Area’s transit systems, the agency recently announced. The screens now also include the color of the BART line—not just the destination—to provide consistent information across all platforms and BART system maps.
Riders can now look at the six screens inside each BART railcar as they approach a station to see major transit lines they can board nearby. The screens will not only show transfers to other BART lines at that station but also transfers to San Francisco Muni Metro light rail Metro trains, cable cars, and street cars near BART’s San Francisco stations.
Amtrak connections will also appear at Richmond and Coliseum stations, and riders approaching Embarcadero Station will see an icon for ferry connections.
The screen update, BART says, demonstrates how Bay Area transit agencies are acting as one network to better serve the Bay Area. The effort is also part of BART’s ongoing efforts to make navigating the Bay Area’s transit connections and transfers easier so that people can seamlessly move between systems. Transit coordination is a key priority for Bay Area transit general managers, who meet on a weekly basis to discuss how regional transit can become even more rider-focused and efficient, the agency noted.
Last month, BART, Bay Area transit agencies, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) unveiled new test transit maps and signs designed to help make transit journeys easier to understand for both existing and new riders by delivering information that is “clear, predictable, and familiar across service areas and county lines.”
“By making maps, signage, and wayfinding easier to navigate for riders, we hope to improve the overall rider experience and boost ridership across the regional transportation network,” BART said.
MDOT
MDOT on Jan. 15 released its $21.2 billion Final CTP for Fiscal Years 2025-2030, fully funding projects that “prioritize safety and reliability while driving economic growth statewide.”
The balanced plan (download below) includes an additional $420 million in state transportation funding annually, beginning in Fiscal Year 2026. This investment, MDOT says, allows the Department to fully leverage all available federal funding and financing, turning a $420 million annual state investment into $695 million annually of new resources for the State’s transportation network. Furthermore, it enables the Department to meet state of good repair investment levels, “ensuring safe and reliable access to opportunity for more Marylanders.”
With the Final CTP for Fiscal Years 2025-2030, the Department says it is “making targeted investments in safety, system preservation, utilizing all available federal funding, growing our economy and working to make Maryland more competitive and affordable.” The release of the Final CTP, MDOT says, also reflects an extensive statewide public engagement process with a meeting in every Maryland county and Baltimore City to receive input from local officials and the public.
Highlights of the more than $21 billion program include:
- “Addressing critical state of good repair needs at the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and the State Highway Administration.
- “Modernizing of the Light Rail system in conjunction with the State’s $213 million federal grant award to purchase new and accessible vehicles.
- “Enhancing the economic competitiveness of the Port of Baltimore to maintain and expand its ability to drive growth and opportunity throughout the entire State.”
The six-year Final CTP outlines capital investments in each mode funded by the Transportation Trust Fund: Maryland Aviation Administration, Maryland Port Administration, MTA, Motor Vehicle Administration, State Highway Administration and The Secretary’s Office, as well as Maryland’s investment in WMATA. The Maryland Transportation Authority’s toll facilities are financed, constructed, operated and maintained with toll revenues paid by customers using those facilities.
RTA
Announced with a speech by Chairman Kirk Dillard at the City Club of Chicago on Jan. 15, RTA released “Transforming Transit,” a $1.5 billion vision aimed at “shaping the future of transit funding and governance ahead of the 2025 legislative session, which must resolve transit’s historic funding gap.”
The agency, along with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, Pace, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and advocacy organizations, are advocating for $1.5 billion in new annual operating funding from state and local sources to not only fill the $770 million budget gap that represents 20% of the regional operating budget, but double down on service in ways that will “increase ridership, stimulate the economy, and mitigate climate change.”
“Transforming Transit” (download below) lays out what improvements to the system could be possible with this level of sustainable operations funding coupled with governance reforms aimed at improving rider experience regionwide.
“Our regional transit system has been drastically underfunded for decades; while systems in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia get up to 50% of their funding from their state governments, state funding here makes up about 17%” said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. “We know our riders deserve world-class service. To provide it, we need to secure sustainable funding. And this document describes exactly what our riders and our region could get out of this level of investment.”
With $1.5 billion in additional operating funding from state and local sources and continued capital investment, service investments would include more frequency on existing routes, route extensions, more routes offering weekend and off-peak service, or new routes. Adequate funding would allow a strengthened RTA to oversee region-wide service standards that cut customer wait times for transit by as much as 50%. Examples of potential rider impacts include:
- “City rail wait time of 3-6 minutes: The ‘L’ could operate every 5-10 minutes all day, every day. This predictability means more convenient service midday, evenings, and overnight throughout the week.
- “Regional rail wait time of 15-30 minutes: As commuter rail services transition to a regional rail service structure, it could lead to an increase of frequency on select lines to 30-60 minutes all day every day—not just during rush hour. This means reducing midday gaps in service and increasing evening and weekend service.”
The RTA is also proposing a historic restructuring of the region’s transit governance to “maximize the impact of new operating funding and ensure all riders experience an improved, reliable, efficient, integrated transit network.”
While seeking new funds, the RTA is working with CTA, Metra and Pace to increase efficiencies and achieve cost savings. RTA is proposing that any new operating funding beyond filling the budget gap can only be used for operations to improve and expand service—not to fund administrative or management positions.
A stronger RTA, the Authority says, “would play a key role in saving costs through consolidating similar functions.” The RTA estimates overhead efficiencies of $50 million a year. Additionally, a fare increase of 10 % would generate $50 million, bringing the agency and rider contribution to partly addressing the cliff to $100 million.
Rather than distributing key responsibilities across organizations as is done today, the RTA’s proposed reforms would result in one agency—the RTA—being accountable to riders and legislators on the most important systemwide issues: fares, service quality and capital investment. State law currently does not empower the RTA to engage proactively in these interrelated areas and doesn’t grant the agency the authority to institute changes and improvements throughout the year.
More information is available here.
