Randy Clarke, the new General Manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), spoke to the COG Board of Directors at its September meeting, sharing his plans and priorities for Metro to provide safe, reliable transit with a strong focus on customer service.
“As the leader of the organization, one of the things that I want to lean on is a culture of continuous improvement. The only way you can have a culture of continuous improvement is to admit when things are wrong,” said Clarke, who was joined by WMATA Board of Directors Chair Paul Smedberg for his presentation.
COG Board Chair and Arlington County Board Vice Chair Christian Dorsey noted that residents of the metropolitan Washington region have not experienced Metro at its highest level of service in a considerable amount of time, drawing attention to the need to increase trust among the public.
Responding to these concerns, Clarke emphasized the importance of partnership between all stakeholders, stating “we want the community and all the stakeholders to feel that it is your system,” as he shared plans to roll-out performance dashboards and increased public communications. With these and other improvements, Clarke aims to deliver a better travel experience for customers and rebuild public trust of the system.
Clarke also noted encouraging developments—including the phased return of Metrorail’s 7000 series rail cars and the forthcoming opening of the second segment of the Silver Line. Regarding safety, Clarke stressed the importance of being “fact-driven” when talking about the rail system. He said if you took the amount of measurements Metro has done with no actual change in wheel migration on the 7000 fleet, “that would be the equivalent of driving around the beltway 29,000 times without a failure.”
Board members were eager to hear specifics from Clarke on a timeline to address these current challenges. He said Metro should have the tools available to manage issues in the next fiscal year, while remaining focused on critical maintenance and safety issues. Clarke identified 2024 as the fiscal year to develop a plan to bridge the system’s funding gap.
“Don’t wait too long to come to us and tell us what you need,” advised COG Board Vice Chair and D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen to Clarke.
Equity and economic opportunity are also a primary focus for the COG Board, with board members and Clarke sharing the belief of Metro as essential for connecting residents of all socio-economic backgrounds to opportunity.
As Clarke outlined for the COG Board his intent to lead WMATA through a strategic visioning process, several members expressed the need for additional investment in Metro’s bus network, recognizing existing disparities in the quality of service provided between bus and rail, with bus lines seeing greater use in lower-income areas and communities of color.
Allen pressed the importance of bus access, asking “As you think about the challenges ahead, how are you looking at rail and bus recovery in a way that doesn’t sacrifice one over the other?”
Clarke, noting “the actual workers that fuel the economy… most of them are taking a bus trip,” shared with the board current efforts on hiring bus drivers to restore service, particularly on those corridors where residents have a high reliance on transit.
Given the ongoing shift in travel patterns among bus and rail riders, he said Metro will have to thoroughly reexamine its service plan going forward and noted plans for its “bus network redesign” project.
Looking to future growth and development of the region, Smedberg expanded on Metro’s plans to take a comprehensive look at “how people are going to use the system in the future,” emphasizing that a transit system that is responsive to residents’ needs is critical for the success of the region.
“The Monday-Friday, 9 to 5 commuter, which has been the bread and butter, is gone… They’re not necessarily going to the ‘core’ anymore,” he explained.
COG leaders are currently focused on adding more housing and development around Metrorail and other high-capacity transit station areas as a key part of their Region United planning framework for 2030.
The COG Board and WMATA leaders are unified in the desire to maintain a strong partnership, distinguished by frequent and open communication and a shared investment in the success of the region. As COG Board Member and Prince William County Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey summarized,
“We need Metro in its entirety. How do we expand it, and make it better, and make the relationships and partnerships even better? You want to be here. And that means something,”
To watch/listen to this conversation and other items from the September COG Board meeting, visit the event page.