Editorial: Hope, at Last, for Metro

One small step for Congress; one large step, perhaps, for the region

CONGRESS TOOK a step this week toward allaying one of the gravest threats to the infrastructure, economy and security of this region: the wobbly finances and unpromising long-term solvency of the Washington area's Metro transit system.

Moving on a bill that has languished for two years, the House voted overwhelmingly to authorize $1.5 billion in federal funding for Metro over 10 years if all three jurisdictions it serves -- Virginia, Maryland and the District -- provide matching funds, as indeed all three have pledged to do.

It was encouraging that the vote was a lopsided 295 to 127, with 67 Republicans joining a nearly unanimous Democratic caucus in support of the measure, which took the form of an amendment tacked onto a $15 billion funding bill for Amtrak. But serious hurdles remain, including sharp differences with the Amtrak bill that has cleared the Senate -- and does not include the Metro funding scheme -- and a presidential veto threat against the House version.

Still, it's useful to keep a sharp focus on what's so important about the Metro funding plan, which was first proposed by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, a Northern Virginia Republican, and got a key push in the House from Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Montgomery County Democrat, and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland. The legislation would provide for Metro what every other major transit system in the nation already has -- a dedicated, long-term source of funding for big-ticket capital and maintenance projects. That would be critical even if Metro were in relatively solid financial shape and served a steady ridership. In fact, the transit system is steadily deteriorating because of its age, deferred maintenance and ridership numbers that have grown dramatically in recent years and are now jumping as high fuel prices prompt motorists to seek alternatives to their cars.

The federal commitment to Metro is as old as the system itself. Congress appropriated about 60 percent of the cost of the original 103-mile network and, as Mr. Hoyer pointed out, passed legislation authorizing further funding in 1965, 1969, 1979 and 1990. Today, the peril facing the system is grave; Metro officials have identified $489 million in upkeep and repair projects needed within five years, and half that money is needed in the next two years. In the absence of a financial shot in the arm from Congress, along with the matching funds that the states and the District are ready to provide, the nation's showcase transit system will fall into serious disrepair.