TYSONS CORNER, Va. — Rep. Barbara Comstock, D-Va., said safety is the first priority for Metro, but said the system needs to make changes to its “bloated” system.
“The bloated system and the pension system, we know, is out of whack,” Comstock said.
Comstock made the remarks during a full-scale emergency responder drill at the Greensboro Metro Station on Sunday. Her comments come as Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld considers ways to overhaul the entire system. The Metro is already in the midst of an extensive maintenance initiative for its entire commuter rail system.
Comstock said the safety culture and the work culture need to change at Metro.
She also was critical of Metro’s spending and said Metro costs more to run than transit systems in Boston, San Francisco and New York.
“Those are very expensive cities, yet we run well ahead of them, “she said.
Contracting out repair work could help defray costs, she said.
“The maintenance records that we talked about at the hearing, we’re paying about $50 an hour for maintenance work with the current Metro contract,” Comstock said, “but Davis-Bacon wages, which are the union rate, are only about [$30] for this work.”
Comstock said they’re looking at what else can be contracted out, perhaps parking and Para-Transit, so then Metro’s focus can be on safety and reliable.
