Metro will reduce the number of station managers at some stops, News4 is first to report. It comes as the transit agency prepares for a rough financial year with additional cuts if more funding is not approved.
News4 obtained a letter sent to Metro employees informing them that starting Dec. 31, five D.C. stations each will lose one station manager after 9 p.m. on weekdays. The stations are:
- Farragut North
- Farragut West
- Judiciary Square
- L’Enfant Plaza
- Smithsonian
On weekends, each of these stations will have one fewer station manager for the entire day, with the exception of the Smithsonian station.
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Metro confirmed that they will reduce the number of station managers at some stops and said it will begin a day later, on Jan. 1.
“This change is part of Metro’s efforts to be as efficient as possible while facing unprecedented budget challenges,” a statement from Metro said.
There will be station managers at each of the five stations, but not as many as usual. Each of the stations has multiple station manager kiosks. Metro said they will post signs to let riders know which kiosk at each station is unstaffed.
The union that represents most Metro employees is unhappy with the news and said it potentially will endanger people.
"ATU Local 689 is against WMATA’s efforts to have unstaffed kiosks at Metro stations because it will put employees and passengers at risk,” they said in a statement.
The union said Metro would be “violating the collective bargaining agreement if they decide to unilaterally move forward with their plan.”
According to the union, both Metro and Local 689 need to come to an agreement before any changes to the job of a station manager are implemented. In this case, the union tells News4 they never agreed to anything.
The agency is bracing for a major financial storm next year. Metro has sounded the alarm for months that a $750 million budget gap is coming in 2024 and that if a solution isn’t found, it could change the transit system as we know it, potentially closing stations early and heavily cutting the number of trains running.
People who ride Metro every day had mixed reactions.
“I see on the news all the time that something happens and that there was a shooting or whatever. I just think, the less of the presence allows more of that type of behavior,” one rider said.
“It doesn’t bother me. I mean, more of a police presence maybe would help with some of the things that happen in Metro,” another rider said. “I don’t know how effective it is, though, having station managers, because people are going to jump the gate either way or do whatever they’re gonna do.”
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Metro said they chose the five stations using data showing low late-night and weekend usage.
