Metro is considering running trains earlier on the weekends, starting them at 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
In the long term, there’s a lot of funding that’s going to be needed, and running trains an hour earlier on weekends would cost about $3 million per year. It’s unclear how that cost would translate to riders or taxpayers.
In a document posted on Metro’s website, the transit agency says it will likely face challenges doing some maintenance across the system unless billions more dollars are directed toward the transit agency. There likely will be more calls for things like a sales tax designated for Metro.
“We need a dedicated, predictable source of revenue,” Metro CEO and General Manager Randy Clarke said. “It’s a public service, and we’re not going to solve everything on fares.”
The Metro Board will talk this week about the early opening and long-term funding needs.
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