The Likley Untimely Death of a Dream

As an advent supporter of public/mass transportation, I love to hear positive news concerning WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Tranist Authority) or Metro as it is (un)affectionately known around the National Capital Area. While the system is struggling to cope with increased ridership, higher fuel costs, and aging equipment it is still one of the best public transport systems in the nation.
As the region has continued to grow in size in volume, Metro has tried to expand as well. The system is often times attributed with feuling the burgeoning suburbs and providing [fairly] reliable transportation to and from the city for the many federal workers; the bezillion condos along I-66 and Rt. 50 in No.VA would never have been built without it. Since its ground breaking in 1976 Metro has a come a long way and hopes to continue to grow with the region.
A new hurdle looks to have been placed in-front of the agency future goals. An extension to the regions main international airport and thriving technology corridor, the Dulles project looks all but dead thanks to federal authorities no longer interested in chipping in. Due to the fact Metro has no dedicated source of funding, it is largely dependent on federal funding to keep running from year to year. With the what seems like constant squabbling over how to extend the rail to Dulles (underground or elevated track) through the Tysons Corner area, federal officials are backing down from their original funding promises.

Here's to hoping that the problems get corrected and that the system can one day be compared to the great systems of Western Europe.