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Notes: Metro takes station closures off the table after regional governments pledge more funding

By ALXnow.com

Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies and a high of 46 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind at 8 mph. Tuesday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to a chilly 28 degrees and a north wind around 6 mph.

🚨 You need to know

The Potomac Yard Metro station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke scaled back some of his earlier dire predictions for the transit system after promises of more funding from regional governments, WTOP reported.

Last year, Clarke set off alarm bells with statements that ten Metro stations — including the brand new Potomac Yard Metro station, pivotal to new arena plans — could be closed.

Clarke said in December that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) faced a $750 million budget shortfall. Since then, Clarke has been able to scrounge up $480 million from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. leaders.

WTOP reported that Maryland promised an additional $150 million while Virginia pledged $130 million. In Virginia, Metro funding has united leaders across a stark partisan divide.

The lion’s share of that funding is $200 million from D.C. The $480 million total is in addition to the $1.29 billion regional governments already contribute to Metro.

While station closures are no longer a looming threat, late-night and weekend fare increases might still go into effect, along with $38 million in cost-cutting from freezing salaries.

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  • This is the staff byline for ALXnow, used by editors and other full-time staff. Launched in October 2019, ALXnow is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Alexandria, Virginia.