March 17, 2016 9:06AM # Does DC Need Metro Rail? By [Randal O’Toole](https://www.cato.org/people/randal-otoole) --- SHARE Yesterday’s shutdown of the Washington Metro rail system was supposed to result in horrible congestion. In fact, as [reported](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/washington-braces-for-full-day-of-metro-shutdown-to-deal-with-safety-concerns/2016/03/16/42324598-eb3f-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-low_commutenew-1015am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) in the *Washington Post*, congestion was “[normal](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#7572c554-3e35-47c9-b03c-d6062af48dbc),” with a little heavier traffic than usual in some places and lighter in others. A few people [hadn’t gotten the word](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#a6af91cb-3a6d-4367-b8e3-d53ec06e8bfc), but most made other plans. Some people took the bus, but many buses had [empty seats](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/washington-braces-for-full-day-of-metro-shutdown-to-deal-with-safety-concerns/2016/03/16/42324598-eb3f-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-low_commutenew-1015am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory). Some people took taxis, but some taxi drivers reported [no more business](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#fe0413f6-8fb4-458b-980c-fbb760847b38) than usual. Pedestrian and bike traffic across the Key Bridge [doubled](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#c5deba67-46a3-442d-9114-8ea8a4a0ea06), but that just meant 1,150 more than usual. Capital Bikeshare parking slots downtown were [full](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#a8533a60-8783-42d5-9b5d-b391ddcb49c2), indicating more people used them to commute to work than usual. [Uber, Lyft](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#7572c554-3e35-47c9-b03c-d6062af48dbc), and [ZipCar](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#a37f2642-f79a-46d6-aff6-623b6e1b9eeb) all had good days, showing that private enterprise is alive and well. Some commuters vowed to [buy a car](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog-live/liveblog/updates-d-c-metro-shutdown/#2a2873a6-00ec-4315-8fd1-461d60283b0c) and stop taking the Metro, more because it was generally unreliable than this particular shutdown. The *Washington Post*’s architecture critic claims that the shutdown happened because “[we decided](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/03/16/metro-closed-shutdown-dysfunction-infrastructure-decay/?hpid=hp_hp-cards_hp-card-arts%3Ahomepage%2Fcard) to let our cities decay.” In fact, it’s because politicians decided that spending money on new construction projects, such as the [Silver](https://wamu.org/news/16/03/07/among_metros_hard_truths_are_silver_line_problems_with_no_easy_fix) and [Purple](http://aneconomicsense.org/2014/09/28/the-high-cost-of-the-purple-line-light-rail-transit-project-free-bus-service-would-be-cheaper-for-everyone-and-provide-a-better-service/) lines, would benefit their political careers more than spending it maintaining the existing system. Before that, it’s because politicians decided to saddle Washington with an expensive, obsolete technology that the region can’t afford to maintain. Metro needs to spend [$1.1 billion ](https://wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/092508_CapitalNeedsSeptBoard092508final.pdf)a year on maintenance to keep the system from deteriorating; it spent about a third of that in 2014, so it’s getting worse every year. Yesterday’s lack of chaos suggests that Washington can get along without the rail system. It certainly can’t afford to keep it. It’s time to think about alternatives. ##### Related Tags [Energy and Environment](https://www.cato.org/research/energy-environment) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).