The Trump administration has called on leaders in the District of Columbia to upgrade the safety and security of the city’s transit systems “to restore greatness to our nation’s capital.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made this request in letters sent Thursday to Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority CEO Randy Clarke and Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner.
The letters call for improved passenger security, crime reduction and roadway safety measures. Specific recommendations include asking Amtrak to consider placing Homeland Security agents inside Union Station, citing violent assaults and killings in the past month.
“The president has called for people to return to office, and it is critical we ensure workers’ safety during their daily commute,” Mr. Duffy said in a statement. “That is why I am taking action to direct those responsible for ensuring safety for passengers and workers in D.C. to make necessary improvements and upgrades. Our nation’s capital should be a beacon of safety and cleanliness for all who work, live and visit.”
He said his goals include “reducing crime and fare evasion on the D.C. metro system and bus system to ensure people using public transit feel safe.”
The office of Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, declined to comment on the letters.
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WMATA and Amtrak, which manages Union Station, didn’t respond to emails from The Washington Times seeking comment.
D.C.’s public transportation system has suffered from a post-pandemic drop in Metrobus and Metrorail ridership, driven by former weekly commuters shifting to remote work in Virginia and Maryland.
Metrorail averaged 626,000 daily riders in 2019. That number fell to 177,000 in 2020 and 136,000 in 2021.
To offset revenue declines following the end of pandemic stimulus funding, Ms. Bowser eliminated the underutilized Circulator bus service last year. She also included $218 million to support the struggling Metro system in her fiscal 2025 budget.
Metro has also seen a sharp spike in fare jumping at rail stations since the D.C. Council decriminalized evasion in 2018, removing the threat of a $300 fine and up to 10 days in jail. Violators have rarely been punished since then, although the city installed higher fare gates in 2023.
In his letter to WMATA’s CEO, Mr. Duffy directed the agency to provide information to the Federal Transit Administration about safety practices, expenditures, funding and initiatives. He noted that federal funding is available to assist in tightening security.
“The riders and workers of WMATA deserve nothing less,” the secretary wrote.
Problems at Union Station since the pandemic have included a surge in vandalism, violent crime and homeless encampments in front of the building, which the city began removing with bulldozers in late 2021.
Writing to Amtrak’s CEO, Mr. Duffy directed the quasi-public corporation to submit an updated Crime Prevention Plan within 30 days. The plan must include details about how Amtrak railroad police coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and track security expenditures.
“Amtrak must show that it understands its obligations and is capable of protecting users of the station,” Mr. Duffy wrote.
In his letter to the mayor, the secretary raised concerns about the city’s compliance with federal safety standards and requested a written report from the District Department of Transportation within 30 days.
He said the report must include a list of traffic signs, signals and pavement markings that have been obscured by “murals or other forms of artwork” that could distract motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
“These practices provide no demonstrated safety or operational purpose, adversely impact the effectiveness of other traffic control devices, and were installed intentionally to draw attention to their message rather than to promote the safety and mobility of road users and efficient use of the roadway in accordance with statute and regulation,” Mr. Duffy wrote.
The letter came one day after Ms. Bowser said she would remove the city’s huge “Black Lives Matter” plaza mural and road name on a stretch of 16th Street NE because she has “bigger fish to fry” than to risk losing federal funding over it. The mural was installed in June 2020.
“While I recognize that there is frustration, and people want someone to blame or they want somebody to be mad at, I don’t think that’s where we are in D.C.,” Ms. Bowser said Wednesday. “I think we’re in the place where we’re locking arms. They want us to be smart and strategic and get to the other side. And that’s my job — I’m going to navigate us to the other side.”
