Maryland lawmakers call for overhaul of Washington Metro governance, funding

A group of Maryland lawmakers has proposed an overhaul of the Washington-area subway system that would give the struggling rail network the dedicated funding its leaders say it needs.

The lawmakers are calling for a radical restructuring of the Metro system's board of directors. Their proposal, released Monday, would also leave it up to the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to decide how to come up with the $500 million in annual dedicated funding that Metro's general manager has called for.

Metro is the nation's only major subway system without a tax that provides direct funding. It relies on annual subsidies from the three jurisdictions and the federal government.

The lawmakers proposing the overhaul are all Democrats from the Washington suburbs.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-metro-overhaul-20170619-story.html