Photo by T.D. Ford

As expected, Metro stands to lose a cut of its federal funding as a result of the sequestration that went into effect earlier this month. The transit authority said yesterday that it will be seeing $8 million less in the current fiscal year, which will translate into delays to several of its long-term projects.

Among the affected projects are bus purchases, station renovations, and the rollout of a new payment system that would allow customers to swipe their credit cards or flash their smartphones directly at the turnstile, The Washington Post reports.

Metro officials initially feared the agency could lose more than $12 million in funding. But the cumulative effect of sequestration could still be much higher than that. With hundreds of thousands of federal workers being furloughed, Metro expects to see another dip in ridership that could cost it as much as $10 million.