Photo by Victoria Pickering

WMATA is firing hundreds of employees over the next few months. Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld sent a letter to WMATA’s senior staff today addressing plans for impending layoffs, a Metro spokesperson told DCist.

Wiedefeld says that about 500 positions, including staff positions that are redundant or “no longer deemed critical to Metro’s business interests,” are being axed from the transit system. This includes non-essential vacant positions as well.

Last month, Wiedefeld also fired 20 managers, including seven senior managers. A month earlier, at a hearing on Capitol Hill, the need for Metro to clean house was one of the only things everyone seemed to agree upon. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) said he wanted to see across-the-board personnel changes that went beyond senior management. “Given the depth of the problem, examples are going to have to be made out of people … a culture of mediocrity is no longer acceptable.”

The latest cuts are also coming as Metro begins its new fiscal year on Friday. Wiedefeld says it’s time to “operate in a businesslike manner and achieve cost savings” for the new beginning. While managers will learn which positions are being cut today, the firing process will take several months to complete, he adds.

In the letter, Wiedefeld also speaks about how he’s brought on new high-level officials to improve performance as well as focus on safety, reliability, and “putting our financial house in order.”

In April, Wiedefeld hired Patrick Lavin as Chief Safety Officer. Earlier this month, he announced that Laura Mason will oversee the system’s yearlong SafeTrack plan, which is now in its second surge. And last week, he announced the hiring of Joseph Leader as Chief Operating Officer.