Photo by Chris DiGiamo WMATA has released its schedule for public hearings on next year’s budget proposal. The transit agency is facing a $189 million budget gap in fiscal year 2011, and a variety of fare hikes and service reductions are on the table. Members of the public are invited to comment on those proposals (you can read through them all here) at six public hearings in March and April. All hearings are scheduled…

Photo by moworld Rumors flew wildly Wednesday night that Metro’s board would decide today to go ahead and make major service cuts in an effort to trim its budget deficit. Among the proposals: 30-minute headways on most Metrorail lines after 9:30 p.m. But the reality of today’s board meeting, as the Washington Post details, was that members were hard pressed to push forward on major service cuts, instead preferring a plan that would raise…

Photo by Kevin H. After months of grim budget headlines and a series of public meetings to gather input on how to handle it, Metro’s board met Thursday to talk concretely for the first time about looming fare hikes. The board is being asked to consider a combination of fare increases, service reductions, administrative cuts and dipping into the capital budget to help close an estimated $175.4 million gap in Metro’s FY2011 operating budget….