Metro Clean-Up: Nice Idea but right priority?

Today's puff-piece in the Washington Post regarding Metro's efforts to systematically clean their stations is pleasant but....is this really the most important priority for a transit system that has been shown to be, shall we say, problematic.

In the scheme of things the 7.5 million dollars per year dedicated to clean-up operations is small change , unfortunately Metro faces a 40 million dollar deficiency in its current budget and a 175 million dollar deficiency in next years budget.

At the same time Metro attempts to replace 1000 series railcars and remedy the underlying technical problems which were behind the June 22nd, 2009 Fort Totten Metro crash.

The bottom-line, Metro needs dedicated funds from both regional stakeholders and the federal government, not merely for cleaning but for safety and continuing operations.