The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) has received a 104 million USD grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to convert its Cinder Bed Road bus garage to exclusively serve electric buses.
The Low or No Emission Vehicle grant was delivered to the transit agency at the depot by FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool.
This funding will help Metro achieve its goal of transitioning nine bus garages and nearly 1,600 buses to zero-emission operations by 2042.
A portion of the new Cinder Bed Road facility will be dedicated to housing and charging Fairfax County’s electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses that will operate between Fort Belvoir and Huntington Metrorail Station by 2030.
“FTA is proud to support WMATA’s renovation of the Cinder Bed Bus Garage as it moves toward achieving its ambitious goal to replace its entire fleet with electric buses that run on greener and cleaner fuel sources. Riders and residents in the Capital region can be proud that WMATA is leading the charge.”
The grant will also support the purchase of battery-electric buses for the region, alongside workforce development and training to run the new fleet and the upgraded facility.
In addition to the Cinder Bed Road facility, Metro’s new Northern and Bladensburg bus garages are currently being built to support zero-emission buses, while a new Western Bus Garage is also being planned.
“This federal award for Cinder Bed Road is a significant step toward achieving the Metro Board’s goal of transitioning to an entirely zero-emissions bus fleet as quickly as possible. I’m excited to see electric buses leaving this garage to provide our customers with safe, clean, and efficient transit, and look forward to partnering with Fairfax County on their all-electric Bus Rapid Transit service out of this facility.”
