Metro leaders worry about crash report 'wild card'

Metro faces what may be its worst ever financial situation, and board members envision a point in early 2010 when they will have to go to the public with proposals to raise fares and cut service. Today, several of them expressed frustration that Metro still doesn't know what federal investigators think caused the fatal June 22 crash on the Red Line.

What they do know is that the National Transportation Safety Board will eventually issue recommendations designed to correct whatever problems caused the crash. But it's very unlikely that those recommendations will be issued in time to become part of the capital budget proposed for the fiscal year starting in July.

General Manger John B. Catoe Jr. and the board are committed to carrying out the safety recommendations, but it makes for difficulties in creating a realistic capital budget. Board Chairman Jim Graham called this the "giant wild card" in the budget.

"We still don't know what it is that we're to be fixing," Graham said.