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Metro’s continuing ridership recovery is expected to generate an additional $20 million in passenger revenue during fiscal year 2026, giving the regional transit system more money for service and infrastructure.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority now projects $464 million in passenger revenue for FY 2026, which begins July 1. Its FY 2027 forecast has risen by $29 million from estimates released the previous fall, reaching $482 million.

Metro expects riders to take 257 million trips during the current fiscal year, followed by 270 million in FY 2026 and 275 million in FY 2027. The trips are projected to be divided roughly evenly between Metrobus and Metrorail.

Officials said the updated estimates would extend Metro’s streak of ridership growth, which has continued for 45 consecutive months.

“We are excited to see ridership returning and revenue increasing, which allows Metro to prudently invest in services and infrastructure where most needed,” WMATA Board Chair Valerie Santos said.

Metrobus usage has already surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while Metrorail continues to trail its former ridership. Rail numbers could receive another boost as government and private-sector employees return to offices nearly five years after the COVID-19 pandemic sent many white-collar workers home.

WMATA reported that the morning rush periods on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 24 and 25, were Metrorail’s busiest since the pandemic.

Despite the additional fare revenue, passenger payments will cover only a fraction of the subsidies needed to operate the Washington region’s primary transit network.

Metro’s projected FY 2026 operating expenses remain unchanged at $2.63 billion. However, the stronger fare forecast will allow the agency to reduce the amount transferred from its preventive-maintenance capital budget into operating accounts.

Virginia’s expected contribution toward Metro operations in FY 2026 has declined by $1 million from the previous estimate to $495 million. Its projected FY 2027 subsidy remains unchanged at $510 million.

Passenger revenue totaled $666 million in the fiscal year from July 2018 through June 2019. It fell to $485 million the following fiscal year after the pandemic arrived in March 2020, then plunged to $102 million between July 2020 and June 2021 before beginning its recovery.