Metro misses $300M in federal funds

Metro didn't make the cut for more than $300 million in federal funds this year, meaning the transit authority will have to wait yet another year before it moves ahead with proposed extensions of the light rail line. KHOU reports there were 15 projects this year that were at the same stage of development as the MetroRail expansion; five received a share of the Federal Transit Administration's $1.5 billion in recommendations for 2007. To our dismay, it seems Dallas was one of the cities recommended for FTA funding (although we have to admit that their rail system kicks MetroRail's butt).

The lack of funding doesn't mean the feds have written off Metro's plans — rather, it's based on an "assessment of the project's current strengths and weaknesses." Weaknesses? The train is helping to strengthen the gene pool! Unfortunately, that's kind of a hard sell for a transit system. Metro will likely apply for the federal money again next year.