Metro Boss Randy Clarke Has a Message for Trump

WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke joined Dream City for a wide-ranging conversation about how he helped turn D.C.'s Metro system around, what America gets wrong about transit, and why the future of Washington depends on getting transportation right.Randy talked with Cuneyt and Tom about everything from fare evasion, permitting, and union tensions to the politics of building faster, the challenge of funding transit in a fragmented region, and what D.C. can learn from other cities around the world.They also get into RFK Stadium, the Gold Line, federal layoffs, and whether Clarke has any interest in a future Secretary of Transportation job.00:00 Introduction01:00 Randy Clarke's LA Visit04:39 The Man Behind the Local Celebrity12:56 Fixing Metro16:27 What America Gets Wrong About Transit20:30 Why Big Transit Projects Take So Long in America22:13 Automation, Unions, and the Fight Over Metro Staffing28:18 Randy Clarke vs. the Washington Post Editorial Board30:52 Fare Evasion, Free Buses, and Who Should Pay for Transit33:19 Why Metro Funding Is So Fragmented36:08 The Bus Network Redesign and the Push for Dedicated Bus Lanes41:19 RFK Stadium, the Gold Line, and Metro’s Future in D.C.47:53 “You Either Hate the Way Things Are, or You Hate Change”48:14 Does He Want To Be Secretary of Transportation?53:40 Trump, Federal Layoffs, and Metro’s Future Under the New Administration56:08 Randy Clarke’s Message to TrumpThe Dream City Podcast is supported by launch partner https://spotlightdc.org/.The Dream City Podcast will hold the powerful accountable and take you inside D.C.’s business and political worlds. Along the way: Revelatory conversations with city officials, business leaders, and the best-sourced journalists in town.The Dream City Podcast is a product of COSMOS Media LLC.