What with all of the problems D.C.’s Metro transit system is facing, this stupid idea is not helping (boldface mine):

Metro faces an $18 billion capital deficit over the next 10 years, news that shook regional lawmakers and prompted one to suggest privatizing the long-troubled transit agency….

Mr. Evans, who was elected chairman of the Metro Board of Directors in January, also noted that maintenance costs will total $10 billion over the next 10 years.

“We have no way of paying for that. Nothing,” he said. “The finances are worse than the operations.”

COG Vice Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau suggested privatizing the system as a major step to fix Metro’s financial mess.

“I haven’t heard that kind of discussion from the Metro Board,” said Mr. Letourneau, a Republican on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. “We just heard everybody talking about how Metro can’t fail and that it’s the spine of the region, so that needs to be on the table.”

Mr. Evans, a Democrat who represents Ward 2 on the D.C. Council, said that privatizing some parts of the regional subway system could happen but that it isn’t likely.

What’s more, he said it’s going to cost about $3 billion to replace the aging railcars with the new 7000 series.

Let’s ignore that, too often, privatization is nothing more than crony capitalism, U.S. style. First, it hasn’t proven to work very well: D.C.’s Circulator bus system–which is privatized–is a disaster that makes Metro look competent. Yes, that is an accurate statement.

Also, the entire UK rail system.

Second, it doesn’t solve the primary, and fundamental, problem: the system needs more money. Billions of dollars. No amount of savings due to privatization is going to fix that: what’s needed is for the municipalities to contribute more money.

That is a very difficult problem: while D.C. typically has been amenable to contributing more, it’s not clear what Maryland will do under Hogan. Virginia is a nightmare. At the state level, the Republicans believe every time a tax dollar is spent, God sheds a tear. Even if the local governments want to raise taxes, they are extremely limited by the Dillon Rule–they don’t have a lot of options to raise taxes other than the property tax.

Even if one claims privatization could save money (which I doubt), I can’t see how privatization could possibly come up with billions of dollars of funding.