A new study shows that Metro is having difficulty running its trains on time.


A meeting will be held Thursday downtown at Metro's headquarters addressing the issue. Equipment problems seem to be at the heart of the matter, including mechanical breakdowns which stop the trains and slow down the commute for D.C.-area workers.

Many commuters said they're dissatisfied with the service they're getting from Metro.  A report to be released on Thursday will show that on-time performance has been declining for the past 17 months, and that not once did the agency meet its goal of having 90 percent of all trains run on schedule.

The report comes just days after a record fare hike was put in place.

Last fall, service disruptions were up 30 percent over the same timeframe last year.

Metro faces an aging rail system, with some cars that are more than three decades old.

Metro officials said they will replace worn-out equipment faster to improve reliability and are also looking at doing a better job of cleaning up newspapers and other debris on the rail tracks that are sparking track fires, which have doubled from the previous year.