Washington - Metro went to court Wednesday morning to take on a Belgian bank which wants to call in a $43 million loan that was guaranteed by financially-troubled AIG.

Metro has so much riding on this case because it is not the only financing deal that the transit authority is involved with; there are more than a dozen others, and today's decision could trigger a chain reaction.

It was a long-term financial deal reached six years ago, an agreement between Belgian bank KBC Group and Metro. When the market went south, KBC pointed to the collapse of AIG, which guaranteed the loan, as reason to collect $43 million.

If the suit is successful, other banks could follow suit. Right now, Metro has 14 other financing deals with other banks worth more than $400 million. It has already sought help from a federal judge, the Federal Reserve, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and members of Congress.

In a letter to Sec. Paulson, Metro officials argue that without help the transit system would be forced into a "a state of disrepair, which would impact the federal government as well as the region as a whole, as nearly half of our weekday riders are federal employees."

If Metro loses its case Wednesday, the already cash-strapped transit authority could be forced to immediately cut $25 million from its capital budget, which would mean less money for things like repairs to stations and trains, and replacing train cars and buses.

On the stand Wednesday morning, Metro's chief financial officer said service disruptions were among the agency's greatest concerns, at a time when demand is at an all time high.

That, coupled with the upcoming and likely well-attended presidential inauguration would make it, the CFO argued, a "perfect storm we had not anticipated."