Good morning. This is The Washington Sun Metro newsletter for Oct. 6, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!
In today’s newsletter: A floated fare increase, Ovipalooza and DMV homes with a view.
Capital Weather’s Daily Digit — 9/10. A slightly cool but absolutely awesome autumn day. We can soak it in and enjoy as we look forward to at least a few more sunny days ahead too! Full forecast from Capital Weather.
THE LATEST
Trending
Inflation in the station: WMATA is proposing an 11.1% fare increase to keep pace with inflation, The Washington Sun’s Justice Covert reports.
The transit authority’s Finance and Capital Committee will discuss the proposal at a Thursday meeting. It would raise the cost of riding Metro to between $2.50 and $7.50 starting in fiscal year 2028, up from the current $2.25 to $6.75 range.
The move is expected to generate $40 million to $45 million in revenue, but also result in 8 million fewer trips. Fares were last hiked in 2024 by 12.5%. The proposed increase would apply to all fares, including Metro Access.
“It’s understandable given inflation,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, pointing to higher fuel costs. “It’s, overall, a relatively modest increase.”
The fare increase is just one reform WMATA is proposing. Another is a universal youth fare program that would offer all children ages 5 to 18 who live in the DMV free rides on the Metrobus and Metrorail — WMATA’s proposal said that it would cost $7 million and add 900,000 trips.
Not everyone is convinced that initiative and other reforms go far enough to offset the increase.
“At a time when bus ridership is down and Metro is cracking down on fare evaders, higher fares are a big turn off for riders, especially people on fixed incomes,” Alex Baca, D.C. policy director at GGWash, said in a statement shared with The Sun. “As budget season approaches, we’re hopeful that Metro will work with local jurisdictions to find a funding solution that doesn’t hurt the hundreds of thousands of people across our region who rely on transit.”
The committee will not take any action on the proposal on Thursday. WMATA officials recommend the Metro Board of Directors schedule a public hearing to collect feedback before implementing the changes.
DEEP DIVE
Get ready for six months of Ovipalooza.
By announcing he will retire at the end of this Washington Capitals season, superstar Alexander Ovechkin has ensured this 2026-27 NHL campaign — beginning with Wednesday night’s Capitals home opener at Capital One Arena — will serve as one long farewell tour for the league’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Monday’s announcement was unsurprising — Ovechkin, 41, has seen his ice time and production decline in recent years — but it still landed like a high-stick to the teeth, particularly here in Washington, where Ovechkin has spent the entirety of his 22-year NHL career.
Twenty-five years ago this summer, another iconic athlete from this region — who also wore uniform No. 8 and spent his entire career on one team — launched a similar farewell tour. Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. was feted by every team in the league in his final stop at each stadium, culminating in a memorable send-off at Camden Yards.
But there is one major difference between Ripken and Ovechkin: While the former was universally beloved across the country, Ovechkin’s association with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, for whom he has been a frequent and public supporter, will almost certainly complicate the atmosphere in each road city when Ovipalooza comes to town.
The Capitals, meanwhile, are planning to celebrate the “Great 8” on the eighth of each month this season — but even here the reaction might be mixed, as the group D.C. Stands With Ukraine plans to protest Ovechkin’s ties to Putin before Wednesday night’s home opener, saying, “We’ll be there to send a clear message to Ovechkin, the Capitals, their sponsors and the venue: support for mass murderers has consequences.”
FROM THE DISTRICT
Democracy, delivered. Make sure to check your mailbox, because D.C. residents should start receiving their ballots for the November election in the mail this week. If you’re really gunning to do your civic duty early, 55 ballot drop boxes will open across D.C. on Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. and will remain accessible until the polls close on Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. All registered voters will get a ballot mailed to them, but if for some reason you don’t get one by Oct. 30, plan to vote in person.
Food insecurity throughout the region has increased as access to SNAP and Medicaid benefits became limited through the Trump-backed “one big, beautiful bill,” The Sun’s Shamira Muhammad reports — and local organizations are stepping in to help.
After nixing the idea of a second Metro station at the new Commanders stadium, today the D.C. Council will vote on whether to provide WMATA with $300 million for improvements at the existing Stadium-Armory station, and $50 million for the first phase of the “Gold Line” bus system running along H Street between the stadium and Union Station.
A Dream Home Makeover for the Nats? Mayor Muriel Bowser has introduced a bill to finance a planned $400 million renovation of 18-year-old Nationals Park to turn it into a “state-of-the-art venue that competes with newer facilities.” The project will be paid for by an existing tax on businesses, as well as sales taxes on products sold in the stadium itself.
D.C.’s tour guides tell The Washington Post that bookings have tanked this year by as much as 70%, as many of the District’s iconic sites are under renovation or closed.
HOMES WITH A VIEW
Aren’t we all looking for an escape sometimes? A roof deck might be just the answer, and Michele Lerner has rounded up homes around the DMV with a private or shared roof deck priced under $1 million.
Guess where this one is sold:
We’ll let you know tomorrow how many of you got it right.
SPORTS
Want to know what offseason moves could be in store for the upstart Mystics? Or perhaps you’re curious if this season’s Capitals team is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Well, you’re in luck! The Sun’s Emma Baccellieri is hosting a Reddit AMA today at 1:30 p.m., so join in so that you can ask her … well, anything!
The Commanders finally have some good news on the injury front: After missing the past two games, quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to return to the lineup this Sunday against the Giants.
“The goal is for [Daniels] to have a full week of practice and start on Sunday,” head coach Dan Quinn said Monday.
Even better for Washington fans: Daniels will be joined in his return by right guard Sam Cosmi, safety Nick Cross and running back Rachaad White.
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