Metro’s got problems — and not just weekend station closures for track work and rush-hour single-tracking.

Even as the region’s population has boomed, Metrorail ridership dropped last year — down to 2005 levels. Washington-area residents are teleworking more than ever, and when they do go to the office, they’re more likely to get there by bus or bike than they used to. Plus, hiring in and around the nation’s capital has slowed.

In a report presented to its board Thursday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority looked at its short-term expectations. The agency boiled down the issue to three main problems:

1. Metrorail ridership is down.

Ridership on the rails grew almost every year from 1991 to 2009, but then began declining. Right now, it’s at just over 200 million riders a year, similar to 2005.



Slide from WMATA report

2. Washington’s economy is shrinking.

Once, Washington was on top of the heap — from November 2009 to November 2010, the report says, the D.C. region added more jobs than any of the other 15 largest employment areas in the country. But from 2012 to 2013, D.C. was the only one in the top 15 with a gross regional product that shrank.

That means fewer workers, and fewer Metro riders.



WMATA

3. Commuters are rethinking the costs of riding Metro.

Some find it cheaper to drive than to pay peak fares on Metro, and others are less likely to ride because their jobs have cut back on transit benefits.



WMATA

All that being said, Metro has a sunny long-term outlook. The report predicts that although federal employment will decrease slightly, the region will see a 15 percent to 20 percent increase in jobs in other sectors — including education, health, business and hospitality — by 2025. The region’s population will grow 13 percent by 2025, and 25 percent by 2040, according to the report.

So to quote Metro’s own Silver Line ads: “Look ahead, WMATA. Good times are ahead.”