Washington Metrorail.....Filled to the gills

cross-posted at the wonderful public transportation/smart growth forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=398




Metrorail sets new record for highest ridership day of all time

854,638 riders used Metrorail on Friday, July 11

Hundreds of thousands of people helped Metro set a new record for the transit agency’s highest ridership day in the history of the 32-year-old rail system on Friday, July 11. Riders took 854,638 trips, which were 62,985 more trips than the comparable day last year. The Washington Nationals baseball game, Women of Faith Conference and tourists contributed to Friday’s high numbers.

Twenty of Metrorail’s top 25 highest weekday ridership days have occurred since April of this year. Combined with Metrobus ridership, Metro provides more than 1.2 million trips on an average weekday.

Metrorail’s Top 25 Weekday Ridership Days
Date Ridership Event
1 07-11-08 854,638 Baseball/Women of Faith Conference
2 06-09-04 850,636 Reagan State Funeral
3 06-25-08 846,388 Smithsonian Folklife Festival/Baseball
4 07-10-08 844,530 Baseball
5 07-08-08 835,072 Baseball/Basketball
6 07-02-08 834,956 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
7 04-03-07 831,508 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball
8 06-24-08 831,464 Baseball/Basketball
9 06-20-08 829,998 Baseball/Basketball
10 04-24-08 828,973 Baseball/Basketball
11 04-17-08 828,418 Pope Visit/Soccer
12 04-11-08 828,132 Baseball/Cherry Blossoms
13 06-27-08 825,862 Smithsonian Folklife Festival/Baseball
14 06-18-08 823,516 No Event
15 07-01-08 822,931 No Event
16 04-10-06 821,283 Immigrant Rights Rally
17 06-19-08 819,979 No Event
18 06-26-08 819,722 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
19 06-05-08 819,687 Baseball
20 06-03-08 812,812 Baseball
21 06-17-08 812,686 No Event
22 07-09-08 812,010 Baseball
23 01-20-93 811,257 Clinton Inaugural 1
24 03-31-06 808,108 Cherry Blossoms
25 07-03-08 807,729 Smithsonian Folklife Festival


http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2193

is drawing in more riders this year. I hear there aren't enough parking spaces and combine that with high gas prices is making people use alternate means.