Metrorail ridership goes up

Ridership on Metrorail increased 1.2 percent between April and June compared to the same period last year, an uptick that follows a nationwide trend of transit ridership increasing slightly, Metro and national transit advocates said Tuesday.

Between April and June, Metrorail had 59.4 million trips, compared to 58.7 million trips during the same period last year, a Metro spokesman said. Transit ridership nationwide grew 0.1 percent during that time, according to the American Public Transportation Association. That nationwide uptick was the first increase in six quarters, the association said. Previous ridership declines were due to high unemployment, the recession and less state and local revenue for public transportation, according to the association.

The association said the increase in transit ridership that typically accompanies job growth shows the need to include more transit funding in a long-term surface transportation bill that Congress is expected to consider next year.

-- Katherine Shaver