6:50 A.M At L'Enfant Plaza

The station crossed a threshold at this hour and became very busy, especially on the Orange and Blue Lines platform. The platforms, exits and escalators between platforms have become much, much more crowded.

Metro employees are using bullhorns to advise people to keep away from the platform edges and to have their fare cards ready as they try to get through the long lines at the fare gates, where people are heading out to the Mall.

Those boarding Blue or Orange trains are trying to reach Federal Triangle. Once there, trains clear out. Metro Center is relatively uncrowded at 7 a.m., compared to L'Enfant Plaza.

L'Enfant Plaza Station, where the four of the five subway lines intersect south of the mall, is normally one of the system's busiest switching points for passengers.

This is a day when switching won't be such a good idea. Rather than work your way along a crowded platform and up or down a crowded escalator to another crowded platform, it's likely to be a lot easier just to go outside and walk if you're this near the Mall.

Here's a map of the area around the station.

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