Metro Expands Hours for Inauguration, Expects Record Rail and Bus Ridership
Metro's commemorative SmarTrip card for Jan. 20.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today that it will run rush hour service for 15 consecutive hours from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Inauguration Day Jan. 20, but the authority will charge riders off-peak holiday fares, the Post's Lena Sun reports. Metro will be open from 4 a.m. Jan. 20 until 2 a.m. Jan. 21, to handle commuters after the inaugural balls, General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. announced at a board meeting. (Here is the full announcement from Metro.)
Metro is expecting to move 1.6 million people on rail and bus on Inauguration Day, which would double the previous high of 854,638 (rail only) on July 11. The authority will issue 35,000 SmarTrip commemorative cards with a picture of Barack Obama, which can be purchased in early January for $10 apiece on a special Web site that will be set up Friday and can be found by going to www.wmata.com. Commuters can then add value to the cards, which will come with no value, at the stations, and move quickly through the fare gates.
