Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 31, 2008

Metro carries more than 21,000 fans to the opening game at Nationals Park

More than half of the fans who attended the inaugural game at Nationals Park took Metro. On Sunday, March 30, Metrorail carried 21,492 fans to and from the newly expanded Navy Yard Metrorail station on the Green Line. To accommodate the crowds, Metro stayed open until 1 a.m. The total ridership for Sunday was 332,737. Average Sunday ridership is 207,735.

Metro saw large crowds exiting the Navy Yard Metrorail station from 3:30 p.m. to the start of the 8:15 p.m. game. The large crowds returned after the game, so Metro deployed 15 extra trains on the Green Line to get people home. There were no significant delays as trains ran smoothly.

Metro Transit Police and rail supervisors handled the crowds by staffing the station’s two entrances and metering the crowds to ensure the safe flow of riders.

On Saturday, March 29, Metrorail reached its fifth highest Saturday ridership in history with 580,771 trips – 15,141 of whom attended the Washington Nationals exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles. Metro also carried thousands of people attending the Cherry Blossom events, the circus and the National Marathon. Metrorail opened two hours early on Saturday – at 5 a.m. to accommodate patrons attending the National Marathon.

More than half of the crowd that attended the inaugural game at Nationals Park took Metrorail to the game.

Metrorail’s Top 5 Saturday Ridership Days

Date Ridership Event
1 06-08-91 786,358 Desert Storm
2 10-04-97 725,909 Immigrant Rights Rally
3 01-20-01 601,839 Bush Inaugural #1
4 07-04-98 585,354 July 4th
5 03-29-08 580,771 Cherry Blossoms/Circus/Baseball

News release issued at 11:14 am, March 31, 2008.