Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 18, 2008

Metrorail records third high ridership day of the week

841,607 riders used Metrorail on Thursday, July 17

Metrorail ridership set records three days in a row this week. Hundreds of thousands of people helped Metro set the transit agency’s fifth highest ridership day in the history of the 32-year-old rail system on Thursday, July 17. Riders took 841,607 trips, which were 51,105 more trips than the comparable day last year. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Convention contributed to Thursday’s high numbers.

Tuesday, July 15, and Wednesday, July 16, set back-to-back records for the ninth highest ridership day. On Tuesday, 830,307 riders used the Metrorail system, and on Wednesday, 830,470 riders took trips. No special events contributed to Tuesday and Wednesday’s high numbers.

So far this month, Metrorail weekday ridership has topped 800,000 trips on 10 separate occasions. June was the highest ridership month in Metrorail history. About 26,000 more people rode Metrorail on an average weekday this June compared to last June.

Combined with Metrobus ridership, Metro provides more than 1.25 million trips on an average weekday.

Metrorail’s Top 10 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     07-17-08     841,607      Alpha Kappa Alpha Convention
6     07-08-08     835,072      Baseball/Basketball
7     07-02-08     834,956      Smithsonian Folklife Festival
8     04-03-07     831,508      Cherry Blossoms/Baseball
9     06-24-08     831,464      Baseball/Basketball
10   07-16-08     830,470      No event

News release issued at 10:13 am, July 18, 2008.