Metro News Release

For immediate release: October 14, 2008

Metro is the popular choice to Nationals Park

1.8 million fans rode Metrorail to and from Nationals games this season

As the Washington Nationals welcomed baseball fans to their new ballpark this season, Metro opened its doors with a newly renovated station entrance and a stress-free way of reaching Nationals Park that baseball fans came to rely on throughout the season.

In the 2008 season, 1.8 million fans took Metrorail to and from Nationals games.

For the 80 games played at Nationals Park this season, ridership averaged 23,000 per game entering and exiting the Navy Yard and Capitol South Metrorail stations, or 11,500 individuals on average each game.

This season, 53 percent of the Nationals’ game crowd took the advice of city officials, the Nationals and Metro to avoid traffic and parking woes and rode Metro to the ballpark.

In 2005, 45 percent of game attendees took Metrorail to see the Nationals, and 38 percent of game attendees used Metrorail in 2006 and 2007, while the team played at RFK Stadium.

Nationals Park, which opened this year, is one block from the M Street entrance at the Navy Yard Metrorail station.

Metro renovated the Navy Yard station’s M street station entrance and expanded the capacity to make room for the anticipated game-day crowds. When the entrance reopened in March, it had more fare gates and more fare vending machines, two new elevators and a new platform to mezzanine staircase. The New Jersey Avenue entrance remained opened throughout the 15 month expansion project.

News release issued at 10:36 am, October 14, 2008.