Metro News Release

For immediate release: September 21, 2004

Rise And Shine Washington!! Metro to Open at 5 a.m. Weekdays Starting Monday, September, 27

Beginning September 27, the Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m. (instead of 5:30 a.m.) on weekdays. Customers traveling from the terminal stations on Metrorail will have an extra 30 minutes to ride when the transit system starts operating trains from the end of each line-one half hour earlier. Trains will begin service at 5 a.m. from the terminal stations (those at the end of each line). As they make their way in town, the other stations will open along the way. The 5 a.m. trains will start at Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, Franconia-Springfield, Huntington, Branch Avenue, Addison Road-Seat Pleasant, New Carrollton, Greenbelt, and Glenmont. The first train departing Shady Grove on the Red Line will leave at 4:57 a.m. for downtown Washington.

" The early opening will provide our customers, particularly those in suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia with a half-hour jumpstart on their daily commutes. Hopefully it will also alleviate some overcrowding during the morning rush," said Richard A. White, Metro’s General Manager and CEO.

Metro anticipates the new weekday opening time will boost ridership by 1,700 riders a day or 428,000 riders a year. Metro planners forecast that most of the riders who will take advantage of the earlier opening probably already use Metrorail and will just shift their riding habits to the earlier time period. On weekday mornings, Metrorail trains will depart at the end of each rail line at 5 a.m. approximately every 12 to 15 minutes. Customers at the end of the line will see two additional trains prior to 5:30 a.m. Customers waiting for trains at mid-line stations will see one additional early morning train and customers in the downtown core area will see train service begin closer to 5:30 a.m., as those end-of-the line trains make their way downtown. Stations will open at least 10 minutes before the first train is scheduled to arrive. The 5 a.m. opening will also mean an adjustment in the times of the peak period rail fare. Starting on Monday, September 27, peak fares will be in effect from station opening to 9:30 a.m.

The additional early-morning service will cost Metro approximately $723,000 to provide for the first nine months of service, from the start of service on September 27, 2004, through June 2005, the end of Metro’s fiscal year.

For more information on the 5 a.m. opening, customers are encouraged to visit the Metro website at www.metroopensdoors.com and check the timetable for the first train departure and what time each station will open.

News release issued on September 21, 2004.