Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 11, 2005

Weekend Metrorail ridership climbs as cherry blossoms reach their peak

Metro moves more than 900,000 people Saturday and Sunday18 eight-car trains placed Into service

This past weekend, Metrorail ridership continued to rewrite its own history books with new ridership records for the month of April. Saturday, April 9th, marked the occasion when Metrorail reached its fifth highest Saturday ridership day ever with 568,474 trips taken by passengers, most of them in town to attend cherry blossom events. On Sunday, April 10th, Metrorail carried 332,778 passenger trips.

"On an average weekend, Metrorail carries on average 400,000 to 500,000 people, and this weekend we nearly doubled that ridership due to the warm weather and the cherry blossoms," said Steven Feil, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer for Rail. "The nice spring weather, along with the return of tourists, and the cherry blossoms have combined to bring record numbers of passengers to Metrorail over the last week. And during the past week, our Metro employees have done an exemplary job of getting such massive numbers of people safely and conveniently to their destinations."

This past weekend, Metro had additional station managers and rail supervisors dispatched throughout the rail system, and used 18 eight-car trains on Saturday and Sunday. Ten eight-car trains were in service on the Blue and Orange Line, five eight-car trains on the Red Line, and three eight-car trains operated on the Green Line.

"Metro is able to provide this kind of service via planning and preparation for events ahead of time," continued Mr. Feil. "The planning includes the decision to place extra equipment and personnel (operational and maintenance) throughout the system where the need is greatest. Plus, the system is monitored from a central location to deploy personnel and equipment where and when needed."

This month, Metrorail ridership has exceeded the 700,000 mark on five days: Friday, April 1st, 721,051 trips; Tuesday, April 5th, 728,293 passenger trips; Wednesday, April 6th, 755,559 passenger trips (sixth highest weekday in Metrorail history); Thursday, April 7th, 725,632 trips; Friday, April 8th, 724,359 passenger trips.

News release issued on April 11, 2005.