Metro News Release

For immediate release: September 8, 2005

Metro Announces Its Game Plan for Sunday’s Freedom Walk and Nationals and Redskins Games

Metro to Operate Additional Trains; Shuttle Buses Only Available from Landover Metro Station for the Redskins Game;$25 Fee for Non-Metrorail Riders Parking at Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center

Additional rail service and personnel will be available on Sunday for patrons attending the Freedom Walk at the Pentagon, the Nationals game at RFK Stadium and the Redskins home opener at Fed Ex Field.

Sunday will be crowded in the Metrorail system as several events will take place throughout the day. The Department of Defense Freedom Walk will begin at 10 a.m., at the Pentagon South Parking Lot, the Washington Nationals will host the Atlanta Braves at RFK Stadium at 1:05 p.m., and the Washington Redskins will kick off their 2005 season at FedEx Field at 1 p.m.

On Sunday, Metro will operate the following service plan:

Metro will operate six-car trains on all rail lines, and some eight-car trains to reduce crowding at key points in the Metrorail system.

All Red Line trains will operate every 12 minutes from the end of each rail line and every six minutes in the downtown core from opening (7 a.m.) to 6 p.m.

All Blue, Orange, Green, and Yellow Line trains will operate every 10 minutes from the end of each rail line and every five minutes in the downtown core from opening (7 a.m.) to 6 p.m.

Department of Defense Freedom Walk

Patrons attending the Freedom Walk Sunday morning are encouraged to take Metrorail to the Pentagon or Pentagon City stations and follow the signs to the staging area in the Pentagon South Parking facility.

After the walk and concert, customers are encouraged to use the Smithsonian Metrorail station to return to the Pentagon.

Fans headed to and from the Nationals game are reminded to use both entrances at the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station. The main entrance, closest to RFK Stadium, is located at 19th Street and Independence Avenue, S.E. The second entrance, is two blocks away at 19th Street between C and Burke Streets, S.E.

Fans headed to the Redskins game are encouraged to ride Metrorail’s Blue Line to the Morgan Boulevard station, which is nine-tenths of a mile from the stadium. A walkway offers direct access to the stadium.

Non-Metrorail riders attending the Redskins game who park their cars at the Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center Metrorail stations on the Blue Line will have to pay $25 and they must have a SmarTrip" card to pay for parking when exiting these facilities.

Non-Metrorail riders who park at the these stations and do not have a SmarTrip" card can purchase a card in the parking facilities. Metro sales representatives will be available at each Redskins game this season to sell SmarTrip" cards for $30, which includes a $5 fee for the reusable card.

A second option for fans attending the Redskins game is to ride Metrorail’s Orange Line to the Landover station and ride the Metrobus shuttle to FedEx Field. Metrobus shuttle service will be available from the Landover station three hours before kickoff, and available two hours after the conclusion of the game. The shuttle service costs $5, with representatives from the Redskins collecting the $5 fee from Metrobus customers after they arrive at the stadium. (Side note: Shuttle buses are only available from the Landover Metrorail station. There are no shuttle buses from Addison Road-Seat Pleasant, Morgan Boulevard or Largo Town Center.)

Signage at Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center, along with personnel from several Metro departments including Metro Transit Police will be available to assist fans with questions on the new parking procedures.

Patrons not attending the Redskins game at FedEx Field and using the Metrorail system to and from Morgan Boulevard or Largo Town Center must use the same SmarTrip card for Metrorail as they use for parking. This will allow the system to recognize use in Metrorail and not charge rail riders the premium parking fee of $25 when exiting the Morgan Boulevard or Largo Town Center parking facilities.

Metro will have additional station managers, rail supervisors, and Transit Police at the Pentagon, Stadium-Armory, Morgan Boulevard, Largo Town Center, and Landover to assist customers.

Upon entering the Metrorail system, passengers should purchase enough value on their farecards or SmarTrip cards for their round-trip.

News release issued on September 8, 2005.