Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 8, 2006

Metro to Operate Regular Weekday Service on Veterans Day

Metro will operate regular weekday Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess service and collect weekday parking fees at Metrorail parking facilities on Veterans Day, Friday, November 10.

As usual, the Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m., and close at 3 a.m. Weekday peak fares will be in effect from 5 to 9:30 a.m., and from 3 to 7 p.m. Regular weekday parking fees will also be collected, so anyone who wishes to park at a Metrorail station on Monday will need a SmarTrip card for payment. Metrobus and MetroAccess service will also operate on a regular weekday schedule.

On most federal holidays, Metrobus runs 134 bus routes on 80 bus lines. However on Friday, Metrobus will run its weekday level of service, which means 332 bus routes on 198 lines, a significant increase in bus service.

This past summer, Metro’s Board of Directors approved a $1.9 billion dollar fiscal year 2007 budget that included several new initiatives including operating regular weekday service on Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day due to high ridership on those federal holidays. The total cost to operate regular weekday service on these four holidays is $1 million.

Over the last five years, Metro has seen a 19 percent increase in Metrorail ridership and a 40 percent increase in Metrobus ridership during these four holidays. The decision by the Board to operate normal weekday service on these four holidays will meet help meet that customer demand.

News release issued on November 8, 2006.