Metro News Release
For immediate release: March 23, 2010
Metro prepared for Cherry Blossom Festival
Metrorail to open at 5 a.m. on Sunday, April 11, for the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race
As the 2010 National Cherry Blossom festival starts this weekend, Metro will have additional eight-car trains to place into service, and will open two hours early at 5 a.m., on Sunday, April 11, for the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race.
During the festival from March 27 to April 11, Metro will have the ability to expand its capacity by operating eight-car trains on the Red, Orange and Green lines if necessary based on customer demand. These eight-car trains will be available to accommodate the expected crowds for the Cherry Blossom events.
Metrorail will open two hours early, at 5 a.m., on Sunday, April 11, for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile race, which begins at 7:45 a.m., at West Potomac Park. The closest Metrorail stop is the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange Lines.
Tips for Riders
During the Cherry Blossom season, customers can do their part to help ensure that their trip is pleasant by remembering the following travel tips:
If possible, visitors should avoid traveling during the peak commuter periods from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m., and visitors should avoid traveling Metrorail at the height of the afternoon peak period, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Regular commuters, especially those who work for the federal government and whose offices are in the vicinity of the Smithsonian Metrorail station, which is the most popular station for tourists arriving at the National Mall, are urged to stagger their arrival and departure times for work and use the L’Enfant Plaza, Archives-Navy Memorial, Federal Triangle and Union Station Metrorail stations.
Visitors are encouraged to buy the $8.30 one-day Metrorail pass for multiple trips. The one-day pass can be used after 9:30 a.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
Visitors should buy a SmarTrip card, which is used to pay the fares on Metrorail and Metrobus, and is the only way to pay for parking at most Metro-operated parking lots. Customers can pay for parking with Discover, Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Japanese Credit Bank credit cards at the Anacostia, Franconia-Springfield, Largo Town Center, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, Shady Grove, Huntington and New Carrollton Metrorail stations. Visitors can purchase a SmarTrip card from Metro’s Web site for $25 (with $20 of value on the card) or for $10 at any Metrorail station with a parking facility (with $5 of fare value on the card). SmarTrip cards can hold up to $300 of fare value.
Regular commuters should allow extra time for travel, and are reminded when traveling on Metrorail to please walk into the center of the rail car and not block the rail car doors.
For safety reasons, customers should stand back from the platform edge as trains approach the station.
The 98th Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival brochures are free and available at Metrorail stations. For more information on traveling by Metrobus and Metrorail, call (202) 637-7000, TDD (202) 638-3780, or visit Metro’s web site at www.metroopensdoors.com for safety and security tips.
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News release issued at 9:29 am, March 23, 2010.