Metro News Release
For immediate release: April 12, 2010
Metrorail ridership climbs as Cherry Blossoms events conclude
Metrorail records 10.9 million passenger trips during Cherry Blossom Festival
It’s not your imagination. Metro IS more crowded these days. In fact, Metro has recorded seven of its top 25 ridership days since April 1, and that’s no joke!
This month’s ridership has seen Metro’s second and third highest ridership in its 34-year-history, topped only by last year’s historic inauguration of President Obama. In addition, Saturday, April 3, was the fourth highest ridership ever for a Saturday.
During the two week period for the Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27 to April 11), Metrorail recorded 10,930,795 passenger trips, a 5.7 increase in ridership (595,368 more trips) compared to the same period last year (March 28 to April 12, 2009) when Metrorail recorded 10,335,427 passenger trips.
The warm weather, cherry blossoms, start of the baseball season and other local sporting events contributed to the higher-than-usual numbers.
Please see the attached page for Metrorail’s top 25 high ridership days the top five ridership days for Saturday.
Combined with Metrobus ridership, Metro provides more than 1.2 million trips on an average weekday.
Metrorail’s Top 25 Highest Weekday Ridership Days
As of April 12, 2010
Date Ridership Event
1 01-20-09 1,120,000 Obama Inaugural
2 04-02-10 891,240 Cherry Blossoms/Basketball
3 04-01-10 877,890 Cherry Blossoms/Hockey
4 04-07-10 867,624 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball
5 01-19-09 866,681 Obama Inaugural Activities
6 07-11-08 854,638 Baseball/Women Of Faith
7 04-08-10 852,103 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball/Stars on Ice
7 06-09-04 850,636 Reagan State Funeral Ceremony
8 04-09-09 848,126 Cherry Blossoms/NCAA Men’s Frozen Four
9 06-25-08 846,388 Smithsonian Fest/Baseball
10 07-10-08 844,530 Baseball
11 04-09-10 843,573 Cherry Blossoms/Hockey
11 07-17-08 841,607 Alpha Kappa Alpha Convention
12 04-06-10 840,832 Cherry Blossoms/Basketball
13 06-10-09 837,189 Baseball
14 07-08-08 835,072 Baseball/Basketball
15 07-16-09 834,997 Baseball
16 07-02-08 834,956 Smithsonian Fest/Concert
17 07-29-08 834,705 Baseball
18 04-05-10 832,382 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball/Hockey
19 04-17-09 832,184 DC United/Baseball
20 04-03-07 831,508 Cherry Blossoms/Baseball
21 06-24-08 831,464 Baseball/Basketball
22 07-16-08 830,470 No Event
23 07-15-08 830,307 No Event
24 06-20-08 829,998 Baseball/Basketball
25 04-24-08 828,973 Baseball/Basketball
Metrorail’s Top Five Saturday Highest Ridership Days
1 06-08-91 786,358 Desert Storm
2 10-04-97 725,909 Promise Keepers
3 04-04-09 713,148 Cherry Blossoms/DC United/Wizards/Baseball
4 04-03-10 674,173 Cherry Blossoms/DC United/Baseball
5 07-04-09 631,206 Fourth of July Celebration
News release issued at 1:52 pm, April 12, 2010.