Metro Ridership Shatters Old Record
Updated: Thursday, Jun. 10, 2004 - 9:21 AM
WASHINGTON - With the funeral procession and public viewing of the casket of former President Ronald Reagan on Wednesday, ridership on Metro set a record with 850,636 people riding the rails. "We did not anticipate that it would be the new No. 1," Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein says. "It was highest ridership in our 28 year history."
The record was set, even though federal workers had the option of liberal leave.
The previous all-time highest ridership day was President Bill Clinton's first inaugural on Jan. 20, 1993, when 811,257 people used the subway. Before that, the Million Man March on Oct. 16, 1995 had 804,146 people riding the rails.
Metro initially told WTOP that its buses 7,203 people to the Capitol Rotunda for the viewing overnight, but then corrected the figure. Farbstein says 1,760 customers took the buses from RFK Stadium to the Capitol and 1,841 returned to RFK.
I don't know if he was yanking my chain or not but if this does happen it would be a fitting tribute to President Reagan.
My advice to anyone going down:Ride the Metro or park at Union Station- 24 hour parking and restrooms(max parking fee $16 for 24 hours), wear comfortable shoes, be prepared for mud if we get the expected severe thunderstorms this afternoon, get in line no later than 9PM tonight, bring a ziploc bag to protest the Lying in State palm card they are giving to everyone who leaves the Rotunda. If someone can freep mail me their email address I have scanned the aforementioned palm card, but I don't know how to post it. The Senate Republicans are giving away bottled water.
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More than Clinton's inaugural, more than the Million Man march.