Records
- Posted by ryan on January 21st, 2009 filed in In the News, Transit
So, WMATA is giving an official guesstimate of 1,120,000 people as yesterday’s record Metrorail ridership. It topped the old record, set Monday, by 250,000 people. And now, of the top 20 ridership days, one was in 2004 (Reagan’s funeral), one in 2007, 16 were last year, and two have already happened this year. And the metropolitan population continues to grow. One might think that WMATA and the District would work to enhance core service, by planning a new core line and by adding streetcar capacity to help with the intracity load. They should be expediting their plans with a new administration in town. Sadly I see little evidence of urgency among local leadership.
Any guesses on when Metro will next top 1 million riders?
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 am
Probably not W’s funeral.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
You are absolutely correct about the lack of urgency on transit issues among our local leaders here in DC. With the exception of perhaps Tommy Wells, they are completely AWOL on Metro expansion. Even worse, they have pretty much greeted WMATA’s announcement about major service cuts with a collective yawn.
I cannot exaggerate how disappointed I am with our current crop of city leaders when it comes to these issues. They love to talk about how DC is a “world class city,” but it is all just rhetoric. A “world class city” does not have the X2, the D6 or the (fill in your favorite unreliable DC bus line here) bus. A world class city would have started work on a new crosstown subway line a decade ago. A world class city would already have its first portion of the streetcar network up and running. A world class city has leaders who do more than just talk about how they are the leaders of a world class city.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
@ Doug
If the Carter family chooses to have Jimmy lay in state … I could see a million riders happening.
Except (knock on wood), the silver line will open to Tyson’s Corner before that happpens. A busy weekday with a baseball game and a playoff basketball game in the early summer, could sneak across the million line with the addtional ridership the silver provides.