PRESS RELEASES from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Metro will operate trains for 22 consecutive hours (4 a.m. to 2 a.m.), run 17 straight hours of rush hour service (4 a.m. to 9 p.m.), operate 23 special “Presidential” rapid bus corridors, provide parking for nearly 60,000 automobiles and will be one of the most important transportation alternatives for people who are planning to attend the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday, January, 20, 2009.

“America's subway system will provide vital transportation services to and from all Inaugural activities on January 20,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We expect the crowds to be huge with hundreds of thousands of people expected to be in the nation's capital for Inauguration Day.”

Metro officials expect extremely crowded conditions on Inauguration Day. “We expect that our stations, trains and buses will be packed as people head to the Inauguration, and we expect to see even more crowded conditions afterward,” Catoe said. “People should plan to wait in long lines to get back into Metro stations after the Inauguration, at least for an hour or more. People should consider staying downtown for lunch, for a movie, or to visit museums after the Inauguration and the parade.”

Metro’s commemorative One-Day Pass featuring Barack Obama is currently being sold for $10 online or $7.80 at Metro sales offices and fare vending machines. The cost of the passes will increase to $10 at all sales locations on Jan. 20. In addition, Metro’s colorful commemorative Barack Obama SmarTrip cards are available for purchase at 21 CVS/pharmacy stores throughout the Washington region, Metro sales offices located at Metro Center, the Pentagon and Metro’s headquarters building at 600 5th Street, NW, and from Metro’s Web site. The commemorative SmarTrip® card can be purchased for $10 each without fare value, or for $20, which includes $10 fare value loaded onto the card. CVS stores will only sell the $10 commemorative SmarTrip® card without fare value.

Metro encourages everyone to visit its special Inauguration Web page dedicated to providing information and updates leading up to Inauguration Day. People can also sign up for special e-alerts, dedicated to the Inauguration. E-alerts will be issued when Metro has news relating to service for the Inauguration, and when there are service disruptions on Inauguration Day.

More than 300 administrative employees and other volunteers will serve as Metro Ambassadors on Inauguration Day, assisting riders navigate the Metrorail system.

Here is information that visitors will need to know about Metro’s Inauguration Day service plans.

Metrorail Service

Metrorail will be open from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. Metrorail will operate continuous rush hour service from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Inauguration Day, with extra personnel to assist patrons. Metro will operate a combination of six-and eight-car trains and charge rush hour fares from 4 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Every other Red Line train will turn back at the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Silver Spring Metrorail stations from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., all Red Line trains will operate to the Shady Grove and Glenmont Metrorail stations.

All Yellow Line trains will operate between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station from 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. From 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will terminate at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station. After 9 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will operate to the Fort Totten Metrorail station.

After midnight, all Red Line trains will operate every 15 minutes and all Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green line trains will operate every 20 minutes.

Due to security precautions related to the Inauguration and the parade, the Archives-Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter (Green/Yellow line) and the Smithsonian (Blue/Orange Line) Metrorail stations will be closed from 4 a.m. until the conclusion of the parade:

To accommodate security precautions related the Inaugural balls on the evening of the Inauguration, the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station (Yellow and Green lines) will close at 7:30 a.m., and the Judiciary Square Metrorail station (Red Line) will close at 4 p.m. Customers are advised to use the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station in lieu of these two closed stations.

Several downtown Metrorail station entrances will be designated as exit-only or entry-only, to move as many people as possible into and out of the Metrorail system on Inauguration Day.

From 4 to 10:30 a.m., the Federal Triangle, Federal Center SW, Farragut West, Capitol South and McPherson Square Metrorail stations will be exit-only. These stations are within a 10-minute walk of another Metro station that will be open for entry.

Customers should be prepared to use exits at certain stations they may not normally exit. The following stations (Stadium-Armory, Metro Center, Farragut North, Gallery Place-Chinatown, L’Enfant Plaza and Union Station) will be open, however these stations will have one entryway used for people entering and exiting, and other entrances designated for exit-only in the morning or for entry-only in the evening.

Parking at Metrorail Stations

Metrorail parking facilities and nearly 60,000 parking spaces will open at 3:30 a.m. on Inauguration Day. People can park all day for $4 cash upon entry. The Minnesota Ave Metrorail station parking lot will be closed on Inauguration Day as it is reserved for Metro employees who have to work that day.

Metrobus Service

Metrobus will operate on a modified Saturday schedule. Metro is running 23 “Presidential” rapid bus corridors to carry thousands of people heading to the National Mall on Inauguration Day.

Metro will extend its rush-hour bus service from 4 a.m. until 9 p.m. via the 23 “Presidential” corridors on Inauguration Day. The buses will arrive at regularly marked stops every 10 minutes or less throughout the day to and from the National Mall. Twenty-two regular bus routes are being detoured by the Inauguration due to street closures and to accommodate incoming crowds. Riders also can take a special cross town connector bus shuttle from North Capitol Street to Washington Circle that will get them around the Inauguration events on Jan. 20.

Metro also is running a special free shuttle service from RFK Stadium to L’Enfant Plaza. The District of Columbia will reimburse Metro to shuttle charter bus passengers for free to and from the stadium. Metro will also add bus service to and from the Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and Dulles International Airport.

Metrobuses will be able to cross most bridges closed to other traffic, will be permitted on roads closed to automobiles and will run on bus-only lanes through Georgetown from Wisconsin Avenue to Washington Circle, bypassing regular traffic.

A special one-day Inauguration $5 bus pass is available for purchase on buses, good for riding all day or Metrobus riders can pay the fare of $1.35 cash or $1.25 with a SmarTrip card. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, all Virginia bus routes will be free on Inauguration Day including the special rapid bus corridor lines.

Below is a description of the 23 Metrobus corridors for Inauguration Day.

1. Wisconsin Avenue
Metrobus Route 31 will begin at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station and end at Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and 24th Street, NW. Buses will service stops along Wisconsin Avenue, M Street, NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

2. Massachusetts Avenue
Metrobus Route N4 will begin at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station and end at Rhode Island Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Western Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, 17th Street, Rhode Island Avenue, 18th Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

3. Connecticut Avenue
Metrobus Route L4 will begin at Chevy Chase Circle and end at Connecticut Avenue between N and M Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Connecticut Avenue, NW (underpass), M Street, NW, 18th Street, NW, and Connecticut Avenue.

4. 16th Street, NW
Metrobus Route S2 and S4 will begin at the Silver Spring Metrorail station and end at L Street NW between 16th and 15th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Colesville Road, 16th Street, L Street, 15th Street, M Street, and 16th Street, NW.

5. 14th Street, NW
Metrobus Route 52 and 54 will begin at Colorado Avenue, NW, and end at 14th Street, NW, between L Street, NW, and Thomas Circle. Buses will service stops along 14th Street, Thomas Circle, Vermont Avenue, L Street and 14th Street, NW.

6. Georgia Avenue/7th Street, NW
Metrobus Route 70 will begin at the Silver Spring Metrorail station and end at H Street, NW, between 7th and 6th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Georgia Avenue/7th Street, H Street, 6th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

7. North Capitol Street
Metrobus Route 80 will begin at the Fort Totten and Brookland/CUA Metrorail stations and end at H Street, NW, between 9th and 11th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along South Dakota Avenue, 12th Street, NE, Michigan Avenue, North Capitol Street, H Street, NW, 11th Street, NW, New York Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, H Street, NW, and North Capitol Street.

8. Rhode Island Avenue
Metrobus Route 82 Special (82S) will begin at the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metrorail station and Mount Rainier Bus Station and end at K Street, NW, between 11th and 13th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Rhode Island Avenue, 11th Street, NW, K Street, NW, 13th Street, NW, and Rhode Island Avenue.

9. Florida Avenue
Metrobus Route 90 will begin at the Anacostia Metrorail station and end at Calvert Street, NW, at Duke Ellington Bridge. Buses will service stops along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE, 8th Street, NE, Florida Avenue, U Street, NW, 18th Street, NW, and Calvert Street.

10. Metrobus Downtown East-West Route
This route will begin at H Street, NW, at North Capitol Street and end at Washington Circle and 23rd Street, NW. Buses will service stops along H Street, NW, Massachusetts Avenue, Thomas Circle, M Street, NW, 23rd Street, NW, Washington Circle, New Hampshire Avenue, NW, L Street, NW, Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street.

11. H Street NE/NW - Benning Road
Metrobus Route X2 will begin at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station and end at H Street, NW, between 9th and 11th Streets, NW. Buses will service stops along Minnesota Avenue, NE, Benning Road, H Street, NE/NW, 11th Street, NW, and H Street, NW.

12. East Capitol Street
Metrobus Route 97 Special (97S) will begin at the Capitol Heights Metrorail station and end at D Street, SW, between 6th and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along East Capitol Street between Capitol Heights and the Anacostia River.

13. RFK Stadium Shuttle
Metrobus Route D6 Special (D6S) will begin at the RFK Stadium north parking lot and end at D Street, SW, between 6th and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will operate non-stop, express service to the D Street, SW, Terminal.

14. Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Metrobus Routes 32, 34 and 36 will begin at the Southern Ave and Naylor Road Metrorail stations and end at Eastern Market Metrorail station on Pennsylvania Avenue. Buses will service stops as follows:
Route 32: Southern Avenue, 22nd Street, Savannah, 23rd Street, Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, 23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Route 34: Naylor Road, Southern Avenue, 30th Street, Naylor Road, 23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Route 36: Naylor Road, 30th Street, SE, Erie Street, 33rd Street, SE, Camden Street, Branch Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.

15. Congress Heights
Metrobus Route 92 Special (92S) and 93 Special (93S) will begin at the Congress Heights Metrorail station and end at D Street, SW, between 4th and 3rd Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, Good Hope Road, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, and 6th Street, SW.

16. M Street, SE/SW
Metrobus Route V8 Special (V8S) will begin at the Potomac Ave Metrorail station and end at G and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Potomac Avenue, I Street, SE, K Street, SE, 11th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, Maine Avenue, SW, 9th Street, SW, G Street, SW, and 7th Street, SW.

17. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE
Metrobus Routes A42, A46 and A48 will begin at the Southern Ave Metrorail station and Livingston Terrace and end at I and 6th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along the following streets:
A42: Southern Avenue, SE, Wheeler Road, Barnaby Street Atlantic Street, Mississippi Avenue, 6th Street, Savannah Street, 4th Street, SE, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.
A46: 6th Street, Chesapeake Street, Livingston Terrace, South Capitol Street, Southern Avenue,
Wheeler Road, Alabama Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.
A48: 6th Street, Chesapeake Street, Livingston Terrace, South Capitol Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, W Street, SE, 13th Street, SE, 12th Street, SE, M Street, SE/SW, 3rd Street, SW, I Street, SW, 6th Street, SW.

18. Indian Head Highway
Metrobus Route P19 Special (P19S) will begin at Fort Washington Park and Ride and Metrobus Route W19 Special (W19S) will begin at Bryans Road Park and Ride. Both routes will end at G and 7th Streets, SW.

P19S buses will operate from the Fort Washington Park and Ride and serve stops on East Swan Creek Road, Gable Lane, Fort Washington Road, Livingston Road and Oxon Hill Road, and will express to the G Street, SW, Terminal.

W19S buses will service stops along Indian Head Highway and the Accokeek Village Park and Ride and travel express along South Capitol Street to the G Street, SW, Terminal.

19. Oxon Hill/Indian Head Highway/South Capitol Street
Metrobus Route A9 Special (A9S) will begin at Oxon Hill Park and Ride and end at G and 7th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops at Oxon Hill Park and Ride and along Indian Highway, South Capitol Street, M Street, SW, 9th Street, SW, G Street, SW, and 7th Street, SW.

20. Landmark/Shirley Highway/14th Street SW
Metrobus Route 7 Special (7S) and 28 Special (28S) will begin at Landmark Shopping Center and Skyline Center and end at C Street, SW, between 14th and 12th Streets, SW. 7S buses will service stops at Landmark Shopping Center and along Duke Street, Lincolnia Road and Beauregard Street, and use Shirley Highway (I-395) to cross the river to C Street, SW, 12th Street, SW, and Maine Avenue. 28S buses will operate on George Mason Drive, Seminary Road and Leesburg Pike.

21. Columbia Pike/Pentagon
Metrobus Route 16 Special (16S) will begin at Leesburg Pike/Columbia Pike and end at C Street, SW, between 14th and 12th Streets, SW. Buses will service stops along Leesburg Pike, Columbia Pike, South Rotary Road, the Pentagon Transit Center, C Street, 12th Street and Maine Avenue.

22. Wilson and Clarendon Boulevard to Potomac Park
Metrobus Route 38 Special (38S) will begin at Ballston Metrorail station and end at 23rd Street, NW, at Constitution Avenue, NW. Buses will service stops at Ballston Metrorail station and along North Fairfax Drive, Clarendon Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard.

23. Lee Highway to Potomac Park
Metrobus Route 3 Special (3S) will begin at the East Falls Church and West Falls Church Metrorail stations and end at 23rd Street, NW, at Constitution Avenue, NW. Buses will service stops at the West Falls Church Metrorail Station, Broad Street, Washington Street, East Falls Church Metrorail station and along North Sycamore Street and Lee Highway.

Metrobus Routes to Airports (5A and 30B)

Metro is doubling the number of passengers it can carry on its buses that serve the Washington region’s major international airports for Inauguration Weekend.

Metro will run additional buses from Friday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 21 on the B30 Route, which runs from the Greenbelt Metrorail station on the Green Line to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and on the 5A Route, which will run a special express service from Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines to Washington Dulles International Airport. The expansion is to meet an influx of air travelers heading to Washington for the Inauguration.

The 5A normally stops at L’Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn Metrorail stations, but on Tuesday, January 20, buses will not service L'Enfant Plaza due to traffic restrictions and congestion. Buses on the 5A route will service the Tysons-Westpark Transit Station and the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride Lot on a Saturday schedule for Inauguration Day.

MetroAccess Service

On Inauguration Day, MetroAccess will operate its regular schedule, but with no service to the Inauguration swearing-in ceremony and limited, if any, door-to-door service, particularly in the downtown core. Customers should expect major delays throughout the service area. To the extent allowable by road closures, MetroAccess will provide regular service after the parade. Customers planning to attend post-Inaugural celebrations and events in the downtown area should expect traffic congestion and delays.

Metro Transit Police Security Initiatives

More than 18 transit police departments along with the Transportation Security Administration, (TSA) and FBI are providing about 200 extra police officers to assist Metro Transit Police. Officers will be at all Metrorail stations.

“We are taking precautionary measures to assure our customers that we are doing everything we can to ensure they can use our system without incident,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn. “Our customers are likely to see members of our special response teams carrying additional weaponry with a canine accompanying them, and they are likely to see uniformed TSA officers with their canine teams on patrol as well.” 

The Metro Transit Police strongly recommend that customers bring as little as possible with them when traveling through the Metrorail system to cut down on the possibility that items are left behind, resulting in the need for officers to respond to reports of unattended items.

On Inauguration Day, all Metrorail station restrooms will be closed for security reasons. However, 150 portable restrooms will be placed outside of suburban Metrorail stations.

Customers are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior, unusual activity or unattended items to a uniformed Metro employee, police officer, or by calling the Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121.

Customer Tips, Reminders

Metrorail riders should purchase either a commemorative Barack Obama One-Day Pass, or be sure to have enough fare value on their SmarTrip cards or farecards to make a round trip so as not to have to stand in line to add fare more than once. Each passenger must have his/her own fare card, SmarTrip card or One-Day Pass.

Metro’s free commemorative walking guide and map illustrating the closest locations of various Metrorail stations to the inaugural swearing-in ceremony and Presidential Parade is posted on Metro’s Inauguration Web page and located inside Metrorail stations and buses.

Customers with tickets for the Inauguration should know those tickets are coded to advise them to use designated Metrorail stations to get to their seating/viewing location.

Passengers will not be allowed to carry any signs or placards that are more than 18" by 18" or are affixed to a pole due to expected crowded conditions. People with large signs should roll them, fold them, or bring them in pieces no larger than 18" square if they would like to bring them into the Metro system.

Customers should expect that many rail station escalators will be turned off to help meter large crowds for safety.

Bicycles and large coolers will not be permitted in the Metrorail system on Inauguration Day, and restrooms will be closed.

Parents attending Inaugural events with their children are advised to have each child carry identification, which includes the child's name, parent's name, address and telephone numbers to assist with reuniting parents and children if they become seperated.

Customer Service Call Center and Sales Office Hours

On Inauguration Day, Metro’s Customer Information Call Center at (202) 637-7000, will be open from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Metro Center Sales Office, located at 12th and F Street NW, will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Pentagon Sales Office will be open from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

Individuals may sign up for special Metro-related e-alerts, dedicated to Inauguration travel on Metro’s Web site at www.wmata.com/inauguration. E-alerts will be issued when Metro has news relating to service for the Inauguration, and, perhaps more importantly, when there may be service disruptions during the course of the four-day Inauguration Weekend.

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For immediate release: November 20, 2008

• Archives-Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter (Green/Yellow Line) Metrorail station.
• Smithsonian (Blue/Orange Line) Metrorail station Jefferson Drive SW entrance only. The Independence Ave SW entrance will be open.

Metro Transit Police Security Initiatives

The Metro Transit Police Department and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are collaborating to enhance security at Metrorail stations and on trains and buses during Inauguration Weekend. The TSA will provide Metro with additional teams of TSA officers with canines to patrol stations and trains to supplement Metro’s team of explosive ordnance detection officers and canines. 

“We are taking precautionary measures to assure our customers that we are doing everything we can to ensure they can use our system without incident,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn. “Our customers are likely to see members of our special response teams of officers carrying additional weaponry with a canine accompanying them and they are likely to see uniformed TSA officers with their canine teams on patrol as well.”

The Metro Transit Police strongly recommend that customers bring as little as possible with them when traveling through the Metrorail system to cut down on the possibility that items are left behind, resulting in the need for Metro or TSA officers to respond to reports of unattended items.

On Inauguration Day, all Metrorail station restrooms will be closed for security reasons.

Customers are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior, unusual activity or unattended items to a uniformed Metro employee, police officer, or by calling the Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121.

Customer Tips, Reminders

Metrorail riders should purchase either a One-Day Pass or be sure to have enough fare value on their SmarTrip cards or farecards to make a round trip so as not to have to stand in line to add fare more than once. Each passenger must have his/her own fare card or SmarTrip card.

Metro will sell the commemorative fare media prior to Inauguration Weekend. Metro’s One-Day Pass, available for $7.80 each day, will be valid throughout the four-day Inauguration Weekend. If possible, customers should purchase their farecards in advance.

Metro will publish a commemorative walking guide and map illustrating the closest locations of various Metrorail stations to the inaugural swearing-in ceremony and Presidential Parade. This brochure will be available at all Metrorail stations and will be posted on the Metro Web site. Metro officials will be seeking sponsorship from private companies interested in advertising inside the commemorative walking guide. One million copies of the walking guide will be printed.

Tickets for the Inauguration are expected to be coded in a way that will advise ticket-holders to use designated Metrorail stations to get to their seating/viewing location. Once that information is available, it will be posted on Metro’s Web site.

Customers should expect that many rail station escalators will be turned off to help meter large crowds for safety.

Due to the changing nature of this event and heightened security, all information is subject to change. As more information becomes available, it will be updated on Metro’s Web site.


Presidential Inauguration Metrorail Ridership History

Date	Presidential Inauguration	Metrorail Ridership
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009	Barack Obama Inauguration	?
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005	George W. Bush’s Second Inauguration	583,803
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001	George W. Bush’s First Inauguration	601,839
Monday, Jan. 20, 1997	Bill Clinton’s Second Inauguration	454,918
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1993	Bill Clinton’s First Inauguration	811,257