We Are One … Crowded Metro System

Ridership level nears record

We are one -- jammed mass transit system.

Metro seemed to pass its first inauguration test Sunday as thousands of people filled rail cars en route to and from the National Mall for the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, Metro had recorded its third-highest ridership on a Sunday in the transit system's history. Metro said 503,000 people rode the rails up to that point in the day. The highest number was on July 4, 1999, when 540,945 people took Metro. The second-highest total was July 4, 1993 (505,157).

Final numbers will be released Monday.

Despite the large crowds, it appears Metro came away relatively unscathed with no major problems or issues reported.

The Washington Examiner reported that a train had a door malfunction at about 10 a.m. at the Columbia Heights station and all passengers were removed from the car. Another train's brakes locked up at about 1 p.m., the Examiner reported.

Metro's ridership level will only increase Tuesday when several million people are expected to flock to the National Mall for the inauguration. Metro has plans in place to get riders in and out as quick as possible, but only time will tell if their planning pays off with a smooth day of transportation.

So if you took Metro Sunday, how did you think it did?  Post your comments below...

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