With a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a whole lotta fanfare, D.C. officials joined WMATA leaders and local bus drivers to launch the new X9 Express Metrobus. A crowd of onlookers braved cold temps Monday for the ceremony at the Minnesota Avenue Metro station in Northeast.
The X9 Express will run through the busy H and Benning Street corridors, serving the busiest route in the city with about 16,000 customers each day, said WMATA's Interim General Manager Richard Sarles.
The route will carve 12 to 15 minutes off most riders' commutes and will depart every 15 minutes during rush hour. It travels from downtown all the way to the Capitol Heights, Md., Metro station on the Blue Line.
Sarles promised more superviors on the streets to ensure the buses run on time.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton was on hand at the ceremony, as were Yvette Alexander (Ward 7), Tommy Wells (Ward 6), At-Large member Kwame Brown, and Jim Graham (Ward 1), who sits on WMATA's Board of Directors.
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