Metro News Release
For immediate release: July 8, 2008
215 million people rode Metrorail in fiscal year 2008
For the third consecutive year, more than 200 million people rode the Metrorail system during a fiscal year, and for the 12th consecutive year ridership increased on the rail system.
In fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008), 215,314,956 customers went through the faregates, a 3.6 percent increase, or 7 million more customers than fiscal year 2007, when 207,907,332 rode Metrorail. The average weekday ridership in fiscal year 2008 was 727,684, the second time the average weekday ridership topped 700,000.
Not only did Metrorail break a record for one fiscal year, but more people took trips on Metrorail during June 2008 than during any other month in Metrorail’s 32-year history. Ridership for June was 19,729,641 and averaged 798,456 riders per weekday. The previous all-time high for monthly ridership was June 2007, when 19,085,358 trips were made and Metro averaged 772,826 riders per weekday. Approximately 26,000 more people rode on an average weekday this June compared to last June. “That is the equivalent to every resident of the City of Falls Church climbing on board each day,” said John Catoe, Metro’s General Manager.
In June 2008, ridership exceed 800,000 on 12 weekdays and Metro achieved five top 10 ridership days, with the highest being 846,388 on Wednesday, June 25.
“Last year, we carried 7 million more riders than the previous year, the equivalent to the entire population for the state of Washington,” said Catoe. “These numbers prove that more and more people are looking to Metro as the affordable solution to both their work and leisure commuting needs. Every ridership record shows just how significant Metro is to the region’s transportation system. Metro keeps the national capital region moving, and that’s important to our economy and the environment.”
Metrorail carried more people this past fiscal year than all three regional airports, Washington Dulles International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and BWI Thurgood Marshall airports combined.
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News release issued at 9:29 am, July 8, 2008.