advertisement

---

The nation's capitol was flooded with people hoping to get in on the inaugural action this week, so it's no surprise that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) set a new one-day ridership record on its rail system yesterday — well before the day even ended.

As of 7 p.m., the authority had posted 973,285 trips, besting the previous record of 866,681 trips set on Monday.

However, WMATA encountered a few snags. Several parking lots filled up before 5:30 a.m., and at other lots, WMATA had to let motorists in without paying at the request of law enforcement officials after lines of vehicles began to back up on local roads. In addition, delays were caused by passengers blocking rail-car doors and a woman who fell onto the tracks at the Gallery-Place Chinatown station. In addition, the Federal Triangle station was unexpectedly closed for more than four hours because local law enforcement officers were concerned about crowding at the National Mall.

"Our system wasn't designed to transport this many people in such a short time," said WMATA General Manager John Catoe in a prepared statement. "There have been some hiccups along the way, but we have been flexible and reacted as best as and as quickly as we could, given the unprecedented crowds and circumstances outside of Metro's control."