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Rail News: Passenger Rail
3/19/2003
Rail News: Passenger Rail
WMATA tallies record ridership after farmer closes roads
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On March 18, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) recorded its sixth-highest weekday ridership when a standoff between police and a North Carolina tobacco farmer blocked downtown Washington, D.C. roads.
Nearly 706,000 people used the WMATA’s rail system after the farmer drove his tractor into a pond on the Mall March 17. Several blocks of roads were closed, and police and transportation officials urged commuters to use the rail system, according to a prepared statement.
WMATA’s highest-ever weekday ridership of 811,257 passengers occurred on Jan. 20, 1993, when former President Bill Clinton was inaugurated.
Nearly 706,000 people used the WMATA’s rail system after the farmer drove his tractor into a pond on the Mall March 17. Several blocks of roads were closed, and police and transportation officials urged commuters to use the rail system, according to a prepared statement.
WMATA’s highest-ever weekday ridership of 811,257 passengers occurred on Jan. 20, 1993, when former President Bill Clinton was inaugurated.
