Washington, D.C. Metro ridership on the rise

WMATA

The Washington Post reports that Metro ridership, which has been on a downward trend for several years, was up 4 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. In 2019, 182 million trips were made on the WMATA system, while the 2018 total was 175 million.

In addition to the increase on Metro, the American Public Transportation Association reports that nationwide transit travel posted a 2 percent increase in Q3 2019. In addition, subway trains, often referred to as “heavy rail” carded a 5 percent increase in the same quarter.

Metro ridership started to decline in 2011, largely as a result of safety problems, fires on the system, and general mismanagement of maintenance and safety. Better management and oversight of Metro operations in recent years  receives primary credit for the increase in ridership.

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