Riding the Rails

953,900 weekday riders* rode the Washington D.C. Metro system during the first quarter of 2011.  Count my husband as one of them!

* American Public Transit Association's Ridership Report

Serving Washington, D.C. and the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs, the Washingon Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, commonly called the Metro, is the cheapest, fastest way to travel the city.  Comprised of 106 miles of rails, the Metro system has grown to become the second-busiest subway system, after the New York City subway, in the United States.    

However, this transit system did not dig itself.  I can recall visiting Washington, D.C. in 1973 when many of its streets were excavation sites.  Touring the city was a nightmare! I can only imagine the difficulties commuters from that era endured every day of its seven long years of construction.  (For more details about Metro's construction, visit this online exhibit, "Building the Washington Metro.")

Now, Tim and I are the appreciative recipients of that hardship, finding ourselves even more grateful for its existence after loaning our car to our son in Chicago for this summer.  Although the Metro has aged since we first lived in the D.C. area from 1987-1996, it still retains its grandeur, thanks to Chicago architect Henry Weese, who envisioned its vaulted-ceiling stations.

Riders must purchase a stored-value card which could be either a paper magnetic-strip fare ticket or a plastic SmarTrip card.  While the paper fare ticket might satisfy an occasional Metro user, the SmarTrip card has several advantages.

SmarTrip cards are a $5 purchase and may be recharged for any amount up to $300 at a time.  Since these cards are equpped with proximity detection, simply touch the card to the circular target on top of the faregates.  A SmarTrip card may be registered online, allowing its redemption, if lost.  SmarTrip cards are also accepted as payment on numerous local public bus transit providers such as DASH, Fairfax Connector, ART, etc. 

To make your purchase, use one of several Metro vending machines located at each station.

These vending machines will accept...

coins;

$1, $5, $10 or $20 dollar bills; or

a bank or credit card.

If you are planning a visit to Washington, D.C., you may purchase Metro tickets or SmarTrip cards prior to your arrival via the Washington Metro web site.  Use the Trip Planner page to assist you in determining how much fare to purchase.

Future Metro expansion calls for the completion of a 23.5-mile corridor in 2013 that will link Washington Dulles International Airport with the city, but for now, any flights we plan will be scheduled via Reagan National Airport, a quick two Metro stops away from home.