Metro hits one-day record

The transit agency counted 854,638 trips Friday, a 7.3 percent increase from that date in 2007 and breaking the record number of riders — 850,636 — in town for President Ronald Reagan’s funeral in June 2004.

The new mark means 17 of the 25 top ridership days in Metrorail history have occurred in the past two months, the agency said.

Jim Hughes, Metro’s managing director of planning, said officials expected a 3 percent rise in ridership this year, but are seeing a healthier 3.5 percent increase — or 25,000 more riders a day — despite a fare increase Jan. 6.

“We’re adding some capacity to the railroad, and I think we can handle this growth,” Hughes said. “The real issue is what happens to the economy and what happens to the gas prices.”

Hughes said if gas prices continue to climb, Metro officials will begin looking into contingencies like instructing riders to arrive at earlier hours and encouraging them to use local bus systems.

Metro is working against a strained budget to add more cars and repair deteriorating stations. Though many stations were built to accommodate eight-car trains, about 85 percent are still operating with only six — a number slated to increase this year.

Ridership on mass transit has reached its highest point nationally since the 1940s, when commuting by car was less common, according to the American Public Transportation Association, which monitors public transportation trends.

“There’s a capacity issue at work here with more and more people taking public transportation,” said Virginia Miller, an association spokeswoman. “Systems are having to do everything they can to accommodate these new riders.”