Hundreds of thousands of passengers are expected to ride Metrorail today to reach Independence Day festivities on the National Mall, the Washington Nationals baseball game and other holiday events.

Last July 4, 451,623 people rode the public transit system, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. To handle the anticipated masses, Metro is making several alterations to its normal service schedules.

“We’ll be ready,” Metro General Manager John Catoe said. “It’s our responsibility to get people to their celebrations.”

Extra trains will be scheduled to bring baseball fans to and from the Nationals’ 12:05 p.m. game against the Chicago Cubs, and free shuttle buses will take passengers from the National Mall to the Pentagon station’s parking lot after the fireworks end tonight. The buses will pick up passengers near the L’Enfant Plaza station at Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue.

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Besides the additional trains for the baseball game, additional service has been scheduled on the Green and Red lines starting in the afternoon. Also, the Yellow Line will operate between the Franconia-Springfield and Mount Vernon Square stations, the Blue Line will run between Huntington and Rosslyn, and the Orange Line will go to Largo Town Center and New Carrollton.

Federal security concerns will force the Smithsonian station, which is the station nearest the Mall, to close today. Metro is recommending that passengers use the L’Enfant Plaza and Archives-Navy Memorial stations instead. Extra Metro Transit Police officers will be assigned to patrol the system’s rail stations and parking lots today.

Metro assigned the heightened security because of the national holiday and the recent terrorist attacks in Great Britain.

Passengers arriving at the Cheverly Metro station Tuesday morning received emergency-preparation materials from transit system personnel, but the distribution had nothing to do with elevated security.

The kits contained six small bandages, two towelettes, a small packet of antibiotic ointment and some safety pamphlets.

Ron Bodmer, a Metro emergency management coordinator, said the system has been giving the packets to passengers at one station per month “for several years now.”

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com