Thirty-six years ago on Tuesday, Metrorail first opened its doors, offering free rides on a 4.2-mile stretch of the Red Line. The agency had predicted 10,000 riders that first day, March 27, 1976, but more than 51,000 showed up and rode the line. They had watched it being built for more than six years. When the agency started charging fares two days later, the trains ran from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. only on weekdays. And at that point, the Red Line stretched between only five stations, Rhode Island Avenue to Farragut North. – Kytja Weir
