Metro is gearing up for thousands of visitors at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial later this month, by suspending all track work, running extended hours on the day of the dedication, and selling commemorative rail passes.
The transit agency plans to open the rail system two hours early at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, to accommodate the crowds expected to attend the 11 a.m. dedication. Metro officials are not sure how many people to expect but they are looking at recent large rallies and the National WWII Memorial opening in 2004 as guides, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
“It is history being made,” he said. “We don’t often see a new memorial being opened on the Mall.”
Attendees should be prepared to walk – and hike up escalators. The agency warned that it will likely turn off escalators for safety reasons. And the closest Metro stations to the memorial, on the north side of the Tidal Basin, are Smithsonian, Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery. Event organizers are encouraging people to use McPherson Square, Farragut North or West, or L’Enfant Plaza, as well.
No bicycles will be allowed on the rail system that day. Metrobuses may face detours due to traffic and street closures, the agency warns.
Riders are encouraged to buy enough fare to cover their return trips. The agency has special commemorative one-day passes, giving unlimited rides for $9. (Those passes only make financial sense for riders who plan to take more than three trips that day of the longest distance at $2.75 per trip.)
