2003 Busiest Year Ever for Metrorail

Last year was the busiest year ever for Metrorail since the system opened in 1976. WMATA reports not only did the overall traffic increase, weekend traffic shot up 10%, and late night service - between 2 and 3 a.m. - exceeded expectations.

Metro also reports June 9, the day of Ronald Reagan's funeral, set a one-day record for the system with 850,636 riders.

Despite the record ridership and record fare revenue, Metro still faces a budget crisis, due in part to an aging system and the cost of their employees' medical insurance.