On this day in…

1940: Bugs Bunny debuted in the cartoon A Wild Hare.

1974: The House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal.

2014: The Silver Line began passenger service.

That’s right, today is the first birthday for the Silver Line! As such, DCist wishes you the happiest of birthdays.

When the Silver Line opened up a year ago, people were ecstatic. “[The Silver Line opening] means we’ve arrived, as Restonians,” said Maura McKnight, a Reston resident who was among the first to ride the first trains. “I don’t work in D.C., but I go into town for plays and museums and stuff quite often, so this will eliminate any problems at all getting there.”

And many other Virginians joined McKnight in this first year of service. According to Metro, more than 35,000 weekday trips were taken to or from one of the five new stations—McLean, Tyson’s Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill, Wiehle-Reston East. Moreover, the Silver Line has averaged about 17,088 riders per day since opening.

Of course, the Silver Line’s opening was not without delay, to put it lightly. And now no one is surprised that Phase II of the Silver Line, which will extend to Dulles International Airport, has already been delayed, until at least 2019.

But this isn’t a time to reflect on all the problems the Silver Line has had, it’s a time to celebrate! As such, WMATA did so appropriately, with this large, weird cake:

Filed Under: metro, silver line, wmata,