By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 3:24 PM

Metro offered some anxious baseball fans a speedier ride to RFK Stadium today for the season opener.

Two Orange Line trains had a "Fastball Express" service between Metro Center and Stadium-Armory, stopping only at L'Enfant Plaza, and skipping six local stations in between. The first express train left Metro Center around 12:05 p.m., and the second one left about 50 minutes later.

"In the spirit of baseball's opening day, we wanted to give it a try and see whether fans like it," said Steven Feil, Metro's chief operating officer for rail.

Metro only has two tracks, and trains go one at time, so trains have to be spaced far enough apart for an express system to work.

The service was a help for some, who were excited to get there in time for Vice President Cheney's opening pitch, and a confusion for many, who weren't sure when the express train was coming or what it was. A few people, carrying briefcases instead of baseball mitts, got on the wrong train and ended up having to cross the platform at Stadium Armory and double back.

If the experiment goes well, Metro might consider using express trains more often, Feil said.

Last season, about 45 percent of the Nationals fans relied on Metro to get to the games, taking 1.8 million trips.