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Metro Bulks Up for Massive Inauguration Crowds
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The agency will be selling special commemorative paper Farecards, one-day rail passes and SmarTrip electronic cards that riders will be able to buy and use in the days leading up to, during and after the inauguration.
A special $10 SmarTrip card featuring a smiling Barack Obama, with the words "44th President of the United States" stripped along one edge, will be available online and at Metro sales outlets in early January. Metro was able to order only 35,000 cards because of the long lead time needed by the German manufacturer. But the plastic cards have no value; riders will still need to add value at a Metro station fare machine to pay for trips.
Catoe said Metro is looking for other vendors to make more commemorative cards.
By Christmas, riders will also be able to buy commemorative Farecards at all Metro fare vending machines. These will include 3 million to 5 million special one-day rail passes featuring the same Obama photo. The passes will cost $7.80, the regular price, and will be valid throughout the four-day weekend.
Metro is encouraging travelers to buy them in advance.
Agency officials said they do not know how much the extra service will cost, and no extra funds were set aside in the budget. Typically, extra service costs are shouldered by the group asking for the service.
"We're counting on the federal government to pay for the late closing," said Candace Smith, a Metro spokeswoman. And the other extra service? "We're certainly going to ask them."
Beginning this afternoon, Metro will have a special inaugural Web site, http:/
