Navigating Washington During the Inauguration

Metro officials say that people who live or are staying within two miles of the Mall should walk. That includes an area bordered roughly by the Metro stations of Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan, Rosslyn, Arlington Cemetery, Navy Yard, Stadium-Armory and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood.

COMMUTER RAIL AND BUS: MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail and Maryland commuter buses plan to run special service Jan. 20. Together, they will be able to carry about 50,000 people that day. The trains will arrive at Union Station; the commuter buses will travel from park-and-ride spots to Metro stations on the region's fringe.

MARC and VRE tickets for the day must be bought in advance. Bus fares can be bought Inauguration Day.

VRE tickets go on sale Tuesday; forms can be found at http://www.vre.org.

MARC tickets will be sold between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Camden and Monocacy MARC stations; only cash will be accepted. Riders can also visit http://www.commuterdirect.com or call 703-228-7433.

CHARTER BUSES: About 10,000 charter buses are expected in the Washington area. Washington has found parking for 5,000 and is working out how to get people to and from events. For information about charter bus permits, visit http://www.dc.gov. Charter bus companies can register for parking at http://2009inauguration.clickandpark.com.

About 4,700 buses will probably park at Metrorail-accessible locations, including RFK Stadium and Metrorail parking lots.

BICYCLES: Bicycles will not be allowed within the security cordon. Bicycle valet parking might be set up in areas just outside the cordon. Metro officials have not decided whether to allow bikes on trains.

-- Lena H. Sun and Eric M. Weiss