It Was 20 Years Ago . . .
March 29, 1996
When Metro opened for business 20 years ago, the 4.6-mile subway system had 31 rail cars and charged riders 40 cents to 55 cents to travel its five stations. Since then, Metro has grown into an 89.5-mile system with 764 cars and 74 stations. It averages 510,000 trips a day—and charges $1.10 to $3.25 for them.
1976
March 27: Metro opens; 51,000 people ride the 4.6-mile subway free. Five stations open on the Red Line between Rhode Island Avenue and Farragut North, excluding Gallery Place station.
March 29: Metro begins charging fares. It operates from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays only.
1977
Jan. 17: Dupont Circle station opens.
July 1: Blue Line opens from National Airport to Stadium-Armory station, making Metro a 12-mile system with 18 stations. Metro switches to Farecards from change boxes.
1978
Feb. 6: Red Line extends to Silver Spring, adding four stations and 5.7 miles to the line.
July 19-25: Strike paralyzes Metro and Metrobus.
Sept. 30: Saturday service begins.
Nov. 20: Orange Line opens to New Carrollton, providing service in Prince George's County.
1979
Feb. 19: Blizzard causes Metro shutdown for three days.
Sept. 2: Sunday service begins.
Dec. 1: Orange Line extended to Ballston, adding four stations.
1980
Nov. 22: Blue Line extended to Addison Road.
Dec. 5: Red Line reaches Van Ness-UDC station.
1982
Jan. 13: A rail car derails at a crossover switch south of Federal Triangle, killing three people and injuring 25.
1983
April 30: Yellow Line opens, serving Gallery Place to National Airport.
Dec. 17: Yellow Line extended to Huntington, the first station in Fairfax County.
1984
Aug. 25: Red Line grows by 6.81 miles, with service to Grosvenor.
Dec. 15: Red Line reaches Shady Grove.
1986
June 7: Orange Line reaches Vienna.
1987
Jan. 22: Two major snowstorms shut down Metro's surface lines and hamper service for a week. After storms, Metro begins major winterization program.
June 19: CSX Corp. freight cars derail in Metro's right-of-way north of Takoma, tearing up Metro tracks. No one is injured.
Sept. 5: Fourteen CSX cars derail, tearing up Metro tracks between Takoma and Fort Totten. No one is injured.
1988
Aug. 24: Metro carries its billionth rider.
1990
Sept. 22: Red Line extended from Silver Spring to Wheaton.
1991
May 11: Green Line opens, with service from U Street-Cardozo to Mount Vernon Square-UDC.
June 15: Blue Line reaches Van Dorn Street, making Metro a 79-mile system with 67 stations.
June 29: Base fare increases from 85 cents to $1.
1993
December: Four stations open on the Green Line—West Hyattsville, Prince George's Plaza, College Park and Greenbelt— adding 6.7 miles.
1996
Jan. 6: A train driven by Darel W. Callands slides through the Shady Grove station and plows into a parked train, killing the operator.
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