Washington D.C.’s local transit gears up for a crowded inaugural weekend

The 57th inaugural ceremony is just around the corner and while Washington, D.C. won’t see the same boost in tourism that it did during the first swearing-in of President Obama, hundreds of thousands will still crowd the capital’s streets, subways, and sidewalks.

Amtrak announced on Tuesday that it would be adding two Acela Express trains from New York City to the capital on Monday, January 21, in anticipation of higher passenger numbers. The train will depart New York City at 6 am and return to the city at 6 p.m.

The Washington Metro announced it will open an hour early and close two hours late. It also published a video (see below) on how to ride the Metro for out-of-towners. For more service changes, see here.

The best option for avoiding crowded subways and gridlocked streets is the city’s bike-sharing program, Capital Bikeshare. The program is considered the country’s largest and most-successful in terms of size and ridership.

Are you planning on attending the inauguration? Tell us your plan for getting around in the comments below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiBMCoRKvok]