METRO light rail serves 200,000 across the five days of MLB All-Star‏

With the additional capacity of three-car trains, METRO light rail served more than 51,000 riders on game day, July 12, and nearly 200,000 across the five days (July 8 – 12) of Major League Baseball’s All-Star 2011. Typical daily ridership in July is 29,000.

“We put our best foot forward to provide good, quality service to those visiting the Phoenix area for the first time and to take care of our everyday riders,” said METRO CEO Steve Banta. “We appreciate the support of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball for seeing value in our service and allowing us to take part in the All-Star Red Carpet event on Tuesday.”

MLB All-Star-wrapped trains traveled through the Red Carpet parade on July 12 that welcomed All-Star players and their families into Chase Field, the site of the All-Star game later that evening. The red carpet ran adjacent to the light rail tracks on Jefferson St. in downtown Phoenix. For photos of this event, visit METRO’s Facebook page.

"METRO light rail has positively impacted our fan experience since its arrival," said D-backs President and CEO Derrick Hall. "We greatly appreciate the cooperation, spirit and generosity from its leadership around the All-Star events. They had all baseball fans and their best interests in mind and provided clean, comfortable, efficient and first-class value."

METRO also provided service to many new, local riders who took advantage of the MLB All-Star opportunity to try transit.

“The kids and I rode the [light] rail yesterday from Mesa to Phoenix for MLB FanFest! It was easy and fun (and AIR CONDITIONED!!!),” said mother and first-time rider Wendy Dunn.

For more information on METRO light rail, visit http://www.metrolightrail.org.

About METRO

METRO is responsible for the development and operation of the region’s high-capacity transit system. The first 20-mile light rail line opened December 2008 and served 12.6 million riders in 2010, exceeding the prior year by 11 percent. METRO serves an average of 40,000 riders each weekday while also planning for six extensions that will create a 57-mile system by 2031.

Source: Metro Light Rail