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Metrorail Ridership Drops 22 Percent With Shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Metro says it is seeing a 22 percent drop in rail ridership due to the federal government shutdown.

Metro said Wednesday that it will continue the regular weekday schedule, but it will run only six-car trains until further notice.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel says the transit system normally runs a mix of six- and eight-car trains during rush hours on the Red, Orange and Green lines. The Yellow and Blue lines generally operate with six-car trains.

He says reducing service to entirely six-car trains represents about a 10 percent reduction in overall capacity during rush hours. Trains will still seem less crowded.

Stessel says the longer the shutdown continues, the more pressure it will put on the agency's budget.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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