Snow day DC Metro ridership declines 85 percent

Ridership on the Washington, D.C. Metrorail subway system declined by 85 percent during rush hour on Monday morning, compared to the same time period last week.

A spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) told The Hill that the transit system recorded 30,981 train trips between 5 and 10 a.m., compared to 248,686 trips for the same period last Monday.

{mosads}The capital area transit authority suspended service on its bus lines Monday as the Washington region was hit with about five inches of snow.

The agency does not typically cancel rail service unless snow totals reach eight inches. Even then, Metro train service is only usually suspended at aboveground stations.