This commemorative WMATA farecard was issued for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January 20, 1993 — a day that remains the highest ridership day in Washington Metro history. An estimated 804,000 passengers flooded the system as hundreds of thousands of visitors descended on the nation’s capital, many of them arriving via Metrorail stations in Arlington and across Northern Virginia.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority began producing commemorative fare cards for presidential inaugurations with Clinton’s first swearing-in, establishing a tradition that continued through subsequent administrations. These special-edition cards featured inauguration-themed artwork and served as both functional transit passes and collectible souvenirs. For many attendees traveling from Northern Virginia — through stations like Rosslyn, Pentagon City, and Crystal City — this farecard was their ticket to witnessing history.
Clinton’s inauguration was a landmark moment for the region. The massive turnout overwhelmed Metro’s capacity, with trains running at maximum frequency throughout the day. The system, which had only been fully operational since 1991 when the Green Line began service, proved its value as essential infrastructure for the capital’s most significant civic events. The crush of riders demonstrated just how central Metrorail had become to life in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. area — a far cry from the system’s modest 4.6-mile opening between Rosslyn and National Airport in 1976.
Today, these commemorative farecards are sought-after collectibles, with examples regularly appearing at auction. This one survives as a small but tangible connection to a day when Northern Virginia’s transit infrastructure carried the weight of a national celebration.