Sixty-seven years after it was first proposed, 16 years after the present plan was devised, seven years after excavation crews began tearing up the streets, the first subway system in the nation's capital was opened to the public last week--40 months behind schedule. In some ways the delay seemed worthwhile. The silver-and-chocolate-colored trains, guided by computers, glide at speeds of up to 75 m.p.h. on cushioned rails. For security, there are TV cameras that tilt, pan and zoom, as well as cops on every train. Many of the stations will feature $1-a-day "Park & Ride" lots for motorists, "Bike & Ride" racks for cyclists and even "Kiss & Ride" lanes for commuters who are driven to the train and dropped off. What with inflation, the system will cost $4.65 billion in stead of the originally budgeted $2.5 billion. Only 4.6 miles have actually been opened out of a total of 99.8 miles, and the completion date for all lines is now 1982. At last Saturday's opening, thousands of Washingtonians waited up to two hours to ride the trains (left). One young New Yorker, Paula Allen, liked the Metro better than her own subway: "It's cleaner, nicer. There's no graffiti."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.