Cherry Blossom-Themed Bus and Train Wraps as Metro Prepares to Move Crowds for Cherry Blossom Season

Metro is gearing up for cherry blossom season when more than 1.5 million people visit the region each year.

Per WMATA: Metro is joining in on the festivities with the return of the cherry blossom-wrapped train and buses, a new commemorative SmarTrip card, and five consecutive weeks of no major track work. To accommodate the crowds, Metro will have additional trains strategically placed throughout the system to add capacity, and additional buses on key routes to provide additional service if needed. We’ll also have extra staff at key stations to help customers.

Metro will be chasing a major ridership milestone during the cherry blossom season: the first combined 1 million-trip day since March 2020.

“Cherry blossom season kicks off one of the busiest times of year for Metro,” said Metro Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer. “We are proud to get visitors from the airports to hotels and down to the Tidal Basin to be a part of the festivities. Locals already know Metro is the best way to get around, so we look forward to getting them to the celebration, too.”

For the third year in a row, we’re wrapping a train, and three buses in a special cherry blossom theme to celebrate the season.

This year’s design features a bright blue background, pink blooms, and a Japanese “rising sun,” a nod to their national flag, to symbolize the close relationship between the U.S. and Japan (read more about the history of the cherry blossoms, Japan’s gift to America, on the National Park Service website). Metro’s “Your Metro” slogan is on the side of the vehicles in both English and Japanese.

The vehicles are expected to make their debut on March 21. You can track the vehicles’ live locations by visiting wmata.com/live and clicking on the “Special Edition” tab.

Metro is also partnering with the National Cherry Blossom Festival for our annual keepsake SmarTrip card. The artwork is by artist Anna August and is titled “Bloom.” It features cherry blossoms and the Jefferson and Washington monuments – two prominent landmarks near the Tidal Basin.

Twenty thousand of these limited-edition cards will go on sale March 15 at select stations – Metro Center, Navy Yard, L’Enfant Plaza, and Smithsonian – and will be available while supplies last. Look for specially marked fare vending machines around March 15, before the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.