POLITICS IN BRIEF

D.C. transit system could set a record

The Washington area’s transit system is warning that passengers should expect packed railcars and buses and extraordinary lines on Inauguration Day.

Metro chief John Catoe on Thursday said that if crowd estimates prove correct, Metro certainly will eclipse an all-time high inaugural ridership of about 811,000 set in January 1993, when President Bill Clinton was sworn in for his first term. Metro also expects to shatter its all-time record ridership of more than 854,000 set in July.

“We recognize the eyes of the world will be on us,” Catoe said. “Will it be the largest crowd ever? We think so.”

District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said this week that Obama’s inauguration could lead to an unprecedented turnout of possibly 3 million to 5 million people. Other estimates have anticipated crowds of 1.5 million or more.

Colleagues pay tribute to GOP’s Stevens

Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska ended his four-decade congressional career Thursday as his colleagues offered a 90-minute tribute to the Republican, whose mark on Alaska predates statehood but whose imprint on the Senate is just as legendary.

Few mentioned his conviction on corruption charges or failed re-election bid, referring obliquely —- but regretfully —- to his setbacks. Their remarks came the day after Stevens, 85, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, conceded his Senate race to Democratic Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

As Stevens concluded his own remarks, many in the gallery and all the senators and aides on the floor of the Senate offered a standing ovation. Many of his staffers and friends walked out of the Senate chambers with red-rimmed eyes, dabbing at their tears.