Los Angeles Metro averaged more than one million weekday riders in September for the first time in over a year, the agency reported in an Oct. 16 press release.

Average weekday boardings hit 1,022,776 across the bus and rail system, a 4.4% jump over September 2025, as first reported by Streetsblog Los Angeles. Total ridership for the month reached 27,281,003, up 3.9% year over year.

The D Line subway drove the biggest gains. The line's three new stations along Wilshire Boulevard, which opened May 8 and connected Koreatown to Beverly Hills by rail, coincided with D Line weekday ridership rising 114% compared to September 2025. Overall D Line ridership nearly doubled, up about 93%.

The Wilshire/La Cienega station gave Beverly Hills its first rail passenger service since 1954, when the Pacific Electric Railway shut down its Hollywood Line streetcar, NBC Los Angeles reported at the time of the opening.

Rail ridership systemwide climbed 12.4% to 6,698,337 total boardings. Bus ridership grew a more modest 1.4%.

A packed September events calendar helped. Metro cited BTS concerts at SoFi Stadium, J. Cole performances at Intuit Dome and Crypto.com Arena, a John Williams tribute at the Hollywood Bowl, and home games for the Rams, Chargers, Dodgers, USC and UCLA. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art also opened in Expo Park during the month.

The milestone comes after a turbulent stretch. Metro had built a 30-month streak of ridership growth from late 2022 through mid-2025, Streetsblog Los Angeles reported. That streak snapped in June 2025, when intensified immigration enforcement depressed ridership across the system.

Nearly 20% of September riders used fare programs offering free or discounted rides, according to the Metro operations report. The LIFE program, which serves riders with qualifying incomes, grew 35% year over year.

Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra highlighted the D Line extension and the A Line's expansion to Pomona as key accomplishments at the agency's annual address Oct. 21, Altadena Now reported. CEO Stephanie Wiggins said the numbers reflect progress since the pandemic era.

"Ridership was down, public confidence was shaken, and our incredible employees were carrying extraordinary burdens, serving as frontline workers for Los Angeles," Wiggins said of the early 2020s, according to Altadena Now.

The D Line extension is the first of three phases in a 9-mile project that will eventually reach Westwood. Section 2, adding stations at Beverly Drive and Century City, is targeted for spring 2027. Section 3, reaching Westwood and the VA Hospital, is targeted for fall 2027, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Metro's next ridership report will cover October, when the system's SoFi Stadium express service for NFL games saw passenger trips rise 13.8% through the first five regular-season games compared to the same stretch last year.