the following dates: February 1, 2004: 64,005 passengers rode Metro during Super Bowl XXXVIII February 23, 2004: 54,193 passenger boardings were recorded, the highest weekday at the time February 27, 2007: 56,388 passengers were recorded the day of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo February 4, 2017: 109,417 passengers were recorded during pre-Super Bowl festivities. November 3, 2017: 125,000 passengers were recorded the day of the Houston Astros World Series Championship Parade METRORail lines Metro currently operates three light rail lines: the Red Line, Purple Line and Green Line. The Red Line, the Authority's first light rail line, began operation on January 1, 2004. Now extended to 12.8 miles, the line begins at the Northline Transit Center, serving HCC Northeast and Northline Commons mall, and then continues south through Houston's Central Business District, Midtown, the Museum District, Rice University, the Texas Medical Center and the NRG Park Complex to the Fannin South Transit Center It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the DART system. The arrival of Metro light rail comes approximately sixty years after the previous streetcar system was shut down, which left Houston as the largest city in the United States without a rail system since 1990, when Los Angeles' Blue Line opened. Metro opened two additional light rail lines in 2015, the Purple (Southeast) and Green (East End) Lines. Destinations served by these new lines include Texas Southern University, the University of Houston, PNC Stadium, and the Theater District. These new lines added another 9.9 miles of light rail. In total, Metro operates 22.7 miles of light rail service. Metro will reach approximately 18.6 million light rail boardings in FY17. Two other lines were to be completed by 2012, but funding issues dropped the number to the northern extension of the Red Line and two of the original four new lines. The extension of the Red Line was opened on December 21, 2013 and the East End/Green Line opened on May 23, 2015. Due to federal investigations and the lack of funds, the plans may degenerate further. Three of the five lines were previously going to be bus-rapid transit, but due to high ridership possibilities, the decision was made to make them all light rail. Expansion Additional rail will be laid as approved by a 52% yes to 48% no margin in the November 2003 election. Critics have alleged the existence of a