Fans have been encouraged to use public transit to cut down on traffic congestion near NRG Park. And Metro CEO Tom Lambert says it looks like people are getting the message.
Lambert says many trains were running full on Saturday. He estimates they carried thousands of fans every hour to the venue.
“About 6000 folks I think we’ve been seeing and it’s going to pick up more than that,” says Lambert. “Probably every hour what we’re seeing.”
Lambert says once they have the final numbers they’ll look for things that need to be improved, as they prepare for next year’s Super Bowl crowds.
“We’ve learned that if you put information signage out to direct people to the Main Street rail line and you give them good signage, they will walk from Discovery Green to the Main Street line,” adds Lambert.
If you’re going to the championship game tonight, Lambert says they’ll run trains as late as needed.
He also says they’ll have buses standing by to get people downtown if the trains get too crowded.
More than 75,000 fans were at Saturday’s game. By comparison, the Houston Texans average about 72,000 for their games.