Metro to keep trains running if Nationals post-season games run beyond normal closing times

Nationals fans who want to avoid game day traffic and parking hassles can confidently choose Metro this post season and know that the rail system will get them home, even if the game goes beyond Metro’s normal closing time.

Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld today announced that the transit authority would extend the accommodation he implemented in advance of Tuesday’s National League Wildcard Game.

For the remainder of the Nationals season, Metro will “flex” its operating hours by committing to customers attending the game that trains will continue running and Navy Yard-Ballpark Station will remain open for 20 minutes after the end of the game. Any customer in line to enter Navy Yard-Ballpark Station by that time will be accommodated.

When Metrorail service is extended beyond normal closing time, Navy Yard-Ballpark Station will be the only station where customers can enter the system. All other stations will be open for “exit only.”

Wiedefeld added that the same “flex” of Metro’s closing time would be offered to Washington Mystics fans if a game 5 is played next Thursday at the Entertainment and Sports Arena adjacent to Congress Heights Station.

Metro leaders have expressed interest in a clearer, more predictable and customer-oriented approach to providing Metro service to events of regional significance, such as post-season games for major sports teams, which often start later in the evening and scheduled with only a few days’ notice.

“Today’s commitment to keep trains running 20 minutes after all Nationals and Mystics postseason games lets the region’s fans choose Metro and know that we’ll be there to get them home,” Wiedefeld said. “This approach is a bridge to address the immediate concerns of customers until the Board can take a fresh look at the policy.”

Roughly one in four fans at Nationals Park used Metro to get home following Tuesday night’s National League Wildcard Game.



