Updated: Nats Fans Riding Playoffs High, But Can They Ride Metro?

Updated 3:06 p.m.

Metro released a statement just after 3 p.m. Thursday calling a press conference at 5 p.m.

The statement was simply: "Metro will make an announcement regarding late-night service during the MLB post-season today at 5:00 p.m. at Navy Yard-Ballpark Station."

Stay tuned for updates.

Original Post

Earlier this week Metro remained open an extra hour for Madonna concert goers, but the decision to keep the rail open after the 8 p.m. Nationals wild card playoff game on Oct. 5 has not been made.

There is a good chance the game will not finish in time for fans to catch the final train, which departs Navy Yard – Ballpark station at 11:20 p.m.

A $29,500 deposit will have to be made to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to keep the rails open. WMATA will return the deposit based upon the number of fares generated that night.

But who will front that deposit remains undecided. Fingers are pointed back and forth between the District of Columbia, the Nationals, Virginia and Maryland.

The deposite guarantees that the Navy Yard - Ballpark station will remain open after next week’s game. Fans can only enter at Navy-Yard station, but can exit from any station in D.C., Maryland or Virginia.

According to the Washington Examiner, each person who rides the Metrorail from Navy Yard - Ballpark station after 11:20 p.m. will equal a $5.36 refund for the group that pays the deposit.

That means 5,504 people would have to ride the metro from Navy-Yard station after the game to break even. That is less than 20 percent of the average number of attendeees at a Nationals home game, which is 30,000 people, according to ESPN.

Verizon Center made two $29,500 deposits to WMATA to extend the hours of the Judiciary Square and Verizon Center stations after the Madonna concerts on Sunday and Monday nights.

Each concert sold out, and the Verizon Center holds anywhere from 13,000 to 19,000 people for concerts, less than the average Nationals home games attendance.

WMATA said 5,229 people road in the hour after Sunday night’s concert, and 5,225 people road after Monday night’s concert. When you calculate the number of concert riders at the refund rate of $5.36 per rider, Verizon Center comes within $3,000 of breaking even with its deposit.

WMATA told Patch that nothing has been decided about keeping Metro open after the Oct. 5 game, but “those conversations are still ongoing.”