Metro Gets Companies To Pay For Caps Game Service

WASHINGTON, DC -- WMATA is happy to extend the hours of Metro train service to accommodate Tuesday's Washington Capitals playoff game. Just don't expect them to pay for it.

Instead, Exelon -- parent company of local utility Pepco -- will foot the $100,000 bill to keep Metro open an additional hour after the typical 11:30 p.m. weekday closing time.

With the scheduled start time being 8 p.m. and a playoff hockey game needing at least three hours -- not including overtime -- that extra time will be needed to make sure Caps fans are able to get home. They'll have to hope it doesn't need more than one overtime, however.

"We know how important it is when the hometown team advances in the playoffs, and we want to make sure our customers can be there for every play and get home safely-and emissions free-by powering the Metro's extended hours Tuesday night," Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane said in a statement. "We believe that helping our customers be there to cheer on the Capitals is its own kind of power play, and we are pleased to partner with Metro and the Mayor and to make it happen."

Some weren't particularly impressed that Metro had to resort to having outside companies pay to get Metro customers home after a major sporting event in downtown.

"Exelon literally paid ransom to get people home from a sporting event in the nation's capital," wrote Twitter user @DCmetroll. "Wrong on so many levels."

Here are the last departure times for trains at the two Metro stations nearest to Capital One Arena:

The last Red, Green, and Yellow Line trains from Gallery Place-Chinatown will depart at:

• Red Line in the direction of Glenmont 12:38 a.m.; Shady Grove 12:32 a.m.
• Green Line in the direction of Branch Ave 12:28 a.m.; Greenbelt 12:48 a.m.
• Yellow Line in the direction of Huntington 12:19 a.m.

The last Blue, Orange, and Silver Line trains from Metro Center will depart at:

• Blue Line in the direction of Franconia-Springfield 12:28 a.m.; Largo Town Center 12:27 a.m.
• Orange Line in the direction of New Carrollton 12:20 a.m.; Vienna 12:36 a.m.
• Silver Line in the direction of Largo Town Center 12:27 a.m.; Wiehle-Reston East 12:21 a.m.