Metro is Now Proposing Shutting Down at 11:30

Bad news, late-night Metro riders: Metro is proposing to cut back service hours big time on weekdays, rolling it back to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, according to a report from WMATA staff.

Various news outlets are reporting that WMATA staff is going with Proposal 3, which would mean service on Mondays through Thursdays would start at 5 a.m. and end at 11:30 p.m.

Service would run from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Fridays, from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sundays.

The new hours would begin July 1, 2017 and would run through July 2020.

Metro is making the change due to a number of challenges, one being a major budget shortfall and the other being ongoing maintenance and safety problems throughout the system that need addressing. The extra time would allow WMATA to cut track delays and identify problems before they disrupt rail service, the agency claims.

Metro riders had enjoyed service up until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights before the SafeTrack repair program was put in place to fix chronic safety problems throughout the system. The system has been closing at midnight every night since SafeTrack began in June.

Image via WMATA