Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 12, 2003

Metro’s Budget Committee approves extended hours for the Metrorail system

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) Board Budget Committee today recommended to the full Board of Directors a plan to expand Metrorail’s hours of service by extending Friday and Saturday night service by one additional hour and opening the system one hour earlier on Saturday and Sunday morning as part of Metro’s fiscal year 2004 Budget.

Pending final approval at the next Metro Board of Directors meeting on June 19, the new hours will take effect Sunday, June 29, the same time Metro’s new fare structure is implemented.

Effective Sunday, June 29, Metro will extend service during these periods:

  • Extend late-night weekend service by one additional hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. (This is an 18-month demonstration program funded by the District of Columbia for $1.6 million.) The first night of the extended late-night weekend service will be Friday, July 4.
  • Open the rail system one hour earlier (7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.) on Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Total cost of opening the system at 7 a.m. is $600,000.) The first morning of early weekend openings will be Sunday, June 29.

"When I assumed the seat as Chairman of Metro’s Board of Directors, one of my priorities was to find a way to give our customers more, not less service,"said Jim Graham, Metro’s Board Chairman. "Now that we are adjusting Metro’s fare structure for the first time in eight years, we needed to justify a fare increase by offering better value for the fare dollar. That’s why I proposed to expand the hours of Metrorail, to provide more service for our customers."

When Metro first extended its late-night hours of operation in fiscal year 2000, it was done incrementally - first staying open until 1 a.m., then 2 a.m. In the last three fiscal years, ridership met, and exceeded, the original projections of 7,400 for average weekend late-night ridership. Metro recorded 9,200 average weekend late-night riders in fiscal year 2000, 11,500 in fiscal year 2001, and 12,500 in fiscal year 2002.

"Mr. Graham was an original sponsor of the extended weekend Metro hours, first from midnight to 1 a.m., and eventually to our current Friday and Saturday night closing time of 2 a.m.," said Richard A. White, Metro’s CEO. "For the last three fiscal years, we have met and exceeded ridership expectations. By staying open later on Friday and Saturday, it has allowed more people to enjoy the benefits of the Washington, D.C., area for a longer period of time. In turn, late-night travelers have provided an economic growth to downtown and the entire metropolitan region." "Based on the information provided to me by the Metro staff, not only was this a bargain for Metro, but a wonderful opportunity for our regular customers and for out- of-town visitors to take advantage of what our nation’s capital has to offer. Whether it is enjoying the downtown nightlife on Friday and Saturday nights, or getting to work early on the weekends, people can now rely on Metro to get everyone to their destination safely," concluded Mr. Graham.

News release issued on June 12, 2003.