Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 25, 2004

Metro to operate two-car trains from 10 p.m. to closing between Sunday and Thursday nights

As part of the Fiscal Year 2005 budget approved by the Metro Board of Directors last week, effective Sunday, June 27, all Metrorail trains on all rail lines will operate with two cars from the end of each rail line from 10 p.m. to closing from Sunday to Thursday nights. Trains will continue to arrive approximately 15-20 minutes apart. Normal late night four-car train operations will continue on Friday and Saturday nights, when the Metrorail system closes at 3 a.m., and when ridership is typically higher. Earlier this year, in response to a projected $23 million dollar deficit in the fiscal year 2005 budget, Metro’s Board of Directors asked staff to propose a selection of options to reduce costs. One option was to operate two-car trains after 10 p.m. The decision to operate two-car trains from 10 p.m. to closing between Sunday and Thursday nights will save the transit authority $1 million dollars in maintenance and operating costs per year. "The decision to move to two-car trains was not easy," said Lem Proctor, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer, for Rail. "However, since we operate at less than 50 percent capacity between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight, and combined with our financial situation, this was a decision the Board of Directors felt was necessary to reduce the overall budget deficit. "By moving to two-car train operations during the week, we would like to remind our customers to please stand toward the center of the platform to wait for a train. By waiting near the center of the platform, it will save customers time from having to walk or run to board a train. We would also like to remind our customers boarding these trains to spread out throughout the train and to not stand near the train car doors," concluded Mr. Proctor.

News release issued on June 25, 2004.