Metro News Release

For immediate release: September 29, 2014

American University to bring Nationals fans late-night rail service following post-season games

WASHINGTON – American University and Metro today announced a partnership that will provide fans attending 2014 post-season games with late-night Metrorail service from Navy Yard-Ballpark Station.

Thanks to the partnership, Nationals fans will have access to special late-night train service, as needed, following post-season games Sunday through Thursday nights that are still in play as of 10:30 p.m. In the event of a rain delay or extra innings, provisions are in place to extend service as late as 1:20 a.m., if necessary. Details on the amount of service will be provided to fans in a timely manner during the game through in-stadium announcements, as well as through Metro’s Twitter feeds @wmata and @metrorailinfo.

Under Metro's normal schedule, the last train with guaranteed connections to other lines departs Navy Yard at 11:20 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights. On Friday and Saturday nights, Metrorail already stays open until 3 a.m., with the last connecting train departing Navy Yard at 2:20 a.m.

"This partnership continues American University's leadership in promoting the use of public transportation to all of the great activities and events here in the Nation's Capital," said Richard Sarles, Metro General Manager and CEO. "We are excited to partner with the Nats and AU to help fans take in all the excitement of the post-season."

Late-night service details

Generally, for post-season home games that continue in play later than 10:30 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights, Metro will provide one additional hour of service – until 12:20 a.m. – from Navy Yard-Ballpark Station. Fans will receive confirmation of the late closing through in-stadium announcements and via Twitter. If necessary due to a rain delay or extra innings, Metro will have the ability to further extend service until as late as 1:20 a.m. from Navy Yard-Ballpark Station. Fans should listen for in-stadium announcements for details. Only Navy Yard-Ballpark Station will remain open past its normal closing time. Riders will be able to exit at all 90 other Metrorail stations during the additional service period.

Metro will advise riders of the late-night service through email and text advisories, digital screens at station entrances, public address announcements, social media and wmata.com. In addition, the Nationals will announce late-night service within Nats Park to encourage fans to take advantage of the later trains.

Metro GM Sarles expressed his appreciation for the hundreds of Metro employees – including station managers, train operators, transit police officers and support personnel – who will extend their shifts into the night to support late-night operations.

The additional late-night service agreement is funded through the partnership without the use of fares, tax dollars or ballpark revenue.

Travel tips for Nationals fans

• Sign up for MetroAlerts (wmata.com/metroalerts) to be notified of Metrorail and Metrobus service disruptions.
• After boarding the train, move all the way into the center of the car—away from the doors—to create space for riders behind you.
• Have your SmarTrip or paper farecard in your hand as you approach the fare gates.
• If a train is too crowded, do not attempt to board. Allow the doors to close and wait for the next train.
• Navy Yard-Ballpark Station has two entrances. Half Street is slightly closer to the ballpark and often gets very crowded. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Avenue entrance is a short three-block walk from the ballpark and is usually much less crowded. Both entrances are equipped with elevators and escalators.
• Metro operates a combination of six-car and eight-car trains. Often, the last two cars of eight-car trains are the least crowded. Take note of the number of cars on the platform information displays, and spread out along the platform to take advantage of the additional space of eight-car trains whenever possible.
• To avoid potentially long vending machine lines after the game, fans are reminded to load enough value on their paper farecard or SmarTrip for their entire roundtrip. Riders using paper farecards pay $1 more per trip than those using SmarTrip. SmarTrip cards can be purchased from special vending machines at any Metrorail station or in advance at local CVS and Giant Food stores, Metro Sales offices, regional transit stores, or online at smartrip.com.

News release issued at 11:36 am, September 29, 2014.