Metro’s board of directors is considering cutting late-night weekend service on the subway, pointing out Thursday that reduced hours could help fill a budget gap while giving work crews more time to fix the crumbling system. The transit agency is facing a $72.5 million hole in its upcoming budget. Closing the system at midnight, instead of running trains until 3 a.m. on weekends, would save $5 million each year, according to Metro. But it would give the agency an extra 40 to 45 days of maintenance over the year to repair the tracks and stations — a key priority as the agency seeks to return the 34-year-old system to a “state of good repair.”

“It’s like adding an eighth day to a seven-day workweek,” said acting Deputy General Manager for Operations Dave Kubicek.