D.C. wants Nats to pony up for extra service Baseball fans better hope for clear skies and a quick game when the Washington Nationals take on the San Francisco Giants Monday night — or they might be stranded.
There is no plan to keep the Metro system running past midnight if the home game runs late, because groups are feuding over who will pay the tab.
In the past, the District has footed the bill. But the sides are disputing who pays the approximately $90,000 in overtime for train operators, station managers and transit police this baseball season.
“While the District has covered these costs in the past, we are no longer able to do so in these lean budget times and encourage the Nationals to pick up this expense,” D.C. City Administrator Allen Lew said.
The city already pays more than a half a million dollars per season to provide security and traffic control outside of the stadium on game days, he said. That was stipulated in the original lease, he said, but the late-night service on Metro was not part of the agreement.
“While the District paid this expense in the early years of the stadium to ensure the successful launch of the new ballpark, it is now the District’s position that this is a reasonable service for the team to provide for their patrons who choose to stay for late games,” he said.
Lara Potter, a Nationals spokeswoman, declined to comment about the team paying. But she said it’s rarely an issue as the average game this season has lasted two hours and 50 minutes, ending well before Metro stops service. Still, late-running games typically occur about two or three times a season.
And officials have encouraged fans to take public transit to games. The ballpark was designed with limited parking. Stadium workers also rely on trains to get home.
Friday and Saturday night games usually don’t require extra Metro service because the train system stays open until 3 a.m. on those nights. Games on Sunday nights or weeknights, though, can run into trouble if rain causes a delay or a close game goes into extra innings.
Monday’s game starts at 7:05 p.m. with a forecast of possible thunderstorms. Train stations are scheduled to close at midnight.
“We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached between the Nationals and the District of Columbia,” Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein wrote in an email.
Metro often extends train service by prearrangement for groups with major events, such as a marathon. The transit agency charges $29,500 per hour but refunds the amount if riders’ fares cover the cost, Farbstein said. Late-night service for baseball games isn’t planned in advance, though, and typically doesn’t have many riders to cover the cost.
The city has balked at covering the cost before. In 2009, then District Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein told Metro the city would no longer pay. But the city had to backtrack.
