Although D.C. bars and nightclubs are allowed to stay open all night during next month’s inauguration festivities, Metro likely won’t be able to do the same.
“It is not possible to operate 24 hours per day,” Metro General Manager John Catoe told the transit system’s board members last week.
The agency is already planning to extend service on Inauguration Day, with its train service running from 4 a.m. until 2 a.m. to accommodate the morning swearing-in ceremony of Barack Obama and the nighttime inaugural balls. But, according to Metro’s current plans, Friday and Saturday train service will run until 3 a.m. as usual. On Sunday and Monday, it is slated to end at midnight.
Metro officials say they plan to review options to extend service in light of the D.C. Council’s decision last week to extend nightclub hours. But each additional hour of train service typically costs $27,000 and Metro officials say the system itself is limited by its tracks and staffing constraints.
Metro currently uses its closed hours, in addition to weekends, to fix and maintain its tracks. And with its two-track rails, Metro doesn’t have the luxury of New York City’s subway system to stay open 24 hours. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority uses a four-track system — one set for express and one set for local trains — so track crews can run trains on one set while they shut down the others for maintenance.
On weekends, Metro occasionally runs both directions of its trains on a single track so work can be done on the closed rails, but that significantly slows down service. And Metro officials are expecting large crowds the whole weekend. Postponing track maintenance then could also pose problems for Tuesday.
“We want to be prepared for the main event on Inauguration Day,” said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
The system’s statutes also limit how long drivers can work. Metro’s union contract for train and bus drivers requires them to have up to eight hours of rest in a 24-hour period, Taubenkibel said. “The bottom line is that we do not have enough people to do 24 hours,” he said.
