District leaders vow to expand hours as Metro Safety Committee votes to keep them as is
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The Metro Safety Committee voted on Thursday to keep the transportation service's hours as is, but District leaders say the final decision will be different.
Two years ago, Metro shortened its hours in order to secure time to perform maintenance and repair work on the tracks, while they were free of running trains.
The District agreed to the shortened hours for two years - and the time will be up on June 30.
Metro is now asking for another year of shortened hours to continue with their work, and in a 3-1 vote, the Safety Committee approved the extension.
But Mayor Muriel Bowser and other elected officials have been asking for longer hours - and so have other Metro users.
"New York metro is 24 hours, the city that never sleeps and we claim to be a number one city or a top five city so we should never sleep. That's my opinion," said Navy Yard resident Khadeeja Muhammad.
Another Navy Yard resident, Adrian Sutton, agreed, saying D.C. should emulate New York's example.
"I've noticed sometimes when I'm out with my friends I have to Uber like late at night instead of metroing which could be cheaper," Sutton said.
The 3-1 vote was settled in the committee, but now the move must to the full board, which will have parties representing D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and the Federal government.
In this vote, if one party doesn't like the proposal, they can veto it by sending the ruling back to the extended hours from two years ago.
Representative Jack Evans - the Board of Metro chair - expects the decision to change.
"The hours will not stay where they are. I think they will get extended whether they will get extended where they were two years ago I don't know. That's what we're working on right now. Eventually they will go back to 3 o'clock and midnight. Whether that's this year or next year that's the debate that we're having," Evans said.
Evans says that vote will happen in two weeks, which means Metro hours could extend to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and to 3 a.m. Friday through Saturday.