WASHINGTON — D.C. leaders are concerned about the ramifications for residents and the area’s economy if Metro goes forward with the idea of closing at midnight permanently.
D.C.’s director of transportation Leif Dormsjo has a lot of questions about Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld’s idea to close the system at midnight, starting with how it might curtail late-night patronage at restaurants, sporting events and theaters.
“To bring all that to a close at midnight really is a setback. We’ve got service workers who need that lifeline home,” he told WTOP.
The transit agency has yet to explain to D.C.’s government what it plans to do with the time Metro is closed, Dormsjo said, and he questions what is left to be done since heavy maintenance and infrastructure work is being completed during the ongoing Metro track work.
“They said it was going to be a year and that shared pain was accepted by the region and by customers. But now we’re into a proposal that has no end,” Dormsjo said.
D.C.’s mayor and city council have said they oppose closing the system permanently at midnight.
