Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – There may be some clock watchers at Nationals Park this season, worrying about missing the last Metro train for games that go past midnight.
The worry increases during games with extra innings or during games that have long rain delays.
Metro General Manager Richard Sarles says, just like last year, Metro expects the Nationals to put down a deposit to pay for an extra hour of Metro service for when the games end past midnight.
But the problem is, the rail system has to know about the late games in advance.
“It’s up to the Nationals. We have a standard agreement that works for everybody,” says Sarles, who adds that Metro needs 5,500 passengers to ride after midnight.
This set amount of passengers will pay for Metro to operate the extra service, which means the Nationals receive the deposit back.
However, the major obstacle is not knowing when a game will go into extra innings and when the heavy rain clouds decide to stick around for longer than expected.
Most evening home games start at 7:05 p.m. and usually end well before midnight. However, on occasion the team starts later due to network television.
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