Metro extends closing times for Capitals game Tuesday night

It’s official: Metrorail will hold the doors for the Capitals home game Tuesday night.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) announced it will run trains for an extra hour on Tuesday night to ferry fans home from the late night Capitals vs. Lightning game. Exelon, the parent company of D.C.’s utility provider Pepco, is footing the $100,000 bill.

“We are pleased to provide rail service so all of the fans can support the Caps in the playoffs,” Metro’s General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement on Monday. “Thanks to Exelon, we can offer a train ride home when the game ends, even if that means overtime.”

The Metrorail service normally closes at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings, potentially stranding fans for a game that begins at 8 p.m. Last trains for all lines are now scheduled after midnight, with the Green Line train to Greenbelt staying open until 12:48 a.m.

“We know how important it is when the hometown team advances in the playoffs, and we want to make sure our customers can be there for every play and get home safely — and emissions free — by powering the Metro’s extended hours Tuesday night,” Exelon President and CEO Chris Crane wrote in a statement on Monday.

“Tuesday is a big night for DC as the #SportsCapital as the Capitals take on Tampa Bay and the Nationals host the Yankees,” D.C. Mayor Murlel Bowser, a Democrat up for re-election, said in her statement on Monday. “I want fans to focus on rooting for their home teams, and with Exelon’s support, Metro will get you to the games and homes afterwards. I ask all Washingtonians to rock the red and ’Let’s Go Caps!’ “

The announcement comes after Jack Evans, a D.C. Council member representing Ward 2 and Metro board member, spoke to reporters last week, revealing his plan to screen the home games outside Capital One Arena on 7th Street in Chinatown. The council member said it would take extended opening times from Metro, as well as cooperation from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arena and the Capitals to enact the plan.

“The Caps and Metro are a great source of pride for the region,” Mr. Evans said in a statement on Monday. “We want everyone to enjoy the game, whether they are in the arena, or out with friends cheering on the Caps in the Eastern Conference finals.”