A tough decision that has been on the table since the summer has now been made official by the WMATA's board of directors.
"Metro’s board of directors voted Thursday to cut late-night service hours for a two-year period starting next summer," reports Martine Powers.
The changes to the schedule were enacted by a unanimous vote of the board, following an 11th-hour compromise, according to Powers. "Under a new amendment, Metro will be required to provide a progress report on its preventive maintenance program in May 2018." That report will address concerns by some on the board "that two years of automatic late-night service cuts would provide a 'carte blanche' to Metro management."
Late-night service on the WMATA system has been under siege for the better part of 2016. The SafeTrack maintenance program suspended late-night service in June, leading to concerns about drunk driving. The proposal for a longer-term suspension of late-night service came in July and was met with criticism and concern for the effects of the service reduction for low-income and minority riders.
Read the full story: How Will Partiers Travel Safely With D.C. Metro's Late-Night Service on Hold?
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With late-night weekend service on hold as the Metrorail service commences its SafeTrack maintenance program, will partiers stay home or simply find new ways to get around?
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