Nats fan already worried about Metro for World Series

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

On July 3, Metro and the Nationals, because of a lack of communication and planning, forced ticket-paying fans and fare-paying subway patrons to have to leave the Nationals-Giants game before its conclusion.

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After an 85-minute rain delay, it was announced that the last train would be leaving the Navy Yard station at 11:20 p.m.

What is going to happen in October, when presumably the Nationals are in the playoffs, and games start later for a national television audience? The average playing time for a playoff game is in excess of 3¹ / ₂ hours.

Is Metro going to announce in the sixth inning that the last train is leaving the Navy Yard station, forcing an exodus of 40,000-plus fans? What if the Nationals make it to the World Series? What do the Nationals and Metro plan to do to accommodate the paying public?

Steve Lewis, Potomac

DG: It’s a little early, but should the lucky day come when we have a home team in the playoffs and perhaps the World Series — with home-field advantage thanks to the National League’s All-Star Game victory — I hope the Nationals will pay for keeping Metro open late.

Metro does not cover the overtime cost when big events go late, nor should it. The cost per hour is about $29,500. When an agreement is in place, the transit authority will subtract the passenger revenue from the OT bill, and the event sponsor will cover the rest.

As Dan Steinberg pointed out on the D.C. Sports Bog, baseball games rarely go past Metro’s closing time during the regular season, and the Nationals don’t have a standing agreement with Metro to stay open late.

Start times are different for many playoff games and for the World Series, so unless we’re talking about a Friday or Saturday night game, when Metro is open late anyway, the closing time would become an issue. (I hope I’m not jinxing this possibility.)

Sunday through Thursday, the last Green Line train through Navy Yard in the direction of Branch Avenue is scheduled for 12:17 a.m. The last one in the direction of Greenbelt is scheduled for 11:39 p.m. The last one before that is scheduled for 11:20 p.m. and would be a safer bet for making connections.

By the way, it would have been a remarkable thing if “40,000-plus” fans headed for Metro after a late-night game. Steinberg pointed out that when the Nationals did sponsor a late closing for Metro after a Sunday night game against the Phillies in June, 445 people rode the trains after midnight. That meant it cost the Nationals more than $62 to get each of those fans home.

Smart investment

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I have a senior card that I use to buy paper Farecards in increments of $20. Do you know if I would be better off buying a Metro SmarTrip card? Does a SmarTrip card have an expiration time on it? I ride Metro only a few times a year.

Kay Quirk, Alexandria

DG: Even an occasional rider will be better off with a plastic SmarTrip card now that Metro has imposed a surcharge on each trip taken with a paper card. People 65 and older get a discount, but they’re still paying 50 cents extra per ride with a paper card.