WMATA: Metrorail open an additional hour for Redskins game Options

[CNJRoss]

For immediate release: December 21, 2009

Morgan Boulevard Metrorail station to stay open an additional hour for tonight's Redskins game
Extra trains and personnel on the Blue Line

The Morgan Boulevard Metrorail station will stay open an additional hour tonight, Monday, Dec. 21, to accommodate the large crowds expected to attend the football game at nearby FedEx Field.

The last Blue Line train departing Morgan Boulevard for the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station will be at 12:27 a.m. If the football game goes into overtime, Metro officials will make sure trains are available to get football fans home.

Metro advises fans attending tonight’s game that due to the continuing winter weather conditions, Blue Line trains may experience delays on the above ground portion of track between Largo Town Center and Stadium-Armory and from Franconia-Springfield to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Metro officials will be monitoring these areas, and if necessary, will take the appropriate steps to ensure the tracks are clear of snow and ice from the third rail, which provides electricity to the trains.

In anticipation of large crowds, Metro will place additional trains into service at the end of the game. Additional Metro personnel will be at the Morgan Boulevard Metrorail station to assist fans headed to and from the games.

Individuals attending Redskins games who park their cars at the Morgan Boulevard (635 parking spaces) or Largo Town Center (2,200 parking spaces) Metrorail stations will have to pay $25 to park and they must have a SmarTrip card to pay for parking when exiting these facilities. Paid parking at these two stations begins three hours before kickoff, and continues two hours after the game concludes. The numbers of parking spaces are reduced this evening due to piles of snow on the parking lot.

Metro encourages people to buy a round-trip fare card or have enough money on their SmarTrip card when first entering the rail system to avoid standing in long lines after the game.

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