Photo by Kristine Marsh

Update: Metro is now offering a fourth option for changing the trains’ hours of operation.

This is what Metro’s future may look like – anyone else concerned? @nbcwashington #wmata pic.twitter.com/nzqvJb3Zag

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) September 8, 2016

Under Option D, MetroRail would keep its weekend late night service. To make up for it, it would open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and noon on Sundays.

Original: A series of proposals put forth by Metro would keep the rail system closed an additional eight hours a week to increase the amount of time work crews can perform maintenance.

The idea is that, even if the year-long SafeTrack plan helps the system catch up on necessary repairs, the system still needs more time to preserve those improvements on a regular basis.

There are three possible scenarios outlined in the proposal (the first of which General Manager Paul Wiedefeld introduced in July).

Image courtesy of Metro.

The first two proposals do away with late night service altogether, while the third keeps it on weekends until 1 a.m. Eight more hours for work amounts to a 20 percent increase in track access, according to Metro. (Proposal B adds up to 8.5 extra hours of closure.)

The proposal argues that late-night service is not popular enough to justify keeping maintenance crews from using the time to complete repairs. It does note that “preliminary demographic data indicates that the reduction in late night service disproportionately affects low-income riders.”

Here’s how Metro broke down the impact of the proposals on ridership:

Image courtesy of Metro.

To make up for the loss in late night train service, the agency proposes more buses, both by adding more routes and increasing service frequency.

The idea of ending late night service is not without opponents. At the beginning of the month, 40 Maryland officials wrote a letter to Metro asking the agency to reconsider, citing concerns about public safety, people who work late-night shifts, and developments built around Metro stations.

At Thursday’s Metro board meeting, members will vote to open up public comment on October 1 and hold a public hearing on October 17. These are necessarily parts of the process if Metro intends to change operating hours.

After that, Metro would present the findings from the public to the board in December. If the board approves of one of the scenarios, the changes would begin on July 1, 2017.