Photo by Victoria Pickering

For the first time in months, Metro will stay open until 3 a.m.—for one night only.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld announced his decision to keep the system open late for New Year’s Eve service because he views it “as an important public service for the benefit of riders and the communities we serve.”

After Safetrack’s 11th surge ends in two weeks, the year-long program won’t pick up until after January as D.C. prepares for inauguration events. And there won’t be any other maintenance work scheduled during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends in the hopes of delay-free travels.

Since Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays this year, both holidays will be observed on the following Monday. That means weekend schedules will be in effect an extra day each weekend, in addition to off-peak fares and free parking at all Metro-operated facilities.

The additional hours of Metrorail service on New Year’s Eve follows Metro’s practice in recent years, though Wiedefeld has placed a moratorium on extended hours during the SafeTrack program. The system has been shutting down at midnight every day of the week, without exception thus far (much to the chagrin of Nats fans).

Wiedefeld has said that even after the program is complete in the spring, the transit agency will need more time to work on preventative maintenance. As such, he recommends extending cuts to late-night service and is working to get board approval for a plan that would have the system open from 5 a.m. through 11:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday; from 5 a.m. through 1 a.m. on Friday; from 7 a.m. through 1 a.m. on Saturday; and 8 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Sunday.