Metro will stay open later to accommodate Commanders fans attending a key game vs. the Giants on Sunday night. The team is paying Metro $100,000 to cover the service and make fares free for fans after the game.

The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. Metrorail will run a normal Sunday schedule, but stay open an hour later until 12:30 a.m. Monday morning.

The Commanders have been trying to get as many fans as possible to get to the game — a win will boost their playoff chances — by giving away tickets, and now, free Metro.

https://twitter.com/Commanders/status/1603389852296298496

An average NFL game takes just under 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete, and the walk from FedEx Field to the nearest Metro station (Morgan Boulevard on the Blue and Silver lines) is about 20 minutes, which means fans should have about 30 minutes to make the last trains.

Only Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center will be open to enter during those extended hours, but riders can exit anywhere in the system.

The last Silver Line train to Ashburn will be at 12:28 a.m. and the last Blue Line train to Franconia-Springfield at 12:30 a.m. If you’re heading to Largo Town Center, a slightly longer walk, the last train leaves for Ashburn at 12:26 a.m. and Franconia-Springfield at 12:28 a.m. All customers in line at closing will be accommodated.

“This is an important game, and we are proud to do everything we can to make sure our Burgundy and Gold family can show up, pack the stands, and stay loud through the entirety of the game,” team co-owner and co-CEO Tanya Snyder said in a statement. “We encourage our fans to arrive early and stay late to cheer on the team to victory, knowing a reliable transportation option is free and available to get them home safely. We can’t wait for Sunday night.” (Tanya Snyder has served as the face of the team following recent investigations into her husband Dan Snyder, including a House investigation into a “toxic” workplace culture he allegedly created at the team.)

If connecting to the Red Line/Blue Line+/Orange Line/Green Line lines, customers should take the Blue Line/Silver Line from Morgan Boulevard or Downtown Largo and transfer at the following stations:

• L’Enfant Plaza: Transfer to Blue Line+(Plus) to Huntington; Green Line to Branch Ave/Greenbelt; Orange Line to Vienna
• Metro Center: Transfer to Red Line to Shady Grove/Glenmont
• Stadium-Armory: Transfer to Orange Line/Blue Line+(Plus) to New Carrollton

Metro says scheduled maintenance means single tracking on the Red Line between Forest Glen and Glenmont, and on the Blue and Silver lines between Morgan Boulevard and Addison Road.

This isn’t the first time that Metro has stayed open late to accommodate local sports teams, but it’s not always the team owners who foot the bill. Traditionally teams have partnered with businesses and even Qatar to pay for service in the past. Exelon paid for late-night Metro service when the Washington Nationals were in the MLB playoffs in 2017, for example.

Metro also announced this week that the service will be free on New Year’s Eve after 8 p.m., and will remain open until 2 a.m. on January 1.