Editing Washington Metro (section)

=== Rush+ and late-night service patterns ===
[[File:Chinatown Metro Station, Washington DC.png|thumb|Multi-level transfer at the [[Gallery Place station]] in February 2023]]
[[File:Federal Triangle at rush hour.jpg|thumb|Crowds pack the platform at the [[Federal Triangle station]] during rush hour in August 2005.]]
On December 31, 2006, an 18-month pilot program began to extend service on the Yellow Line to Fort Totten over existing Green Line trackage.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority|date=April 20, 2006|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/pressreleasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=3705|title=Yellow Line to extend to Fort Totten; off-peak Red Line turn backs at Grosvenor to end.|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127143602/https://www.wmata.com/about/news/pressreleasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=3705|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/yellow-line-fort-totten-expected-be-approved|title=Yellow Line to Fort Totten expected to be approved|date=April 20, 2006|work=[[Washington Examiner]]|access-date=March 30, 2011}}{{dead link|date=November 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This extension was later made permanent.<ref name="wmata.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/upload/2015_historical_rail_ridership.pdf|title=Metrorail Average Weekly Passenger Boardings|publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority|access-date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202014734/https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/upload/2015_historical_rail_ridership.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting June 18, 2012, the Yellow Line was extended again along existing track as part of the Rush+ program, with an extension to Greenbelt on the northern end and with several trains diverted to Franconia–Springfield on the southern end. These Rush+ extensions were discontinued on June 25, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/06-17_Metro_Fare_and_Service_Changes.cfm|title=Metro announces June 25 effective date for new hours, fares, schedules|publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority|access-date=May 18, 2017|archive-date=June 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611201639/https://www.wmata.com/about/news/06-17_Metro_Fare_and_Service_Changes.cfm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In addition to expanding the system, Metro expanded the operating hours over the first 40 years. Though it originally opened with weekday-only service from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m, financial paperwork assumed prior to opening that it would eventually operate from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week. It never operated exactly on that schedule but the hours did expand, sometimes beyond that.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1987/06/28/metro-why-not-longer-hours/bfb6b373-a143-4d1f-9f72-9f6f630e76a3/?noredirect=on|title=Metro: Why Not Longer Hours?|last1=Schwartz|first1=Amy|date=June 28, 1987|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215070028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1987/06/28/metro-why-not-longer-hours/bfb6b373-a143-4d1f-9f72-9f6f630e76a3/?noredirect=on|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 25, 1978, Metro extended its weekday closing time from 8 p.m. to midnight and 5 days later it started Saturday service from 8 a.m. to Midnight.<ref>{{cite news|title=Extended Subway Hours Begin Tomorrow Night|last1=Feaver|first1=Douglas B.|date=September 24, 1978|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Flawless: Crowds Throng Metro On 1st Saturday Runs|last1=Feaver|first1=Douglas|date=October 1, 1978|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Metrorail kicked off Sunday service from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 2, 1979, and on June 29, 1986, the Sunday closing time was pushed back to midnight.<ref>{{cite news|title=Metrorail to Begin Sunday Service|date=September 2, 1979|newspaper=The Washington Post|id = {{ProQuest|147136847}}}}</ref> Metro started opening at 5:30&nbsp;a.m., a half an hour earlier, on weekdays starting on July 1, 1988.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1253706.html|title=Metrorail Sets New Start-Up At 5:30 a.m.|last1=Henderson|first1=Neil|date=April 29, 1988|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093323/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1253706.html|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 5, 1999, weekend service was extended to 1:00&nbsp;a.m., and on June 30, 2000, it was expanded to 2:00&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tonight, Metro Begins Later Weekend Hours|last1=Layton|first1=Lyndsey|date=November 5, 1999|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Metro Sets Sweeping Expansion Of Services|last1=Lyndsey|first1=Layton|date=June 9, 2000|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> On July 5, 2003, weekend hours were extended again with the system opening an hour earlier, at 7:00&nbsp;a.m. and closing an hour later at 3:00&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{cite news|title=Metro Parking Shows Steepest Rate Increase|last1=Layton|first1=Lyndsey|date=June 20, 2003|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> On September 27, 2004, Metro again pushed weekday opening time half an hour earlier, this time to 5 a.m.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-206311.html|title=Metro to Open 3 Stations This Year; Service to Start Half-Hour Earlier|date=September 17, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093451/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-206311.html|archive-date=October 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016, Metro began temporarily scaling back service hours to allow for more maintenance. On June 3, 2016, they ended late-night weekend service with Metrorail closing at midnight.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/traffic/transit/Metro-Trains-to-Stop-at-Midnight-Every-Day-379401331.html|title=Metro Trains to Stop at Midnight Every Night|date=May 13, 2016|work=[[WRC-TV|NBC4]]|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013132825/https://www.nbcwashington.com/traffic/transit/Metro-Trains-to-Stop-at-Midnight-Every-Day-379401331.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hours were adjusted again the following year starting on June 25, 2017, with weeknight service ending a half-hour earlier at 11:30&nbsp;p.m.; Sunday service trimmed to start an hour later&nbsp;– at 8 a.m.&nbsp;– and end an hour early at 11 p.m.; and late-night service partially restored to 1 a.m. The service schedule was approved until June 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/2017/06/six-things-know-metros-new-hours/|title=6 things to know about Metro's new hours|last1=Smith|first1=Max|date=June 21, 2017|access-date=October 13, 2018|archive-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093359/https://wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/2017/06/six-things-know-metros-new-hours/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On January 29, 2020, Metro announced that it would be activating its pandemic response plans in preparation for the looming [[COVID-19 pandemic]], which would be declared a pandemic by the [[World Health Organization]] on March 11. At that time, Metro announced that it would reduce its service hours from 5:00&nbsp;a.m. to 9:00&nbsp;p.m. on weekdays and 8:00&nbsp;a.m. to 9:00&nbsp;p.m. on weekends beginning on March 16 to accommodate for train cleaning and additional track work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/service/covid19/COVID-19.cfm|title=COVID-19: Steps we've taken|publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority|date=March 2020|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-date=July 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706023442/https://www.wmata.com/service/covid19/COVID-19.cfm|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2022, pre-COVID service hours have been restored with pre-2016 Sunday service hours.<ref name="railschedules22">{{cite web |title=Timetables |url=https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/ |publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |access-date=October 19, 2022}}</ref>