Qatar to Fund NHL Fans Metro Journey

Fans of the Capitals and the Lightning can ride the D.C Metro for an extra hour on Saturday night.

This is thanks to Qatar, who will cover the cost of keeping the Washington D.C Metro running past midnight.

Usually, the Metro stops running at 11.30 on weeknights. This is occasionally a problem for people attending Capitals or Wizards games, when the games run late. Although most games finish with enough time to catch the Metro, some don’t.

Related: Jacobs: Boston Bruins Have a Bright Future

The Metro ceased after-midnight service due to budget constraints. To keep the trains running past midnight, it would cost an additional $100,000.

Want $250 to bet on the NHL Playoffs?

Post game travel was a concern for people who have tickets to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chairman of Metro’s board of directors and a D.C. council member, commented on the situation. He said the Capitals declined to pay to keep the subway system open in the event of an overtime game.

When the teams met on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning won 4 – 2 to tie the series at 2 – 2. Before the game, Washington mayor Muriel Bowser took to Twitter to clarify the situation. “Qatar and the DowntownDC Business Improvement District are ‘doing it again’ to deliver late night Metro service to Caps fans.”

The Qatari embassy also promoted the partnership on Twitter. It said: “We believe in bringing communities closer together through sports.”

The the Washington Post explained a few days ago:

“D.C. Council member Jack Evans, also chair of the Metro board, said last week that he had been in discussions with a couple of companies that were considering paying the $100,000 fee to keep Metro open an additional hour, and Exelon and Pepco stepped up for Tuesday night.

On Tuesday, Evans told The Washington Post that the tiny, wealthy nation of Qatar has agreed to pay the $100,000 fee to keep Metro open until 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, when the Capitals host Game 4. That game also is set for an 8 p.m. start.”