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D.C.'s nightlife businesses fighting reduced Metro hours
February 15, 2011
Businesses that thrive on the city's nightlife are fighting a potential move to cut back Metro's hours, saying a midnight closing on the weekends would overburden their late-night employees and cause financial hardship and reduced hours for workers.
The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington is leading the charge against the cutback, which was floated last week at a Metro board meeting as a means of reducing the agency's $72.5 million budget deficit and freeing up more time for track maintenance. According to Metro, closing three hours earlier on Friday and Saturday nights would save $5 million annually and create an extra day each week for maintenance. But the restaurant association said early closing hours "will seriously harm, if not kill, established and emerging entertainment districts" such as Penn Quarter, the U and 14th Street corridors and Arlington's Ballston corridor. "We are a world-class city, and we have a fabulous dining scene," said Lynne Breaux, the restaurant association's president. "And the irony is D.C. and the federal governments are talking more and more about ... increasing train travel and transit, and to go backwards and limit the hours is nonsensical." Read the full article here.
UPDATE: MEMBERS SPEAK OUT ON METRO’S SERVICE HOURS REDUCTION PROPOSAL
Washington, DC, February 14, 2011 – Since RAMW’s Information Alert and press release last Friday (see below) members have reached out to express their deep concern and outrage over the potentially devastating loss of weekend Metro rail hours. RAMW would like to encourage our members to contact the Metro Board to let them know just how negative an impact this is and what effects it would have on your business, employees and patrons.
