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D.C. Streetcar to run shorter hours most nights due to Pepco work

The service changes will start on Sunday and are expected to last until late August

By Andrew Giambrone
The D.C. Streetcar
Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock

Update, 08/24/18: Because of recent rain, the D.C. Streetcar will continue to close early most nights through Wednesday, Aug. 29, says the District Department of Transportation.

Original Post:

Don’t bother waiting for the D.C. Streetcar to show up after about 9:30 p.m. on Sundays through Wednesdays for the next few weeks.

Starting on Sunday, July 29, the H Street–Benning Road NE streetcar will operate on an abbreviated schedule those nights to accommodate utility work by electricity company Pepco, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) says in a release. DDOT expects the service changes to last until about Thursday, Aug. 23. According to the agency:

On Sundays during this temporary service shift, the last westbound streetcar vehicle will depart the Oklahoma Ave stop at 9:13pm and the last eastbound vehicle will depart Union Station at 9:24pm. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays during the temporary service shift, the last westbound streetcar vehicle will depart the Oklahoma Ave stop at 9:01pm and the last eastbound vehicle will depart Union Station at 9:36pm.

Usually, the streetcar runs until 10 p.m. on Sundays, and until midnight on Mondays through Wednesdays. No service changes are planned on Thursdays, when service ends at midnight, or on Fridays and Saturdays, when service ends at 2 a.m.

The changes will likely affect dozens of riders. In May, the streetcar registered 3,513 average weekday rides and 2,517 average weekend rides, DDOT reports. Since February 2016—when the streetcar launched—more than 100,000 rides have been taken on the system.

DDOT says Pepco wants to make improvements to the electricity grid around H Street NE between 11th and 14th streets NE. “These activities involve accessing manholes near the streetcar tracks and will require the streetcar to cease operations as crews work,” it adds.

As of today, the streetcar makes eight stops between Union Station and Oklahoma Avenue NE.