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Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld tomorrow will present a plan to end late-night rail service permanently to give crews more time to keep the system in a state of good repair.

In particular, Wiedefeld is looking to close the Metrorail system at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights and midnight on all other nights. The agency currently is shutting down the systems at those times to complete its one-year SafeTrack accelerated maintenance plan.

Trimming service hours permanently would increase safety and reliability by giving workers time and space necessary to stay on top of repairs, WMATA officials said in a press release.

Under the proposed schedule, the Metrorail system would continue running 127 hours a week, versus 135 hours a week prior to the start of SafeTrack.

Wiedefeld's plan is based on consultation with peer transit agencies and rail engineering consultants, agency officials said

The move requires approval by WMATA's board following a public outreach process this fall. Wiedefeld will formally propose the service change at a board meeting tomorrow.