WASHINGTON — Anyone who was hoping Metro would keep running trains later on Thursday night to help people get home from the Nationals’ playoff game is out of luck.

[related_gallery align=”right”]As part of the 24-hour track-work program that began this spring, Metro no longer extends its hours for games, concerts or special events, and Metro says the Nats’ game Thursday is no exception.

Game 5 of the National League Division Series starts at 8:08 p.m., and Metro closes at midnight, making it likely that fans will need to figure out other ways home.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told WTOP on Wednesday that he wasn’t going to budge. “We’ve impacted hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. “We’ve let them know the parameters we’re working under, and I think we ought to stick to that.”

Wiedefeld had a hypothetical exception in mind, phrasing it as more of a challenge: “Let’s see what happens if things move to the World Series,” said Paul Wiedefeld, who indicated he might consider adjusting the hours if the Nationals make it that far. “We’re not there yet,” he added.

Fans and Nationals players have argued that without extended Metro hours, a national-TV audience could be treated to the spectacle of Nats fans leaving early during a playoff or even a World Series game — not a good look, to say the least.

WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.