Metrorail for Caps fans Friday?

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Caps fans are wondering whether they should take Metrorail to Verizon Center to see whether the Caps can extend their winning streak in the 7 p.m. game. There's no definite word from Metro yet, but it's at least questionable whether the trains will be operating above ground after the game as the snow deepens.

Fans are asking how much warning Metro is likely to give if it has to shut the above-ground portion of the rail lines. The threshold, remember, is when the snow along the tracks reaches about 8 inches and the trains start to have power problems. During the December blizzard, Metro gave a little over an hour's warning.

I'm hoping that the December experience, in which many riders were caught unaware, will lead the transit authority to lengthen the time between announcement and shutdown.

Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said at noon that the transit authority hopes to have an announcement this afternoon on when Metrorail service will be suspended above ground.

"We have alerted the Caps there is a good chance that when the game is over, we will not be running above ground," Taubenkibel said. "The same goes for buses." In December, when the trains couldn't run above ground, the streets already were risky for buses.

Check back here for an announcement. Also, this is the page on which the Caps post travel updates relevant to fans.