The Orange Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 26 stations in Fairfax County and Arlington in Northern Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The Orange Line runs from Vienna in Virginia to New Carrollton in Maryland. Half of the line's stations are shared with the Blue Line and over two thirds are shared with the Silver Line. Orange Line service began on November 20, 1978.
In 1955, planning for Metro began with the Mass Transportation Survey, which attempted to forecast both freeway and mass transit systems sufficient to meet the needs of transportation in 1980. [1] In 1959, the study's final report included two rapid transit lines which anticipated subways in downtown Washington. [2] Because the plan called for extensive freeway construction within Washington, D.C., alarmed residents lobbied for federal legislation creating a moratorium on freeway construction through July 1, 1962. [3] The National Capital Transportation Agency's 1962 Transportation in the National Capital Region report anticipated much of the present Orange Line route in Virginia with the route following the median strip of Interstate 66 both inside Arlington and beyond. [4] The route continued in rapid transit plans until the formation of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
With the formation of WMATA in October 1966, planning of the system shifted from federal hands to a regional body with representatives of the District, Maryland and Virginia. Congressional route approval was no longer a key consideration. [5] Instead, routes had to serve each local suburban jurisdiction to assure that they would approve bond referendums to finance the system. [6] Because the least expensive way to build into the suburbs was to rely upon existing railroad right-of-ways, the Orange Line took much of its present form, except that it also featured a further extension along the railroad to Bowie, Maryland and along the Dulles Access Road to Dulles International Airport. [7]
By 1966, WMATA and Arlington County planners had agreed "to realign the rapid transit through high-density commercial-office-apartment areas in the vicinity of Wilson Boulevard instead of the freeway's median between the river and Glebe Road." [8] As a result of this agreement, the Orange Line follows in Arlington the former routes of an interurban electric trolley line, the Fairfax line and the North Arlington branch of the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway, that had initially spurred those areas' development. [9]
In March 1968, WMATA approved its Adopted Regional System (ARS) plan that included suburban mass transit lines that followed the median of the proposed Interstate 66 through Virginia to Vienna and the CSX/Amtrak railroad right-of-way in Prince George's County, Maryland. [10] The construction of the downtown Washington sections of the Orange and Blue lines began simultaneously with the Red line. A joint ground-breaking ceremony was held on December 9, 1969. [10] Service on the joint downtown track was at first branded as just the Blue Line and commenced on July 1, 1977. [10]
In 1976, Robert Patricelli, federal Urban Mass Transportation Administrator, ordered Metro to conduct an alternatives analysis of the portion of its system that was not already under contract. [11] Because the Tysons area of Fairfax County developed significantly since the ARS was adopted in 1968, the analysis considered rerouting the Orange line to serve Tysons Corner at an additional cost of $60 million. However, because environmental impact statements had already been completed for the Vienna route, a change in the route would result in a five-year delay in the construction of the Orange Line west of Ballston. This prompted the City of Falls Church to sue WMATA for breach of contract. In the end, WMATA kept the Vienna route intact, leaving Tysons without Metrorail service until 2014. [12] [13]
Service on the Orange Line began on November 20, 1978 between National Airport and New Carrollton, with five new stations being added to the existing network from Stadium–Armory. When the line from Rosslyn to Ballston-MU was completed on December 11, 1979, Orange Line trains began following this route rather than going to the National Airport station. The line was completed on June 7, 1986, when it was extended by four stations to Vienna in the I-66 median. [10]
On January 13, 1982, an Orange Line train derailed as it was being backed up from an improperly closed rail switch between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stations, resulting in the deaths of three passengers. [14] It was the first incident within the Metro system that caused a fatality, [14] and the deadliest incident occurring in the system until the 2009 collision that resulted in nine fatalities. [15]
Between 2011 and 2013, service was interrupted at stations west of Ballston–MU station on designated weekends to accommodate the construction of the interconnection of the Silver Line with the existing Orange Line tracks. [16] [17] [18] As a part of this project, the train yard adjacent to the West Falls Church station on the Orange Line was expanded. [19] [20]
On July 26, 2014, Orange Line stations between East Falls Church and Stadium-Armory began to serve Silver Line trains.
From March 26, 2020 until June 28, 2020, trains were bypassing East Falls Church, Virginia Square–GMU, Clarendon, Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, Federal Center SW, and Cheverly stations due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. [21] [22] All stations reopened on June 28, 2020. [23]
From May 23 until August 15, 2020, trains terminated at Ballston–MU due to platform reconstruction at East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna. [24] [25] The original plan called for trains to terminate at West Falls Church, but this was instead changed to Ballston due to effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and low ridership. Shuttle buses were provided to the closed stations. On August 16, 2020, all Orange line trains began terminating at West Falls Church while bypassing East Falls Church. [26] East Falls Church reopened on August 23, 2020. [27] On September 8, 2020, Vienna and Dunn Loring stations reopened. [28]
Between May 28 and September 5, 2022, all Orange Line trains were terminating at Stadium–Armory station on weekdays and Ballston–MU station on weekends due to the Platform Improvement Project which closed stations north of Stadium–Armory station. Shuttle buses are provided to all closed stations. [29]
On June 3, 2023, service was suspended west of Ballston–MU station for track replacement. East Falls Church and West Falls Church reopened on June 26, 2023. Dunn Loring and Vienna reopened on July 17, 2023. [30]
Starting at its western terminus at the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU station in Virginia, the tracks run on the median strip of Interstate 66 meeting up with the Silver Line immediately after West Falls Church until they enter a tunnel under Fairfax Drive just before the Ballston–MU station. [31] At the Clarendon station, the tunnel shifts to Wilson Blvd. and 16th Street North. [31] The tunnel then turns north and merges with the Blue Line just before entering the Rosslyn station which is located under North Lynn Street. [31] The tunnel continues under the Potomac River and bends to the east to travel under I Street NW in the District of Columbia towards Foggy Bottom–GWU. [31] The tunnel continues east under I Street and between Farragut West and McPherson Square stations There is a non-revenue branch track on the westbound track that connects to the Northwest bound track before Farragut North on the Red Line. The tunnel then turns south under 12th Street Northwest and enters the lower level of the Metro Center station underneath the Red Line. [31] After Smithsonian station, the tunnel turns east under D Street Southwest and then southeast under Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast before reaching L’Enfant Plaza underneath the Green and Yellow Lines. [31] Continuing east towards Potomac Avenue station, the tunnel briefly travels under G Street Southeast and then turns northwest under Potomac Avenue with a turn to the north to travel under 19th Street Southeast for the Stadium-Armory station. [31] The tunnel then travels under the RFK Stadium parking lots to surface near Benning Road. [31] The elevated tracks follow Benning Road across the Anacostia River and then would go on to part ways from the Blue and Silver Lines.
After parting with the Blue and Silver lines which descend back underground, the above ground tracks continue for the Orange Line only along DC Route 295 between Minnesota Avenue and Deanwood stations and then follow the CSX/Amtrak/MARC railroad in Prince George’s County to serve Cheverly then Landover before reaching the eastern terminus at New Carrollton. [31]
The route includes storage yards adjacent to West Falls Church and just beyond New Carrollton. [19] Orange Line service travels along the entirety of the K Route (from the terminus at Vienna/Fairfax-GMU to the C & K junction just south of Rosslyn), part of the C Route (from the C & K junction just south of Rosslyn to Metro Center), and the entire D Route (from Metro Center to New Carrollton). [32]
The Orange Line needs 30 trains (9 eight-car trains and 21 six-car trains, consisting of 198 rail cars) to run at peak capacity. [33]
The following stations are along the line, from west to east:
| Station | Code | Opened | Terrain | Other Metro Lines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | K08 | June 7, 1986 | surface; median of I-66 | Western terminus | |
| Dunn Loring | K07 | ||||
| West Falls Church | K06 | ||||
| East Falls Church | K05 |  | Transfer station for the Silver Line (western) | ||
| Ballston–MU | K04 | December 11, 1979 | underground | ||
| Virginia Square–GMU | K03 | ||||
| Clarendon | K02 | ||||
| Court House | K01 | ||||
| Rosslyn | C05 | July 1, 1977 |  | Transfer station for the Blue Line (western). | |
| Foggy Bottom–GWU | C04 | ||||
| Farragut West | C03 | Walking transfer to Red Line at Farragut North (branded as "Farragut Crossing") | |||
| McPherson Square | C02 | ||||
| Metro Center | C01 |   | Transfer station for Red Line | ||
| Federal Triangle | D01 | | |||
| Smithsonian | D02 | ||||
| L'Enfant Plaza | D03 |   |  at L'Enfant transfer station for the Yellow and Green Lines | ||
| Federal Center SW | D04 | | |||
| Capitol South | D05 | ||||
| Eastern Market | D06 | ||||
| Potomac Avenue | D07 | ||||
| Stadium–Armory | D08 | Transfer station for the Silver and Blue lines (east) | |||
| Minnesota Avenue | D09 | November 20, 1978 | surface | ||
| Deanwood | D10 | ||||
| Cheverly | D11 | ||||
| Landover | D12 | ||||
| New Carrollton | D13 |  Amtrak Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Vermonter  MARC Penn Line MTA Purple Line (planned) Eastern terminus |
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced on January 18, 2008 that it and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDPRT) had begun work on a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the I-66 corridor in Fairfax and Prince William counties. According to VDOT the EIS, officially named the I-66 Multimodal Transportation and Environment Study, would focus on improving mobility along I-66 from the Capital Beltway (I-495) interchange in Fairfax County to the interchange with U.S. Route 15 in Prince William County. The EIS also allegedly includes a four station extension of the Orange Line past Vienna. The extension would continue to run in the I-66 median and would have stations at Chain Bridge Road, Fair Oaks, Stringfellow Road and Centreville near Virginia Route 28 and U.S. Route 29. [34] [35] Also, plans to extend Orange Line to Bowie have been proposed. In its final report published June 8, 2012, the study and analysis revealed that an "extension would have a minimal impact on Metrorail ridership and volumes on study area roadways inside the Beltway and would therefore not relieve congestion in the study corridor." [36]
The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates the Metrobus service under the Metro name. Opened in 1976, the network now includes six lines, 98 stations, and 129 miles (208 km) of route.
The Blue Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 28 stations in Fairfax County, Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The Blue Line runs from Franconia–Springfield to Downtown Largo. The line shares track with the Orange Line for 13 stations, the Silver Line for 18, and the Yellow Line for 7. Only 3 stations are exclusive to the Blue Line.
The Red Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington and the oldest and busiest line in the system. It forms a long, narrow "U," capped by its terminal stations at Shady Grove and Glenmont.
The Yellow Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system that runs between Huntington in Virginia and Mount Vernon Square in Washington, D.C. It consists of 13 stations in Fairfax County, the city of Alexandria, and Arlington County in Virginia, and Washington, D.C. It is the shortest line in the system, and since its truncation to Mount Vernon Square, it is the only line that does not enter Maryland.
Vienna station is a Washington Metro station on the Orange Line in Fairfax, Virginia. The station is in the median of Interstate 66 at Nutley Street, also known as Virginia State Route 243, in Fairfax.
Dunn Loring station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Orange Line. The station is in Merrifield, with a Vienna mailing address. The station is in the median of Interstate 66 at Gallows Road, just outside the Capital Beltway, and is accessed by a footbridge over the eastbound lanes.
West Falls Church station is a Washington Metro station in Idylwood, Virginia on the Orange Line, the first station inside the Capital Beltway on the Orange Line going east. It is one of only two stations in the system to have three tracks, the other being the National Airport station. The center track is used for storage and relaying trains to the adjacent Falls Church Yard.
East Falls Church station is an island platformed Washington Metro station in Arlington County, Virginia, on the Orange and Silver Lines. East Falls Church station is the last aboveground, at-grade, or open-cut station for eastbound trains. East of this station, the trains enter tunnels.
Ballston–MU station is a side platformed Washington Metro station in the Ballston section of Arlington County, Virginia. The station opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station is part of the Orange and Silver Lines and serves the transit-oriented community of Ballston, Ballston Quarter, and Marymount University (MU).
Virginia Square–GMU station is a Washington Metro station in the Virginia Square neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, United States. The side platformed station opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station serves the Orange and Silver Lines. The station serves the Virginia Square neighborhood as well as the Arlington campus of George Mason University (GMU). The station entrance is located at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and North Monroe Street.
Rosslyn station is the westernmost station on the shared segment of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro. It is located in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. Rosslyn is the first station in Virginia heading westward from Washington, D.C. on the Orange and Silver Lines and southward on the Blue Line. It is one of four interchange points on the Metrorail system west of the Potomac River and located in a growing business district.
Ballston is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. Ballston is located at the western end of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. It is a major transportation hub and has one of the nation's highest concentrations of scientific research institutes and research and development agencies, including DARPA, the Office of Naval Research, the Advanced Research Institute of Virginia Tech, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and engineering, management, and public sector consulting firms. Ballston also includes a section known as Virginia Square and sometimes the area is collectively known as Ballston-Virginia Square.
The Silver Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 34 stations in Loudoun County, Fairfax County and Arlington County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland. The Silver Line runs from Ashburn in Virginia to Downtown Largo in Maryland. Five stations, from both lines' eastern terminus at Downtown Largo to Benning Road, are shared with the Blue Line alone; thirteen stations, from Stadium–Armory to Rosslyn, with both the Orange Line and Blue Lines; and five stations from Court House to East Falls Church with the Orange Line alone. Only the five stations of Phase 1, which began service on July 26, 2014, and the six stations of Phase 2, which began service on November 15, 2022, are exclusive to the Silver Line.
McLean station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. The station is located in Tysons, with a McLean postal address. It began operation on July 26, 2014.
Tysons station is a rapid transit station on the Silver Line of the Washington Metro in Tysons, Virginia. One of four Metro stations in Tysons, it is one of the five stations comprising the first phase of the Silver Line. It opened as Tysons Corner on July 26, 2014.
Greensboro station is a Washington Metro station in Tysons, in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. It opened on July 26, 2014, as part of phase 1 of the Silver Line. Greensboro is one of four Metro stations in the Tysons area and is to be part of the massive regeneration of the district.
Spring Hill station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. Located in Tysons, it began operation on July 26, 2014. The station is located in the central median of Leesburg Pike just west of Spring Hill Road.
Wiehle–Reston East station is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia on the Silver Line. Located in Reston, the station is situated alongside Reston Station, a mixed-use urban center. Upon its opening, Wiehle–Reston East was the western terminus of the Silver Line with a pocket track just beyond the station for reversing trains until November 15, 2022, when service was extended to the new westernmost terminus at Ashburn station.
The Washington Blvd.–Dunn Loring Line, designated as Route 2A, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Dunn Loring station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Ballston–MU station of the Orange and Silver lines of the Washington Metro.
In 1896, the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway began running electric trolleys from Rosslyn to Falls Church on the present routes of Fairfax Drive and I-66. By 1907, the line linked downtown Washington to Ballston, Vienna, and the Town of Fairfax. .... The line to Fairfax closed in 1939, but Metrorail's Orange Line follows its route through Arlington. ..... Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. Marker is at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and Glebe Road (Virginia Route 120), on the right when traveling west on Fairfax Drive.
By 1900 a well-defined village called Central Ballston had developed in the area bounded by the present Wilson Boulevard, Taylor Street, Washington Boulevard, and Pollard Street. More diffuse settlement extended westward to Lubber Run and southward along Glebe Road to Henderson Road. The track of the Washington, Arlington, and Falls Church Electric Railroad ran along what is now Fairfax Drive; the Ballston Station was at Ballston Avenue, now Stuart Street. ...
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