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 Orange Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system,consisting of 26 stations in Fairfax County and Arlington,Virginia;the District of Columbia;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.
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 Green Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system,consisting of 21 stations in Washington,D.C.,and Prince George's County,Maryland,United States. The Green Line runs from Branch Avenue to Greenbelt. It was the last line in the original Metrorail plan to be constructed,and is one of three north–south lines through the city of Washington. The Green Line shares track with the Yellow Line from L'Enfant Plaza to Mount Vernon Square.
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,as well as 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.
Glenmont station is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County,Maryland on the Red Line. It is the eastern terminus of the Red Line.
Cheverly station is a side-platformed Washington Metro station in Prince George's County,Maryland,United States. The station was opened on November 20,1978,and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Orange Line,the station is the first station going east in Maryland on the Orange Line. The station is in the residential area of Cheverly at Columbia Park Road near U.S. Route 50. It is a commuter station with 530 parking spaces. In 2021,Cheverly had the lowest average weekday ridership of any Metro station. When Phase 2 of the Silver Line was released in 2022,this was no longer the case as Loudoun Gateway had an even lower average weekday ridership.
Landover station is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in Landover,Maryland,United States. The station was opened on November 20,1978,and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Orange Line,the station is in a residential area of Landover at Pennsy Drive near Landover Road. It is primarily a commuter station,with parking for over 1,800 cars,but it also served the now-demolished Capital Centre,the former home of the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals.
New Carrollton station is a joint Washington Metro,MARC,and Amtrak station just outside the city limits of New Carrollton,Prince George's County,Maryland located at the eastern end of the Metro's Orange Line. The station will also serve as the eastern terminus of the Purple Line,currently under construction,and is adjacent to the Capital Beltway.
College Park–University of Maryland station is a Washington Metro station in Prince George's County,Maryland,on the Green Line. It also serves MARC's Camden Line,though only select trains stop at the station.
Greenbelt station is a Washington Metro and MARC station in Prince George's County,Maryland. The station is the northeastern terminus of the Green Line of the Washington Metro. MARC commuter rail trains on the Camden Line also stop at Greenbelt on a set of tracks parallel to the Metro tracks.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority,commonly referred to as Metro,is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Congress as an interstate compact between Washington,D.C.,Maryland,and Virginia.
The Purple Line is a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) light rail line being built to link several Maryland suburbs of Washington,D.C.:Bethesda,Silver Spring,College Park,and New Carrollton. Currently slated to open in late 2027,the line will also enable riders to move between the Maryland branches of the Red,Green,and Orange lines of the Washington Metro without riding into central Washington,and between all three lines of the MARC commuter rail system. The project is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA),an agency of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT),and not the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA),which operates Metro.
The rolling stock of the Washington Metro system consists of 1,318 75-foot (22.86 m) cars that were acquired across seven orders. All cars operate as married pairs,with systems shared across the pair. The 7000-series cars,the system's newest,have an operator's cab in only one of each married pair's cars and operate in groups of four.
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.,as well as 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.
There have been numerous incidents on the Washington Metro over its history,including several collisions causing injuries and fatalities,and numerous derailments. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been criticized for disregarding safety warnings and advice from experts.
The Georgia Avenue Limited Line,designated as Route 79,is a daily bus route that is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Silver Spring station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Archives station of the Green and Yellow lines of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 10–12 minutes at all times. Trips are roughly 50 minutes. This line provides additional express service for route 70 daily between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM,serving select stops along Georgia Avenue.
The Twinbrook–Silver Spring Line,designated Route J5,was a bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Silver Spring station and Twinbrook station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operated during the weekday peak-hours only providing express service along the Capital Beltway connecting both Silver Spring and Rockville without having to enter Washington D.C. The line was discontinued on June 25,2017 due to a budget crisis.
MetroHero is a semi-defunct real-time transit tracking and performance analysis application for the Washington Metro rapid transit system. Originally available on iOS,Android,and the web,it allows users to view live maps of all trains on a specific line,summary statistics relating to real-time system performance,and user feedback on current Metro conditions.
