The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail,[4] 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.[5] Opened in 1976, the network now includes six lines, 98 stations, and 129 miles (208 km) of route.[6][7]
Metro serves Washington, D.C., as well as several jurisdictions in the states of Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland, Metro provides service to Montgomery and Prince George's counties; in Virginia, to Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, and to the independent city of Alexandria. The system's most recent expansion, serving Potomac Yard, opened on May 19, 2023. It operates mostly as a deep-level subway in more densely populated parts of the D.C. metropolitan area (including most of the District itself), while most of the suburban tracks are at surface level or elevated. The longest single-tier escalator in the Western Hemisphere, spanning 230 feet (70 m), is located at Metro's deep-level Wheaton station.[8]
In 2023, the system had a ridership of 136,303,200, or about 474,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023, making it the second-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the United States, in number of passenger trips, after the New York City Subway, and the fifth-busiest in North America.[9] In June 2008, Metro set a monthly ridership record with 19,729,641 trips, or 798,456 per weekday.[10] Fares vary based on the distance traveled, the time of day, and the type of card used by the passenger. Riders enter and exit the system using a proximity card called SmarTrip.
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^ ab"WMATA Summary – Level Rail Car Performance For Design And Simulation" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. October 13, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
^Schrag, Zachary (2006). "Introduction". The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-8018-8246-X.Google Books search/preview Archived November 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
^"Questions & Answers About Metro". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017. What do I need to know to build near Metro property? Metro reviews designs and monitors construction of projects adjacent to Metrorail and Metrobus property...
^"History". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 2017. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^"Metro launches Silver Line, largest expansion of region's rail system in more than two decades" (Press release). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. July 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^"Metro Facts 2018" (PDF). WMATA. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
^"With soaring Metro, DC Streetcar, and VRE ridership, Washington region leads transit recovery in US". Greater Greater Washington. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
^"215 million people rode Metro in fiscal year 2008". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. July 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
The WashingtonMetro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of...
are run by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and always accept WashingtonMetro fare cards; others may or may not. Washington Dulles International...
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA /wəˈmɑːtə/ wə-MAH-tə), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit...
on the WashingtonMetro over its history, including several collisions causing injuries and fatalities, and numerous derailments. The Washington Metropolitan...
The rolling stock of the WashingtonMetro system consists of 1,318 75-foot (22.86 m) cars that were acquired across seven orders. All cars operate as married...
The WashingtonMetro (commonly called Metro, and branded Metrorail) is a rapid transit system serving Washington, D.C. and neighboring communities in Maryland...
Metro Center station is the central hub station of the WashingtonMetro, a rapid transit system in Washington, D.C. The station is located in Downtown...
train wreck occurred between two southbound Red Line WashingtonMetro trains in Northeast, Washington, D.C., United States. A moving train collided with...
Changsha Metro Changzhou Metro Dalian Metro Foshan Metro Fuzhou Metro Guiyang Metro Hangzhou Metro Harbin Metro Hefei Metro Hohhot Metro Jinan Metro Kunming...
Gallery Place station is a WashingtonMetro station in Washington, D.C., United States, on the Green, Yellow and Red Lines. It is one of the 4 major transfer...
to honor Washington. The memorial is served by the King Street–Old Town Metro station on the Blue and Yellow Lines of the WashingtonMetro. The station...
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station is a WashingtonMetro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The station platform...
Essential Air Service contracts. On November 15, 2022, the airport's WashingtonMetro station opened as part of the Phase 2 extension of the Silver Line...
2003, the WashingtonMetro has required that all newly constructed stations must have redundant elevators. As of 2021, all WashingtonMetro stations are...