Washington Metro Metrorail Network History Intermodal Transport

In the WMATA's terminology, both the Metrorail ( metro) and Metrobus ( bus) services are considered part of Metro; however, in common parlance, the expression "Washington metro" refers to Metrorail exclusively.

1 Metrorail network

Since opening in 1976, the subway has grown to five lines. It was designed with a spoke-hub distribution paradigm, which makes the subway ideal for getting from a suburb to any part of the city, or vice versa, but unattractive for suburb-to-suburb travel. It is also noteworthy as a system with a limited number of lines that nevertheless makes extensive use of interlining (running more than one line on the same track).

2 History

Greenbelt Station, northern end of the Washington Metro's Green lineThe Green Line of the Washington Metro consists of 21 subway stations from Greenbelt to Branch Ave. It starts in Prince George's County, Maryland, runs through the District of Columbia and exits back out into Prince George's County. This was the last line

During the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around, there were plans for a massive freeway system within Washington D.C. However, opposition to this freeway system grew and the funds to construct it were reallocated toward construction of the Metro system.

Construction on the subway began in 1969, with groundbreaking on December 9. The system opened March 27, 1976 with 4.2 miles available on the Red Line with five stations from Rhode Island Ave to Farragut North. The final 103-mile, 83 station system was completed with the opening of the Green Line segment to Branch Ave on January 13, 2001. This does not mean the end of the growth of the system, however: a 3.1-mile extension of the Blue Line to Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard stations is currently under construction; the first in-fill station ( New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U on the Red Line between Union Station and Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood) opened November 20, 2004, and plans are being discussed for an Orange Line extention to Dulles Airport. There is also consistent talk of a possible Georgetown stop; however, nothing has come of this up to this point.

The system began in the District of Columbia, with Arlington, Virginia being linked to the system on July 1, 1976; Montgomery County, Maryland on February 6, 1978; Prince George's County, Maryland on November 20, 1978; and Fairfax County, Virginia and Alexandria, Virginia on December 17, 1983.

The highest ridership for a day was June 9, 2004, with 850,636 trips, as thousands of people went in to Washington to view the funeral procession for Ronald Reagan, and to the U.S. Capitol specifically to view his body as it lay in state. Also, since many streets in Washington were closed that day, many people may have felt it wiser to use Metro just to get around. The previous recordholding days were January 20, 1993, the inauguration of Bill Clinton, and October 16, 1995, the Million Man March.

In 2002 plans were formalized to bring a 23-mile extension to the Orange Line from the West Falls Church station to Route 772 in Loudon County. This would mean a mass transit connection from Washington proper to the important business centers of Reston and Tysons Corner, and most importantly, provide a link to Dulles Airport. On June 10, 2004, the Federal Transit Administration approved the first phase of the project to begin. See DCRTP.

3 Intermodal transport

WMATA has a stated goal of integration of its rail and bus networks. In 2004, SmarTrip readers were installed on all buses, enabling paperless transfers between lines and with the rail system.

In December 2001 Metro initiated a relationship with Flexcar, a private company which operates car sharing networks in several North American cities. A competitor, ZipCar, began service in the region contemporaneously. With either service, cars are parked at major Metrorail stations and made available for rental on an hourly basis, with the goal of reducing car dependency and increasing transit ridership.

Metrorail connects with both commuter rail and intercity rail systems.

Connections to Amtrak are offered at Union Station in Washington, at New Carrollton Station in Prince George's County, at Rockville in Montgomery County, and at King Street Station in Alexandria.

Virginia Railway Express trains terminate at Union Station in Washington. They also share stations with Metro at L'Enfant Plaza, Crystal City, King Street, and Franconia-Springfield.

All three lines of Maryland's MARC train system begin at Union Station in Washington; service is also provided to New Carrollton, College Park - University of Maryland and Greenbelt stations in Prince George's County; and Silver Spring and Rockville stations in Montgomery County.

Metrorail's Yellow and Blue Lines serve Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Express bus service from L'Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn is provided to Washington Dulles International Airport. Baltimore-Washington International Airport is served by express bus from Greenbelt, and by rail from Union Station by MARC and Amtrak.

4 See also

5 External links

Washington Metro Washington, DC Major intermodal transportation authorities Subways_in_the_United_States

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