16th Street Line
| Company type | Public transit authority |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Products | Bus service, Metro rail service |
| Website | www |
The 16th Street Line, identified as Route D60, is a daily bus operation managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that links Silver Spring station on the Red Line with McPherson Square station, which is served by the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. During late night and early morning hours, service extends to L'Enfant Plaza station, providing connections to the Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines. The bus runs at intervals of 10 minutes during peak weekday periods, every 15 minutes on weekday middays and Saturdays, and every 20 minutes on Sundays and during late night hours. Each trip typically lasts between 55 and 60 minutes.
Background
Operating daily, Route D60 travels between McPherson Square station and Silver Spring station along the 16th Street corridor. The route serves several thoroughfares including 11th Street, 16th Street, I Street (heading toward Silver Spring), K Street (toward McPherson Square), Alaska Avenue NW, Eastern Avenue NW, and Colesville Road. During early mornings and late nights, service is extended to L'Enfant Plaza station.
The majority of Route D60 buses are dispatched from Montgomery garage, with a selection of peak-hour trips originating from Bladensburg garage. Initially housed at Northern division, the route was moved to Montgomery following the closure of Northern on June 23, 2019. Due to its substantial ridership levels, articulated buses are employed on this route.
History
Prior to WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign initiative, Route D60 was designated as Route S2. Another line serving the 16th Street corridor was the S4 route. Both routes trace their origins back to streetcar services operated by the Washington Rapid Transit Company, running between Federal Triangle and Silver Spring, Maryland along 16th Street. The S2 line operated via Alaska and Eastern Avenues, whereas S4 remained primarily on 16th Street. On weekends, S4 service commonly terminated at McPherson Square station or Franklin Square. The S4 transitioned from streetcar to bus in 1921; S2 followed suit in 1926.
Subsequently, Routes S2 and S4 were taken over by the Capital Transit Company, converted fully to bus service in 1933, then managed by DC Transit from 1956 until WMATA assumed operations in 1973.
Additional routes including S1, S3, and S5 were introduced to provide weekday peak service alongside the core S2 and S4 lines. The S1 route served destinations such as Potomac Park and 14th Street; meanwhile, S3 and S5 offered express options but were discontinued during the 1990s.
Later adjustments saw S2 trips beginning at 14th Street, traveling along 14th Street and Missouri Avenue en route to Federal Triangle. Some journeys concluded at Carter Barron Park and Ride.
On February 19, 1978, both routes S2 and S4 were rerouted to include service to Silver Spring station via Colesville Road, thereby improving access to the Red Line for passengers.
Studies
In 2008, WMATA alongside the District Department of Transportation conducted a study focused on enhancing service along the 16th Street corridor. With an average weekday ridership of approximately 16,000 passengers—ranking it as the third most heavily used Metrobus route—the study proposed introducing a new route labeled S3 aimed at shortening existing routes S1, S2, and S4. Additionally, a limited-stop service designated as route S9 was suggested to improve efficiency.
S3
- Objective: Designed to mitigate congestion on the 16th Street corridor, the S3 aims to boost capacity by offering additional service during peak periods along the busiest segment.
- Route Overview: The S3 would mirror the S2 and S4 path from Federal Triangle to the mid-corridor area, with its northern endpoint projected near Colorado Avenue.
- Stops Served: Identical to those on the local S2 and S4 routes.
- Service Frequency: Phase 2 envisions buses every 10 minutes during rush hours and every 15 minutes off-peak; Phase 3 targets 5-minute intervals at peak times and 11 minutes during off-peak.
- Advantages: By operating short-turn trips, the service can add capacity where most needed without running full-length trips along the entire route.
Interest in the S3 concept reemerged in 2013 due to persistent overcrowding issues.
S9
- Objective: The limited-stop S9 is intended to reduce travel duration and meet peak demand, modeled after MetroExtra’s route 79 on Georgia Avenue, stopping exclusively at major transfer points.
- Route Overview: Running along 16th Street from downtown Washington to the Maryland boundary, with detours via Alaska and Eastern Avenues. The southern terminal is planned near McPherson Square, while the northern terminal is set close to Silver Spring station due to ongoing transit center development.
- Stops Served: A total of 16 stops in each direction.
- Service Frequency: Phase 1 proposes 10-minute intervals during peak hours; Phase 2 adds service every 20 minutes for late evenings and midday periods.
- Advantages: Limiting stops allows for faster trips and increased capacity during busy times.
A 2013 analysis reaffirmed the necessity of the S3 to ease crowding on routes S1, S2, and S4, also suggesting that articulated buses could be introduced on these lines to further boost capacity.
Articulated buses
Beginning August 24, 2014, articulated buses were deployed on weekdays for routes S2 and S4 to combat overcrowding. In 2015, new articulated vehicles were introduced along the corridors of 16th Street, 14th Street, and Georgia Avenue.
From late 2018 until summer 2019, articulated bus operations were paused due to structural concerns at Northern garage, the base for the S lines. During this period, standard 40-foot buses supplemented service to manage passenger loads. Following the closure of Northern garage in 2019, operations for the S lines shifted to Montgomery garage, with some trips on routes S1, S2, and S4 originating from Bladensburg garage; articulated bus service was then reinstated.
Later changes
With the inauguration of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center at Silver Spring station, routes S2 and S4 were rerouted there and assigned Bus Bay 103 on level one.
In 2017, WMATA proposed discontinuing all S2 trips starting from Northern garage and extending all weekend service of route S4 to Federal Triangle instead of Franklin Square. These modifications aimed to align with demand for limited-stop MetroExtra service along 16th Street, ease corridor crowding by increasing faster Route S9 trips, and simplify rider experience.
Performance data indicated that Routes S2 and S4 carried over 13,000 weekday passengers combined with a cost recovery rate near 39%, exceeding WMATA’s benchmarks. Morning peak loads reached up to 96% on Route S4 and as high as 128% on Route S9, surpassing recommended maximum occupancy levels.
On June 25, 2017, all S2 trips along 14th Street were discontinued; weekend short-turn trips on route S4 to Franklin Square were also ended. Both routes now provide full-length service between Silver Spring station and Federal Triangle.
In 2019, WMATA suggested replacing Route S4 with an extended Route S9 running along 16th Street to enhance travel times and complement planned bus lane installations. This restructuring aimed to improve both local and limited-stop options by reducing congestion, increasing reliability through minimized bus bunching, and streamlining route complexity. The proposed plan preserved local stops while adding key intersections along 16th Street.
During the COVID-19 pandemic beginning March 16, 2020, Routes S2 and S4 operated on reduced schedules; weekend service for route S2 was suspended while route S4 maintained a half-hourly frequency.
Following the designation of Black Lives Matter Plaza, routes S2 and S4 were permanently rerouted off 16th Street between H and K Streets as of October 5, 2020.
On August 23, 2020, all service on Route S4 was discontinued and replaced by daily Route S9 service along 16th Street. Routes S2 and S9 absorbed most former Route S4 coverage; however, frequency on Route S2 was slightly decreased.
Effective May 29, 2022, late-night trips on Route S2 were extended to terminate at L'Enfant Plaza station via Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue.
As part of WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign launching June 29, 2025, Route S2 will be renamed D60 with a shortened route ending at McPherson Square station. The former Route S9 will become D6X with an extension to Federal Triangle. Late-night service will continue operating through Federal Triangle terminating at L'Enfant Plaza station.
Incidents
- On August 15, 2016, a vehicle struck an XDE60 bus (number 5461) operating on the S4 line along 16th Street, resulting in the bus crashing into a brick barrier. No injuries were reported among the 13 passengers or the operator.