Arlington–Union Station Line

Arlington–Union Station Line (Route 13Y)

Company type	Public transit bus service
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	2014
Defunct	2017
Fate	Discontinued due to low ridership; replaced by Route 10N
Area served	Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia
Parent	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

The Arlington–Union Station Line, known as Route 13Y, was a bus service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that linked Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with Washington Union Station in Northwest DC. This route operated exclusively during early weekend mornings, from 5:00 AM until 7:00 AM, facilitating transportation to National Airport prior to the Metro system's commencement at 7:00 AM. Due to insufficient passenger numbers, the route was ultimately discontinued and succeeded by Route 10N.

Background

During the 1970s and 1980s, several Metrobus routes, predominantly within the 11 series, served Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, providing connections to various points in Northern Virginia and Downtown Washington D.C.. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, these services underwent gradual elimination or simplification to enhance operational efficiency.

History

The service began as the Pentagon–Washington Line on June 26, 1983, comprising routes 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 13E to link Pentagon with Downtown DC.

Routes 13A and 13B operated daily except during weekday peak periods, traveling between Pentagon station and Federal Triangle via Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington Cemetery station. Route 13A ran clockwise while 13B traveled counterclockwise, both departing every half hour.

Routes 13C and 13D functioned during weekday rush hours between Pentagon and Capitol Hill, following a similar trajectory but completing loops through Arlington Memorial Bridge and the 14th Street bridges, with frequencies of every 12 to 15 minutes.

Route 13E provided service exclusively from 7:15 AM to 8:15 AM at twelve-minute intervals between Pentagon and Federal Triangle via Memorial Bridge.

These routes replaced most of the earlier connections between Pentagon station and Downtown DC.

1990s

In the 1990s, routes 13C, 13D, and 13E were eliminated and their functions merged into routes 13A and 13B. Route 13A operated clockwise along Army Navy Drive, Arlington Memorial Bridge, Constitution Avenue, Federal Triangle, Independence Avenue, and the 14th Street bridges, whereas route 13B covered the identical path counterclockwise.

Additionally, new routes 13F and 13G were introduced to serve between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station/Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Federal Triangle via Crystal City station and Pentagon station. These ran only during early weekend mornings before Metro's opening hours (5:00 AM to 7:00 AM), with route 13G traveling clockwise similar to route 13A, and route 13F counterclockwise like route 13B.

Subsequently, this line was renamed as the National Airport–Pentagon–Washington Line.

2006 Proposed Changes

In 2006, WMATA suggested removing all off-peak services for routes 13A and 13B due to overlapping coverage with Metrorail and low ridership outside peak times. On weekdays during peak hours, average ridership was about twenty-one passengers per trip compared to only five during off-peak periods. Weekend ridership before Metro's opening averaged twenty-eight on Saturdays and thirty-eight on Sundays but declined sharply after 8:00 AM to four passengers on Saturdays and seven on Sundays per trip.

2006 Service Modifications

On September 24, 2006, WMATA ceased off-peak operations for routes 13A and 13B, restricting service exclusively to weekday peak periods from 5:10 AM to 9:10 AM and again from 3:00 PM to 6:50 PM. However, weekend early morning trips remained active on routes 13F and 13G, operating between 5:20 AM and 7:15 AM on Saturdays, and from 5:30 AM to 7:10 AM on Sundays.

2010 Proposed Adjustments

For the fiscal year 2011, WMATA suggested discontinuing routes 13A and 13B. Their service would be substituted by an extended route 16F reaching Federal Triangle via the 14th Street Bridge, alongside a newly introduced route 7Y servicing Farragut Square through the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Routes 13F and 13G were proposed to maintain their early weekend morning schedules, with a potential extension to 8:00 AM contingent upon changes to Metro's operating hours.

2010 Implemented Changes

Effective December 19, 2010, WMATA officially terminated routes 13A and 13B. These were supplanted by route 7Y running via the Arlington Memorial Bridge and an extended route 16F operating over the 14th Street Bridge. Meanwhile, routes 13F and 13G continued their existing early morning weekend services without alteration.

2013 Proposed Service Options

In the year 2013, WMATA presented two alternatives concerning routes 13F and 13G.

The first alternative involved eliminating these routes altogether, substituting them with an extended version of route 54—labeled as 54A—connecting L'Enfant Plaza station to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station through Pentagon station.

The second alternative proposed lengthening routes 13F and 13G to reach Washington Union Station by way of Pentagon City and Crystal City. This extension would follow northbound along 7th Street, southbound along 9th Street, and traverse E Street. Consequently, service over the Arlington Memorial Bridge would be discontinued, streamlining the line to operate solely via the 14th Street Bridge, while also removing coverage along Independence Avenue and terminating service at the previous endpoint on 12th Street.

WMATA justified these proposals by emphasizing their intent to enhance connectivity among additional activity hubs and transfer locations. They also noted that ridership was notably low at Arlington Cemetery station and along Constitution Avenue west of 14th Street.

2014 Service Updates

On March 30, 2014, routes 13F and 13G were discontinued and replaced with route 13Y, which was extended to serve Washington Union Station. This new route followed WMATA’s second option from the prior year’s proposal and operated during early weekend mornings consistent with the schedules of its predecessors. The route was rebranded as the Arlington–Union Station Line.

Proposed Discontinuation

Within WMATA’s FY2018 budget plan released in 2016, route 13Y was identified for potential elimination due to insufficient ridership levels, elevated subsidy requirements per passenger, and overall cost inefficiency. The performance indicators for route 13Y failed to meet WMATA’s established standards:

Performance Metrics	Route 13Y	WMATA Standard	Result
Average Daily Ridership	60	432	Did Not Meet
Cost Recovery Ratio	8.42%	16.6%	Did Not Meet
Subsidy Cost per Rider	$12.72	$4.81	Did Not Meet
Passengers per Trip	8.4	10.7	Did Not Meet
Passengers per Revenue Mile	1.1	1.3	Did Not Meet

Route Termination

On June 25, 2017, route 13Y was officially discontinued as a result of insufficient passenger demand. It was succeeded by route 10N, part of the Alexandria–Pentagon Line, which maintained the identical path between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station and Pentagon station. Service to Washington DC was completely ceased. Notably, route 10N operated exclusively during late-night hours on Fridays and Saturdays (post-midnight) and early Sunday mornings (from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM).