Ballston–Hunting Point Line
| Company type | Transit route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Alexandria–Arlington–Pentagon Line (prior to 1990s) |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Washington metropolitan area , United States |
Area served | Fairfax County, Alexandria, Arlington County, Virginia |
| Products | Bus transit service |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
Ballston–Hunting Point Line (Route A12)
The Ballston–Hunting Point Line (Route A12) is a daily transit route managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that links Hunting Point with Ballston–MU station, an important interchange on the Orange and Silver metro corridors. This service covers residential neighborhoods and commercial districts throughout Fairfax County, Alexandria, and Arlington County, providing access to workplaces, retail centers, and local amenities.
Route and service
Operating every day from the Four Mile Run Division, the A12 travels between Hunting Point and Ballston station, following a path along Mount Vernon Avenue, Washington Street, Walter Reed Drive, and Glebe Road. The line serves prominent communities within Alexandria such as Arlandia and Old Town, as well as Arlington neighborhoods including Ballston, Buckingham, Arlington Heights, Shirlington, and Avalon Bay. It connects various commercial hubs and office locations across these jurisdictions.
History
Launched in 2001 under the designation 10B during a restructuring of the 10 line, the Hunting Point–Ballston route evolved from the earlier Alexandria–Arlington–Pentagon Line prior to its division in the 1990s. Before WMATA's Better Bus Redesign initiative, the A12 label was assigned to a different service operating in Prince George's County, Maryland on the Martin Luther King Jr. Highway Line.
Alexandria–Arlington Line
Following its split from routes 10A and 10E in the 1990s, the 10B became part of the Alexandria–Arlington Line alongside routes 10C and 10D. The 10B operated between Virginia Hospital Center and Hunting Towers, with select trips extending to Old Town Alexandria near Braddock Road Station. The 10C ran on weekdays between East Falls Church Station and Hunting Towers; meanwhile, the 10D provided Saturday service including an extension to Seven Corners Center.
On December 30, 2001, route 10B was truncated to terminate at Ballston station, discontinuing service beyond Lee Heights. At that time, routes 10C and 10D were eliminated and replaced by Arlington Transit’s routes 51 and 52. Subsequently, this corridor was renamed Hunting Towers–Ballston Line until it was rebranded as Hunting Point–Ballston Line in 2012.
Hunting Point–Ballston Line
Also on December 30, 2001, route 10B was rerouted through Arna Valley (currently Avalon Bay) and Shirley Park to improve connectivity with Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line routes 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22F. Service along South Glebe Road between West Glebe Road and Arlington Ridge Road was covered by McLean–Crystal City Line routes 23A and 23C.
Later Changes
In 2013, WMATA presented two alternatives for modifying route 10B:
- The first proposal removed service to Arlington Heights, rerouted buses via South Glebe Road while eliminating stops in Nauck and shifting to Douglas Park on Walter Reed Drive before reaching Shirlington Bus Station. It also discontinued Parkfairfax stops in favor of routing along Interstate 395 and South Glebe Road, ending residential coverage in Arna Valley.
- The second option resembled the first but retained service through Nauck and Parkfairfax while discontinuing only Arlington Heights and Arna Valley.
WMATA additionally suggested introducing MetroExtra route 10X to operate alongside the existing 10B during peak periods with limited stops. Unlike the local 10B route, the express 10X bypassed Nauck, Shirlington, Mount Vernon Avenue, and Braddock Road station but added service via Jefferson Davis Highway (now Richmond Highway). These adjustments aimed to enhance reliability for route 10B while reducing travel times to Ballston–MU station, with the express route providing faster transit along Glebe Road.
On March 30, 2014, route 10B reverted to its original path along South Glebe Road prior to its reroute in 2001. Service to Arna Valley was transferred to Arlington Transit’s route 87 to avoid overlapping coverage.
Late-night short-turn trips were extended to full-route runs on June 26, 2016, lengthening service beyond Washington Street and Pendleton Street all the way to Hunting Point.
Due to construction on West Glebe Road bridge beginning December 30, 2018, buses were rerouted via Interstate 395 with Parkfairfax service discontinued.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 16, 2020, route 10B operated on a Saturday schedule before reducing further to Sunday schedules by March 18. Weekend operations were suspended from March 21 but fully resumed August 23 of that year. Later increases in Omicron variant cases led to weekday service cuts back to Saturday schedules until full weekday operations restarted on February 7, 2022.
As part of WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign effective June 29, 2025, route number changes resulted in renaming route 10B as A12—adopting a designation formerly used by the Martin Luther King Jr. Highway Line.