Barcroft–South Fairlington Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line; Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Arlington , United States |
Area served | Arlington County, Fairfax County, Alexandria, Virginia |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Parent | WMATA |
The Barcroft–South Fairlington Line, identified as Route 22A and Route 22F, is a daily bus operation overseen by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It links the Ballston–MU station on the Orange and Silver Metro lines (serviced by routes 22A and 22C) or Skyline City (served by route 22F) with the Pentagon station, which connects to the Yellow and Blue Metro lines.
Service intervals vary from roughly every 20 minutes during rush periods to about every hour on weekends. This route covers significant residential and business districts throughout Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the city of Alexandria, providing commuters with access to major transit centers such as the Pentagon Transit Center.
Route description and service
Routes 22A, 22C, and 22F operate out of Four Mile Run Division according to distinct timetables. The 22A functions during off-peak times and weekends, passing through Pentagon City, while the 22C and 22F run exclusively during peak commute hours. Both the 22C and 22F bypass Parkfairfax and Pentagon City station; however, route 22F follows a one-directional pattern—heading toward Pentagon Station in the morning and returning to Skyline City in the afternoon. The 22A and 22C cover neighborhoods including Buckingham, Alcova Park, Barcroft, and Fairlington. Meanwhile, the 22F serves Stonegate and Fort Ward before merging with other routes at Fairlington.
History
From 1979 until December 29, 2003, this service was known as the "Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line." Route 22B operated under the name "Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line" from December 29, 2003, until June 28, 2009. Afterward, the entire line was rebranded as the "Barcroft–South Fairlington Line."
Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line
Initially, routes 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22F collectively formed the original 22 line. The 22A and 22B ran between Seven Corners Transit Center via Walker Chapel, Williamsburg Boulevard, and East Falls Church station. Some westbound morning trips and eastbound afternoon trips on route 22B terminated at Ballston station. Route 22B was limited to peak-hour service; meanwhile, route 22C operated midday along a similar path but ended at Ballston without continuing further west. Route 22F completed a loop around Walker Chapel, stopping twice at Ballston—morning trips proceeded to Pentagon Station while afternoon runs returned to Ballston.
In response to Arlington Transit assuming control of the northern section in 2003, WMATA reorganized services. On December 29 of that year, WMATA eliminated routes 22C and 22F. Route 22B was renamed "Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line," terminating service west of Shirley Park. Route 22A adopted the name "Barcroft–South Fairlington Line," ceasing service west beyond Ballston station. The northern portion covering Walker Chapel, Williamsburg Boulevard, and East Falls Church station is now served by Arlington Transit Route 53.
After dividing the Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line, WMATA retained route 22B to serve Shirley Park and Army Navy Drive areas. This route was shortened to end at Shirley Park in Arlington County near Gunston Middle School. Beginning at Shirley Park, route 22B passed through Avalon Bay and connected with Pentagon Metro stations but did not serve Pentagon City Metro directly. Unlike route 22A, route 22B only intersected with it at Pentagon Station. WMATA introduced Saturday service on route 22B starting December 30, 2007, following the launch of Saturday operations on route 22A in 2006. On June 29, 2009, WMATA discontinued the Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line after Arlington Transit began operating Route 87 covering this corridor with extended service reaching Shirlington; this new service was named "Pentagon Metro-Army Navy Drive-Shirlington."
Service changes
On December 2, 2006, WMATA introduced Saturday operations for route 22A, improving weekend access to Ballston and Shirlington. Two years later, in 2008, the Shirlington Bus Station was inaugurated as a new transfer hub for route 22A, replacing the former stop located at South Quincy Street and 28th Street South.
The peak service frequency between Barcroft and Ballston Station was enhanced on June 17, 2012, with the return of route 22B. This route operated as a loop around Barcroft, linking to the terminus of Columbia Pike’s route 16Y.
Sunday service commenced on route 22A starting June 21, 2015, transforming it from a weekday-only route into a daily service. This extension incorporated additional stops through Parkfairfax and the Northern Virginia Community College Alexandria campus. As a result, routes 25A, 25C, 25D, and 25E were discontinued from the Ballston–Bradlee–Pentagon corridor. At the same time, routes 22C and 22F were reintroduced with distinct operational roles:
- Route 22A covered off-peak periods and weekends, effectively replacing route 25E. - Route 22C operated during peak times similar to route 22A but bypassed Parkfairfax, taking over from route 25A. - Route 22F provided hourly peak service between Fairlington and Pentagon Station or NVCC Alexandria without servicing Shirlington or Parkfairfax, substituting routes 25C and 25D.
On June 24, 2018, WMATA discontinued route 22B; the remaining services included routes 22A, 22C, and 22F. Route 22A was rerouted to pass through Pentagon City before arriving at Pentagon Station to bolster bus service alongside Columbia Pike lines and ART routes. Subsequently, on December 17, 2018, Arlington Transit (ART) launched Route 72 connecting Ballston and Shirlington. This new ART route absorbed the remaining segments of the former WMATA route 22B and restored service along N. Glebe Road.
Within WMATA’s FY2021 budget considerations, there was a proposal to eliminate routes 22A and 22C in favor of focusing on route 22F and ART Route 72 due to low usage and overlapping coverage; nevertheless, this decision was reversed on April 2, 2020.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic adjustments, service levels were scaled back: the line operated on a Saturday supplemental schedule with route 22C suspended; Sunday service began March 18 but without route 22F; weekend operations were halted starting March 21. Full restoration of service occurred on August 23, reinstating routes 22A and 22F while leaving route 22C inactive.
Beginning June 28, 2020, weekday operation of route 22A was limited to running between Pentagon Station and Shirlington Transit Center during restricted hours; meanwhile, ART Route 72 provided coverage along other portions with an adjusted weekday timetable.
In its FY2022 budget proposal driven by fiscal limitations, WMATA suggested further frequency cuts for routes 22A, 22C, and 22F. The plan included transferring all services of routes 22A and 22C to Arlington Transit. By September 26 of that year, WMATA recommended fully discontinuing route 22C (inactive since March) along with reducing frequencies on routes 22A and 22F.
On June 6, 2021, all trips for route 22F were extended to Skyline City to partially substitute the suspended routes 28F and 28G.
Due to an increase in Omicron variant cases in late 2021 through early 2022, weekday service on route 22A was reduced to Saturday-level frequencies while all service on route 22F was suspended; full weekday schedules resumed February 7, 2022.
As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign effective June 29, 2025:
- Route 22A will be reconfigured to run between Ballston–MU station and Shirlington Transit Center before continuing via South Farrington along King Street to King Street–Old Town station; it will be renamed A71. - Route 22F will be altered to serve Culmore under designation A66 in order to partially replace Columbia Pike lines (16C/16E). - Service segments between Pentagon–Shirlington and Shirlington–South Farrington will be taken over by routes A25 and A66.
These adjustments represent WMATA’s ongoing strategy to refine regional bus operations in response to ridership patterns and improve overall efficiency.