Benning Road Line
| Company type | Public transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | December 4, 1973 |
| Defunct | September 5, 2021 |
| Fate | Discontinued (except for school trip on X3) |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington, D.C. |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Benning Road Line, comprising Routes X1 and X3, was a weekday peak-period bus operation managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It linked Minnesota Avenue station, serving the Orange and Silver Lines, with either Foggy Bottom–GWU station (X1), which provides access to the Orange, Blue, and Silver Lines, or with the Duke Ellington Bridge in Adams Morgan (X3). During peak travel times, buses ran every 10 to 31 minutes in the direction of heavier traffic. Trips on route X1 typically lasted around 41 minutes, while those on X3 took approximately 45 minutes. Service was halted amid the COVID-19 crisis and formally discontinued as of September 5, 2021, except for the X3 school trip serving KIPP College Prep, which remained active through the 2024–25 school year.
Background
During weekday rush hours, routes X1 and X3 operated at intervals ranging from 15 to 25 minutes in the predominant travel direction, connecting Minnesota Avenue station with either Foggy Bottom–GWU station or Duke Ellington Bridge. On school days, certain X3 trips originated at KIPP DC College Prep before proceeding to Minnesota Avenue. The service primarily facilitates direct transit between Northeast Washington, D.C., and Downtown without requiring transfers to rail lines. Operations for routes X1 and X3 are based out of Shepherd Parkway and Southern Avenue divisions, with some X3 runs managed by the Bladensburg division.
Initial Operations
Initially, this corridor was served by routes X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7—all derived from former streetcar lines. DC Transit originally operated buses along H Street and Benning Road, before WMATA assumed control on December 4, 1973, incorporating routes X1 through X9 into its network.
Route X1 connected Minnesota Avenue station with Potomac Park, passing significant landmarks such as Washington Union Station. Route X2 provided service between Minnesota Avenue and Union Station; route X3 linked Minnesota Avenue with McLean Gardens. Introduced on November 24, 1978, route X4 ran between Minnesota Avenue and Lafayette Square. Routes X5 and X6 catered to "Owl Trips" and other corridors mainly along Benning Road and H Street.
Throughout the 1980s, routes X5 and X7 were eliminated and their service merged into routes X1 through X6. In the 1990s, further consolidations occurred: routes X3, X4, and X6 were discontinued or restructured; route X2 was separated to form the Benning Road-H Street Line, operating between Minnesota Avenue and Lafayette Square. Routes X1 and X3 retained their original pathways.
Subsequent Modifications
On June 25, 2000, route X3 was reinstated to operate concurrently with route X1 between Minnesota Avenue and McLean Gardens during weekday peak periods.
On December 19, 2010, route X1 was extended beyond Potomac Park to reach Foggy Bottom–GWU station via 23rd Street.
In 2012, both routes 96 and X3 extended their service from McLean Gardens to Tenleytown–AU station, providing additional coverage along Wisconsin Avenue NW due to construction-related detours.
Within WMATA's FY2017 budget proposals released in 2015, it was suggested that route X3 be truncated at Duke Ellington Bridge owing to low ridership west of that point where parallel routes (30N/S, 31/33, 96, H2/H3/H4) operate. This change was implemented on June 26, 2016; route 96 offered alternative service for the affected segment.
During planning for WMATA's FY2021 budget, elimination of routes X1 and X3 was proposed citing insufficient ridership figures. The KIPP DC College Prep trip on route X3 was slated to continue. Replacement coverage would be provided by an extended route X8 during peak periods for areas previously served by route X1; meanwhile routes X2, X9, along with the DC Streetcar, cover much of the H Street and Minnesota Avenue corridors once served by these lines. Additionally, routes 90, 92, and 96 overlap significant portions of former route X3’s path. WMATA justified these proposals based on existing alternative services including planned expansions of some route X8 trips.
Performance data collected between September 2017 and 2019 indicated average daily ridership for routes X1 and X3 ranged approximately from 460 to 744 passengers with moderate load factors.
According to WMATA’s analysis:
- Nearly 42% of riders could complete their journeys via alternate services without transfers.
- Approximately 56% would need one transfer.
- A small fraction might face an additional walking distance of about 0.2 miles to reach stops.
WMATA detailed segment-specific impacts demonstrating that many riders along corridors served by routes such as X2, X9, 90, 92, and 96 would retain comparable or alternative transit options.
Following customer opposition to these plans, WMATA withdrew the elimination proposal on April 2, 2020.
On March 16, 2020, all service on routes X1 and full-route operations of route X3 were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic as WMATA adopted a reduced schedule.
The proposal to discontinue these routes resurfaced on September 26, 2020 amid limited federal funding; however, services remained inactive since March of that year.
On March 14, 2021, partial restoration occurred for the school trip segment of route X3 serving KIPP College Prep between the school and Minnesota Avenue station; full-route service continued suspended.
By September 5, 2021, both routes were officially terminated except for the ongoing school trip on route X3. This educational service is scheduled to operate through June 13, 2025—concluding with WMATA's Better Bus Network Redesign effective June 29, 2025.