Bladensburg Road–Anacostia Line
| Company type | Bus route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1910 (as streetcar line) |
| Defunct | 2025 (as Route B2) |
| Fate | Renamed and rerouted as Route C41 in 2025 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
The Bladensburg Road–Anacostia Line, identified as Route B2, was a daily bus operation managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that linked Anacostia station on the Green Line of the Washington Metro with the Mount Rainier Terminal located in Mount Rainier. B2 buses ran at intervals ranging from 10 to 20 minutes, with an average journey duration of approximately 56 minutes.
Background
Operating every day, Route B2 connected the Mount Rainier terminal and Anacostia station, primarily traveling along Bladensburg Road. On school days, it also offered supplementary trips serving Eastern High School. This service allowed passengers from Mount Rainier and Anacostia to travel by bus directly without transferring to rail.
The route was primarily dispatched from the Bladensburg garage, with some runs originating from Shepherd Parkway.
History
Originally established as a streetcar line in 1910, B2 ran between Mount Rainier, MD, Municipal Place & Rhode Island Avenue, and the Anacostia area in Southeast Washington D.C. The streetcar service was discontinued in 1923 and replaced by bus operations, later becoming part of the Metrobus network on February 4, 1973, when WMATA absorbed four private transit companies. Throughout these transitions, B2 retained its initial routing.
Following the inauguration of Stadium Armory and Potomac Avenue stations on July 15, 1977, B2 began servicing both stops along its route without significant changes to its path.
With the launch of Anacostia station on December 28, 1991, the route was extended beyond its former endpoint at W Street SE & 16th Street SE to reach the new station situated in Barry Farm.
In 2001, after a traffic signal intersection at Rhode Island Avenue, 34th Street, and Perry Street in Mount Rainier was converted into a roundabout, B2’s routing was adjusted to navigate through this roundabout when traveling toward both Mount Rainier and Anacostia Metro Station. This alignment has remained consistent since then.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were gradually reduced between March 16 and March 21, 2020, operating on weekend or Sunday schedules with lowered frequency. Full restoration of service occurred on August 23, 2020.
In February 2021, WMATA proposed rerouting B2 to cover portions of routes B8, B9, D6, and H6 between Fort Lincoln and Union Station via Market Street NE and other corridors. This proposal included discontinuing service along Eastern Avenue NE (north of Bladensburg Road) and Rhode Island Avenue if federal funding was not secured.
On September 5, 2021, B2’s frequency was enhanced to every 20 minutes daily and further increased to every 12 minutes beginning June 25, 2023.
As part of WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign initiative effective June 29, 2025, B2 was rerouted away from Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Minnesota Avenue SE and ceased using the Sousa Bridge. Instead, it would operate via 11th Street SE crossing the 11th Street Bridge from Anacostia before turning onto Potomac Avenue SE to continue along its existing course. Every alternate trip would extend to West Hyattsville station via 38th Avenue and Hamilton Street, partially substituting the discontinued Chillum Road Line (F1). The route designation changed to C41.
Incidents
- On July 10, 2010, a teenager from Maryland impersonated a Metrobus operator and commandeered a bus from the Bladensburg garage. He proceeded to drive along the B2 route while picking up passengers before crashing the vehicle. After passengers exited the bus, the individual fled but was subsequently apprehended.
- On December 9, 2012, Javon Foster fatally shot Selina Brown and wounded her toddler daughter aboard a B2 bus on Minnesota Avenue SE. Foster escaped to Long Island, New York, where he took his own life two days later.
- On May 13, 2020, a Metropolitan Police Department officer sustained serious injuries after being hit by a B2 Metrobus on Bladensburg Road.