Central Avenue Line (Maryland)
| Company type | Bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Metrobus "T" routes (T10, T11, T12, T14) |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Fate | Replaced by WMATA Better Bus Redesign routes P63, P72, P73 in 2025 |
Area served | Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Products | Bus routes C21, C22, C26, C27, C29 |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Parent | WMATA |
Central Avenue Line
The Central Avenue Line consisted of Routes C21, C22, C26, C27, and C29, a daily bus network managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This service linked Addison Road-Seat Pleasant station (serving C21, C22, C27, and C29) or Downtown Largo station (served by C26) on the Blue and Silver metro lines to major destinations such as Bowie Park & Ride Lot (C26), Pointer Ridge (C27 and Sunday trips on C29), Collington Center (C21 and C22), and Bowie State University (Saturday trips on C29).
During weekday peak periods, buses ran every 30 to 35 minutes, while off-peak service was scheduled hourly, resulting in a combined frequency of 15 to 30 minutes. Travel times ranged from about 30 minutes on route C27 to approximately 50–55 minutes for routes C21, C22, C26, and Sunday runs of C29, extending up to 85 minutes on Saturday's C29 trips.
Route Description and Service
Serving central Prince George's County, Maryland, Routes C21, C22, C26, C27, and C29 connected Bowie, Kettering, Six Flags America, and Pointer Ridge with the Washington Metro. Route C21 operated during weekday peak hours in the peak travel direction; routes C22 and C26 provided weekday-only service; route C27 was seasonal from Memorial Day through Labor Day; and route C29 ran exclusively on weekends. On Saturdays, route C29 combined the paths of routes C22 and C26 with an extension to Bowie State University, while Sunday trips terminated at Pointer Ridge.
Beginning at Addison Road station, routes C21, C22, C27, and C29 traveled along Central Avenue passing Brightseat Road, Arena Drive, Lottsford Road, Apollo Drive, and Largo Center Drive until reaching Downtown Largo station, where route C26 joined the corridor. The line continued via Largo Drive South and Harry S Truman Drive. Routes C21, C22, and C29 then turned onto Prince Place; specifically, route C21 proceeded through Campus Way South, Largo Road, and Kettering Drive. Routes C22 and C29 looped back along Harry S Truman Drive before following Kettering Drive.
Routes C26 and seasonal route C27 bypassed Prince Place by turning directly onto Campus Way South. While route C27 returned to Central Avenue afterward, route C26 continued along Campus Way North leading to Lake Arbor Way and then Kettering Drive. All five routes reunited near the intersection of Central Avenue and Kettering Drive. From there, routes C26 and C29 made a loop via Watkins Park Drive traversing Cambleton Drive, Whiteholm Drive, and Keverton Drive before resuming their course. On Saturdays, route C26 followed the same path as Saturday’s route C29 toward Bowie Park & Ride Lot via Pointer Ridge, Bowie Health Center, Bowie Town Center, and Bowie Gateway Center—partially substituting for the suspended B29 and C28 lines.
All services proceeded along Central Avenue past Six Flags America. Seasonal routes (C27 and Sunday runs of route C29) terminated at Pointer Ridge near Hall Road before returning to Addison Road station using Hall Road and Devonwood Drive. Routes C21 and C22 continued along Central Avenue then onto Crain Highway to serve Collington Center via Prince George's Boulevard, Commerce Drive, and Trade Zone Avenue prior to returning to Addison Road.
Saturday’s route C29 navigated Pointer Ridge Drive, Pittsfield Lane, Mitchellville Road, Peach Walker Drive, Mount Oak Drive, Nottinghill Drive, Northview Drive before looping along Health Center Drive to reach Bowie Health Center. It then traveled via Collington Road and Laurel Bowie Road to arrive at Bowie State University before heading back to Addison Road station.
All routes were dispatched from the Landover garage.
History
Initially, service in central Prince George's County, Maryland was provided by Metrobus "T" routes linking Capitol Heights, Maryland with Downtown DC and the central areas of Prince George's County until the 1990s. Following the introduction of Metrorail after 1978, these bus routes were progressively phased out. The primary corridors along Central Avenue were served by the Central Ave-Belair Line (T10, T11) and the Bowie-Belair Line (T12, T14).
Subsequently, three distinct lines were introduced: the Pointer Ridge–Addison Road Line (C21, C22, C29), the Kingsford–Addison Road Line (C23, C24, C25, C26), and the Pointer Ridge Line (C28). These routes connected Addison Road and New Carrollton stations with important destinations such as East Kettering, Pointer Ridge, Collington Center, and Bowie Town Center. Notably, route C29 operated on Saturdays by combining portions of routes C22 and C26.
On September 20, 1999, route C26 underwent a modification near Addison Road station to enhance station access. Prior to June 2000, the Central Avenue and Kingsford–Addison Road Lines were consolidated; routes C25 and C26 merged into C21, C22, and C29 while routes C23 and C24 were discontinued. This unified service was rebranded as the Central Avenue Line, which did not offer Sunday operations.
With the inauguration of the Blue Line extension to Largo Town Center (now ) on December 18, 2004, routes C21, C22, C26, and C29 were rerouted to serve this new station. Route C25 was eliminated during this change; route C26 was truncated to terminate at Largo Town Center via Lake Arbor Way. Service to Hampton Towne Centre was discontinued at this time. Additionally, Sunday service was introduced on route C29 between Pointer Ridge and Addison Road station.
Seasonal summer service began on May 28, 2005 with route C27 operating between Addison Road station and Pointer Ridge through Largo Town Center. Initially running only on Saturdays, it later expanded to daily summer operations.
On March 18, 2006, route C29 was extended to include Bowie State University, discontinuing its previous routing through Bowie Park & Ride due to low passenger demand.
Due to construction on February 23, 2018, routes C22 and C29 stopped servicing Harry S. Truman Drive south of Mount Lubentia Way; alternative transportation was offered by TheBus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 16, 2020 onwards, services on routes C21, C22, and C26 were suspended; route C29 operated a limited Saturday schedule between Addison Road and Bowie. By March 18, 2020, route C29 reduced further to a Sunday-level daily schedule between Addison Road and Pointer Ridge; weekend service ceased on March 21. Service for routes C21, C22, and C26 resumed on August 23, 2020 while route C29 returned to weekend-only operation without extending to Bowie.
In May 2020, WMATA canceled summer runs of route C27 due to pandemic-related cutbacks; coverage was maintained by route C29.
As part of WMATA’s FY2022 budget proposals in September 2020, eliminating Saturday service on route C29 between Pointer Ridge and Bowie State University was suggested due to budget limitations; complete elimination of all route C28 trips was also proposed.
In revised budgets for February 2021, WMATA recommended extending route C26 during weekday peak hours to Bowie Park & Ride via Bowie Gateway Center as a partial substitute for B29 and discontinued C28 services. Restoration of Saturday service for route C29 to Bowie was initially proposed but later removed in a subsequent phase.
On June 6, 2021, route C26 was extended fully to Bowie Park & Ride following the planned routing through Pointer Ridge and Bowie Gateway Center; simultaneously, route C29’s service to Bowie was reinstated.
Effective June 25, 2023, all trips on routes C21 and C22 were lengthened to reach Collington Center.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA launched the Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking the first extensive revision of its Metrobus system.
By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network, outlining several adjustments to the Central Avenue Line. One suggested route, MD355, would traverse the existing C26 and C29 corridors between Downtown Largo station and Bowie Park & Ride, omitting the Kettering loop. The MD347 route was proposed to substitute C29 service heading to Bowie State University. Additionally, service connecting Pointer Ridge and Bowie Park & Ride would integrate segments from the B21, B22, and B24 routes.
Another route under consideration, MD356, was planned to follow the C21 alignment from Downtown Largo station to Collington Center, including coverage of the Kettering loop. The section between Downtown Largo and Addison Road stations—currently served by C21, C22, C26, C27, and C29—was consolidated into Route MD258. This route was extended to reach Stadium–Armory station via several major stops. Furthermore, late-night operations on MD258 would continue to Washington Union Station.
In the Revised Draft Visionary Network issued by WMATA, these routes were renamed as P51 (formerly MD258), P72 (formerly MD355), and P73 (formerly MD356). Minor refinements involved transferring Kettering Loop service to P72 and incorporating stops at Bowie Health Center. The P51 route was truncated to terminate at Capitol Heights station, eliminating its previous extension to Stadium-Armory. These modifications were incorporated into WMATA’s 2025 Proposed Network.
WMATA combined the initially proposed P51 and P63 routes into a single P63 line operating between Downtown Largo and Naylor Road stations. This merged route utilized a modified version of the original P51 path along with an updated F14 routing.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA formally approved the Better Bus Redesign Network with adjustments that divided the corridor into three distinct routes.
Starting June 29, 2025, the segment from Addison Road to Downtown Largo was redesignated as route P63. This service was extended to Naylor Road station via Morgan Boulevard station following the previous F14 alignment.
Routes C21 and C22 were consolidated into route P73, which runs between Downtown Largo and Collington Center while discontinuing service between Hall Road and Pointer Ridge.
Routes C26, C27, and C29 were merged into route P72. This line follows the former C26 routing between Downtown Largo and Pointer Ridge through East Kettering. It then continues along segments of the old C29 route on Mitchellville Road but removes stops at Peach Walker Drive, Nottinghill Drive, and Northview Drive before terminating at Bowie Park & Ride. Saturday service to Bowie State University was eliminated.
The original designations of routes C21, C26, C27, and C29 were reassigned to other lines: V7/W4 took over C21; W6/W8 replaced C26; W1 assumed C27; and W2/W3 inherited C29.