Chillum Road Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Route F2 (Chillum Road Line) |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Defunct | 2025-06-29 |
| Fate | Merged into Route P42 under Better Bus Redesign |
Area served | Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Washington, D.C. |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Parent | WMATA Metrobus |
The Chillum Road Line, identified as Route F1, was a daily bus operation managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that linked Cheverly station on the Silver and Orange Lines with Takoma station on the Red Line. This route connected significant neighborhoods and landmarks throughout Prince George's and Montgomery counties, as well as Northeast and Northwest Washington, D.C. Service intervals ranged from every 25 to 38 minutes during peak periods, with hourly trips during off-peak hours and weekends. The typical journey lasted about 50 to 60 minutes.
Background
Route F1 provided daily transit service between Cheverly station and Takoma station, traveling along Chillum Road, Queens Chapel Road, Eastern Avenue, Bladensburg Road, Annapolis Road, Landover Road, Hospital Drive, and Tuxedo Road. Operations were based out of the Landover garage.
History
The Chillum Road Line traces its origins to the K6 New Hampshire Avenue–Suburban Line, a Capital Transit Company route from the 1940s that ran along New Hampshire Avenue between White Oak and Chillum, Maryland.
During the 1950s, the K6 transitioned into a DC Transit route called the New Hampshire Avenue-Chillum Road Line, extending service from Chillum to Mount Rainier via Eastern Avenue NE and various local streets. By 1968, K6 was rerouted to follow New Hampshire Avenue south of Eastern Avenue NE toward Federal Triangle alongside routes K4 and K9. The section between Mount Rainier and Chillum was replaced by DC Transit’s East Riverdale - Cheverly Line (routes B4, B6, B8), which were discontinued in the early 1970s; subsequently, route B2 was extended to cover the stretch from Mount Rainier to Chillum.
On February 4, 1973, WMATA acquired DC Transit and consolidated it with other struggling bus operators to establish the Metrobus system, converting routes B2 and K6 into Metrobus services.
Following the inauguration of Takoma station on February 19, 1978, route B2 was shortened to operate solely between Mount Rainier and Anacostia. The portion connecting Mount Rainier to Chillum was replaced by route F2—the Chillum Road Line—which extended service further to Takoma station. Prior to this modification, F2 belonged to the Michigan Avenue Line, running between Mount Rainier/Avondale and Downtown Washington D.C., originally launched as a Capital Transit Company route in 1929.
On December 3, 1978, F2 was extended from Mount Rainier Terminal to Cheverly station, taking over route 88’s coverage between these points via Rhode Island Avenue and surrounding local roads.
With the opening of West Hyattsville station on December 11, 1993, F2 was redirected along Queens Chapel Road and Ager Road to serve this new station. At the same time, its routing between Cheverly station and Prince George's Hospital was modified; this segment was reassigned to routes F8 and F13. The remainder of F2’s alignment between Cheverly and Takoma stations remained intact.
On January 24, 1999, route F1 was introduced to operate concurrently with F2 between Takoma and Cheverly stations but followed an alternate path through Mount Rainier via Eastern Avenue NE and Varnum Street. F1 ran on weekdays while F2 covered early mornings, late nights, and weekends when TheBus Route 12 was not in service. Notably, F1 had previously existed as the Avondale - Federal Triangle Express Line, which ceased operations in 1978.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service on F1 was suspended starting March 16, 2020; meanwhile, F2 operated on a reduced Saturday schedule before experiencing additional cutbacks later that month. Full service for both routes resumed on August 23, 2020.
As of December 17, 2023, WMATA discontinued all Route F2 operations and consolidated service under Route F1, which also introduced weekend trips. Additionally, Route F1’s alignment was adjusted to travel along Russell Avenue instead of 25th Avenue between Queens Chapel Road and Arundel Avenue in Avondale.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA launched the Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking the agency's first major comprehensive revamp of the Metrobus system.
By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network, which proposed dividing Routes F1 and F2 into two distinct sections. The portion serving between Cheverly station and Annapolis Road & Baltimore Avenue was preserved but combined with Routes F8 and R4 to create Route MD344. This new route extended service to Highview Apartments, utilizing important corridors such as Baltimore Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue.
The segment running from Prince George's Hospital to Takoma station was restructured into Route MD342, operating between Takoma and Capitol Heights station, with route modifications that incorporated segments from the existing Route F13. Service along Eastern Avenue, Arundel Road, Rainier Avenue, and Upshur Street was discontinued.
In the Revised Draft Visionary Network, Route MD342 was redesignated as P43 and coordinated with TheBus Route 18 between Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center and Addison Road station, though it no longer provided direct service to West Hyattsville station or Prince George's Hospital. Meanwhile, Route MD344 merged with the proposed MD252 to form Route P42, connecting New Carrollton station to Bladensburg Road & 38th Avenue, looping through Fort Lincoln before proceeding to Takoma station.
These revisions were incorporated into WMATA's 2025 Proposed Network. On November 21, 2024, the agency officially approved the Better Bus Redesign Network.
Effective June 29, 2025, Route F1 was combined with the T14 under the designation Route P42. The F1 segment between Takoma and La Salle Road & Queens Chapel Road remained unchanged; however, the route was altered to pass through Fort Lincoln and then follow T14’s alignment from Mount Rainier to New Carrollton station, partially reinstating former Route B9 service. Additionally, service between West Hyattsville and Mount Rainier was replaced by Route C41, an extension of the former Route B2.