Colesville Road Line
| Company type | Public transit authority |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Products | Bus services, Metro rail services |
| Website | www |
Colesville Road Line
The Colesville Road Line consists of two daily bus services managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Route M52 (Colesville Road–Burtonsville Line) and Route M54 (Colesville Road–Greencastle Line). These routes provide transit connections from the Burtonsville Crossing Park & Ride lot (served by M52) and Greencastle Park & Ride Lot (served by M54) to the Silver Spring station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Both lines operate at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes, with each journey lasting about one hour. These routes were introduced as replacements for the Silver Spring–Fairland Line’s former Z6 and Z8 services, following WMATA’s Better Bus Network Redesign implemented on June 29, 2025.
Background
Route M52 runs daily between Silver Spring station and Burtonsville Crossing Park & Ride, passing through areas such as Calverton, Westfarm, and White Oak, Maryland. Meanwhile, Route M54 also operates daily, linking Silver Spring station with Greencastle Park & Ride primarily via Old Columbia Pike and Colesville Road. Both routes are dispatched from the Montgomery division.
History
Established on January 27, 1985, route Z6 initially operated between Silver Spring station and Calverton along Calverton Boulevard, Old Columbia Pike, Columbia Pike, Lockwood Drive, and Colesville Road. During the 1990s, Z6 was discontinued and its service area in Calverton was taken over by route Z7.
Route Z8 traces its origins to the Old Bladensburg Road Line and Sligo Avenue Line. Originally run by Capital Traction Company as streetcar lines before transitioning to bus service in 1927 and 1940 respectively, these lines were later consolidated. DC Transit managed these routes until 1956 before WMATA acquired them in 1973. The initial Z8 service was eventually phased out and replaced by Ride On routes.
The contemporary Z8 operated as the Colesville Road–Fairland Line, connecting Silver Spring station with Burtonsville Crossing Park & Ride via White Oak, Greencastle Park & Ride, and Briggs Chaney Park & Ride. Certain peak period trips extended to the Verizon–Chesapeake Complex.
In early 2004, WMATA proposed reinstating route Z6. On September 26, 2004, it returned as the Tanglewood–Westfarm Line, replacing several discontinued routes including Z1, Z3, Z4, Z5, Z7, and Z17 while also assuming part of route Z8’s coverage between Greencastle and Burtonsville. This reintroduced Z6 offered weekday service from Silver Spring station to Burtonsville Crossing Park & Ride through Calverton, Westfarm, and White Oak. Concurrently, route Z8 was truncated to operate between Silver Spring station and Greencastle Park & Ride via Briggs Chaney Park & Ride.
On June 24, 2007, route Z6 ceased serving Tanglewood; this segment was taken over by Ride On Route 21. Subsequently, the line was renamed the Calverton–Westfarm Line. Following the inauguration of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center at Silver Spring station in 2015, both routes were rerouted to utilize new bus bays at this facility.
In WMATA’s Fiscal Year 2016 plan, Saturday service was introduced on route Z6 between Silver Spring and Castle Boulevard at half-hour intervals to address high weekday demand while recognizing limited ridership beyond Castle Boulevard. This Saturday operation commenced on March 27, 2016.
For Fiscal Year 2021, WMATA suggested removing the portion of route Z6 running from Castle Boulevard to Burtonsville Park-and-Ride in favor of Ride On Flash BRT service along U.S. Route 29. Under this proposal, route Z6 would extend to Greencastle Park & Ride replacing routes Z8 and Z11 while increasing frequency to integrate with upcoming Flash BRT operations. However, these modifications faced significant resistance from Montgomery County officials.
County leaders including state senators and all members of the county council strongly opposed Metrobus reductions impacting approximately 65,000 residents dependent on these routes for daily commuting and essential travel needs. They urged WMATA to maintain frequent service levels given their importance for students, seniors, and frontline workers.
In April 2020 public feedback indicated majority opposition to proposed adjustments for both routes: 59% opposed changes to route Z6 and 70% opposed changes to route Z8.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, routes Z6 and Z8 initially operated on a Saturday schedule starting March 16; however, all service on route Z6 was suspended by March 18 while route Z8 ran reduced schedules based on Sunday operations. By March 21 weekend frequencies were set at every half hour. Route Z6 returned on August 23 with hourly service but weekend operations remained suspended; meanwhile route Z8 resumed pre-pandemic schedules.
On September 26, 2020 WMATA proposed cutting all Saturday service for route Z6 due to budget constraints but restored it by March 14, 2021 alongside a full return to pre-pandemic operating patterns.
On September 5, 2021 WMATA consolidated routes Z6 and Z8 into a single Silver Spring–Fairland Line, retiring their former Calverton–Westfarm and Fairland line designations. The unified line operates every fifteen minutes with added Sunday service on route Z6. The segment serving Verizon-Chesapeake Complex was removed from route Z8 but peak weekday trips were extended to Greencastle Park & Ride.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA launched the Better Bus Redesign, marking its first major revamp of the Metrobus system.
By April 2023, WMATA introduced the Draft Visionary Network plan, which proposed merging routes Z6, Z7, and Z8 into a unified Route MD242 running between Silver Spring and Laurel stations. This route was designed to serve important corridors such as Colesville Road, Columbia Pike, and several park & ride facilities.
Service coverage in White Oak along Lockwood Drive and Stewart Lane was transferred to the Ride On Flash BRT Orange Line and a new proposed Route MD346 that would connect the FDA Headquarters with South Laurel Park & Ride. Additionally, WMATA suggested eliminating service between Tech Road Park & Ride and Castle Boulevard.
The Revised Draft Visionary Network renamed Route MD242 as M52, altered its path to include Castle Boulevard and Briggs Chaney Park & Ride, and expanded service within White Oak. The M52 was planned to operate daily between Silver Spring and South Laurel Park & Ride, with weekend service extended to Burtonsville.
A new Route P11 was introduced to provide access to Greencastle Park & Ride via a complex routing from Hyattsville Crossing station through White Oak Medical Center and beyond. These changes were integrated into WMATA's 2025 Proposed Network.
Subsequent updates restricted M52’s service in Laurel to weekday peak times while maintaining daily operations between Silver Spring and Burtonsville Park & Ride. Route P11 was replaced by Route M54, which runs parallel to the M52 between Silver Spring and Greencastle Park & Ride but diverges at Tech Road Park & Ride to cover Old Columbia Pike and Briggs Chaney Road. The M52 retained service along Castle Boulevard.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved the finalized Better Bus Redesign Network. Beginning June 29, 2025, Route Z6 was rebranded as M52 and combined with Route Z7 during weekday peak periods extending to South Laurel Park & Ride; weekend service was expanded to Burtonsville Park & Ride. Meanwhile, Route Z8 became M54, with service on Castle Boulevard and Briggs Chaney Park & Ride discontinued.
Incidents
- On February 1, 2012, a Z8 bus (DE40LF 6020) was involved in a collision with a truck at Colesville Road and Franklin Avenue during the morning rush hour, resulting in minor injuries for two passengers.
- On December 19, 2021, a vehicle struck a Z8 bus at the intersection of Fairland Road and Fairridge Drive; this accident caused the death of the car driver and injuries to the bus operator.
- On February 17, 2023, a fatal shooting took place aboard a Z6 bus near Lockwood Drive and New Hampshire Avenue in White Oak following an altercation among passengers. The suspect fled but was apprehended on June 14, 2024.