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Columbia Pike–National Landing Line

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Columbia Pike–National Landing Line, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025
Columbia Pike–National Landing Line (Route A40)
Company typeTransit service
IndustryPublic transportation
Founded2023
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
,
United States
Area served
Fairfax County, Arlington County, Washington, D.C.
ProductsBus transit service
OwnerWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Columbia Pike–National Landing Line (Route A40)

The Columbia Pike–National Landing Line, designated as Route A40, is a daily transit service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, linking Skyline City with Crystal City station on the Yellow and Blue lines of the Washington Metro. Operating within the framework of the Pike Ride system, this route follows Columbia Pike, providing access to prominent communities in Fairfax County and Arlington County en route to Crystal City. Unlike the primary Columbia Pike Line, Route A40’s service area does not extend past Arlington County along Columbia Pike.

Route description and service

Operating every day from the Four Mile Run Division, Route A40 connects Skyline City and Crystal City station with stops distributed along Columbia Pike. It covers neighborhoods such as Barcroft, Arlington Heights, and Penrose, while also traversing a portion of Leesburg Pike to reach the commercial center of Skyline City. During overnight hours, the route extends into Washington D.C., concluding at L'Enfant Plaza. The district known as National Landing encompasses parts of Crystal City and Pentagon City, highlighted by the presence of the Amazon HQ2 campus.

A40 stops

<section begin=a40-table/>

<section end=a40-table/>

History

Former Route 16G operating to Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia in 2010
Previous Route16H at Pentagon City in2018

Introduced in2023 as route16M amid a simplification effort of the line structure,the Columbia Pike–National Landing Line traces its origins to the2003-established Pike Ride routes(16G,16H,16K,and16W),initially identified as the 'Columbia Heights West–Pentagon City Line.’ These services linked Pentagon City Station with Arlington Mill with varying schedules and stop patterns. The line also absorbed portions of the Shirlington–Pentagon Line and experienced multiple rerouting adjustments over time.

In2005,the16H route extended service to Crystal City Station and Bailey's Crossroads,replacing the Four Mile Run segment previously covered by route16W. The latter continued operation until its full discontinuation in2010 when16H assumed complete coverage. The Crystal City portion was eliminated in2016 following the expansion of WMATA’s bus rapid transit system,Metroway.

To reduce confusion with similarly named areas and stations within Washington D.C.,the line was renamed Columbia Pike–Pentagon City Line in2018. At that time,the westbound path of route16G was modified to accurately represent service to Arlington Mill.

During WMATA’s FY2011 budget cycle,several proposals were made including extending route16G to Pentagon station during off-peak hours and weekends,and consolidating routes such as16W into16H with extensions toward Skyline City or Northern Virginia Community College. By December2010,the16W route was fully discontinued with its coverage integrated into route16H.

In FY2018,budget considerations included merging routes16G and16K into16H to reduce redundancy and expenses due to overlapping service with Arlington Transit. Ridership and cost recovery data indicated these routes exceeded WMATA’s performance standards.

With Metroway’s extension in March2016,routing changes removed route16H’s service to Crystal City,focusing instead on Pentagon City. Further streamlining saw route16K discontinued in June2018 alongside adjustments to weekend schedules for route16H.

During FY2021 budget planning,a proposed merger of routes16G and16H was eventually retracted,preserving both as independent services. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted temporary reductions starting March2020,but full service levels resumed by August that year. Frequency enhancements followed in September2021,increasing headways to every12 minutes on Columbia Pike routes.

Due to rising cases of the Omicron variant,the weekday schedule was temporarily scaled back before returning to full operation in February2022.

In WMATA’s FY2024 budget proposal,a consolidation plan combined routes16G and16H into a single route designated16M,reinstating the previously removed Crystal City segment. This change took effect on June25,2023,and was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting hosted by Arlington County. This marked the first new addition to the Pike Ride corridor since2003,and led to renaming the line as the 'Columbia Pike–National Landing Line.’

As part of WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign initiative scheduled for June29,2025,the current route16M will be rebranded as Route A40 while retaining its existing path. Additionally,during late night hours(11PM–2AM),the service will partially merge with route16E and extend its terminus to L'Enfant Plaza station.

References

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