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Eastover–Addison Road Line

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Eastover–Addison Road Line (Route P12)
Company typeBus service
IndustryPublic transportation
Founded1965
FounderWM&A Bus Company
Defunct2025-06-29
FateDivided into Routes P60, P93, and P94 under WMATA
Headquarters
Landover
,
United States
Area served
Prince George's County, Maryland
OwnerWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
ParentWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

The Eastover–Addison Road Line (designated as Route P12) was a bus service operating daily under the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This route linked the Addison Road station on the Blue and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro system to Eastover Shopping Center located in Forest Heights, Maryland. Service frequency was every 12 minutes between 7 AM and 9 PM, shifting to 30-minute intervals during later hours. The typical journey lasted around one hour.

Background

Operating every day, Route P12 connected Addison Road station with Eastover Shopping Center, passing through Southern Avenue station and Suitland station. It mainly served corridors including Addison Road, Silver Hill Road, and Iverson Street, facilitating access from residential areas to several Metrorail stops. The line maintained a 12-minute headway from morning until evening (7AM–9PM), then transitioned to half-hourly service after 9PM.

The Landover garage was responsible for overseeing this route.

P12 Stops

<section begin=P12-table/>

|- ! Suitland station
Bus Bays M and N | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : D12 , D14 , K12 , V12
Template:Bus icon TheBus : 34
Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus : 735 , 850
Template:Rint Washington Metro : Template:WMATA icon |} |- ! Silver Hill Road / Maywood Lane | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : D12 | |- ! Silver Hill Road / Terrace Drive | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : D12 | |- ! Iverson Street / Branch Avenue
The Shops at Iverson | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : C12 , C14 , H13
Template:Bus icon TheBus : 32 | |- ! Iverson Street / 28th Avenue | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : C12
Template:Bus icon TheBus : 32 | |- ! Iverson Street / 26th Avenue | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : C12 , H12 | |- ! Iverson Street / Wheeler Road area stops | Various directions | Multiple stops served by Metrobus and TheBus routes including NH1 and others | |- ! Forest Hills Apartments / Southern Avenue area stops | Various directions | Served by Metrobus lines A2, D12, D14, NH1, W2 and TheBus routes | |- ! Southern Avenue station
Bus Bays E and N | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus : 32 , A2 , A32 , D12 , D14 , NH1 , P18 , W1 , W2 , W14
Template:Bus icon TheBus : 33 , 35 , 37
Template:Rint Washington Metro : Template:WMATA icon |} |- ! Southern Avenue corridor stops including United Medical Center and nearby streets | Bidirectional | Served by multiple Metrobus and TheBus routes including A2, D12, NH1 and others | |- ! Eastover Shopping Center area stops including Audrey Lane and Indian Head Highway intersections | Eastbound terminals with connections to Metrobus routes D12, D14, P18, W14 and TheBus routes | |} <section end=P12-table/>

History

The P12 route was originally established in 1965 by the WM&A Bus Company as part of the District Heights-Silver Hill Road Line, operating between Eastover Shopping Center in Forest Heights, Maryland and Shady Glen Drive at Central Avenue via Walker Mill Road. On February 4, 1973, WMATA incorporated this route into its Metrobus System following the acquisition and consolidation of four local bus companies.

On December 3, 1978, the P12 route was extended beyond Shady Glen Drive and Central Avenue to reach Deanwood station, at which point it was renamed the Eastover–Deanwood Line. After the inauguration of Addison Road station in 1980, the P12 was rerouted on January 4, 1981, to terminate at Addison Road instead of Deanwood. Subsequently, routes P14 and R12 took over service between Deanwood and Addison Road stations. The line’s name was updated to the Eastover–Addison Road Line.

With the opening of Suitland station and Southern Avenue station on January 13, 2001, the P12 route was adjusted to incorporate stops at these new stations. In 2014, WMATA proposed a routing exchange between P12 and V12 between Addison Road station and the intersection of Addison Road/Walker Mill Road. This change aimed to streamline P12’s path for greater directness while making V12 more focused on local neighborhood service. The plan also involved terminating P12 at Southern Avenue station and ending service to United Medical Center, with alternative coverage provided by A2, W2, and W3 routes.

This proposal was motivated by goals to enhance reliability by minimizing turns and circumventing delays caused by vehicles illegally parked near United Medical Center. Dividing the route at Southern Avenue station intended to boost punctuality and enable more targeted resource deployment where ridership demand is highest. Data indicated that only 11% of passengers traveled through Southern Avenue station; average passenger volumes were approximately 52 per hour north of Southern Avenue and 58 per hour southbound on weekdays.

On June 21, 2015, the routing swap between P12 and V12 took effect between Addison Road/Walker Mill Road intersection and Addison Road station. Following this change, P12 operated along Addison Road while V12 served Shady Glen Drive, Walker Mill Road, and Central Avenue. Additionally, P12 ceased serving United Medical Center but added stops along Southern Avenue. These modifications were part of WMATA’s "Better Bus Service" initiative focused on improving operational efficiency.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 16, 2020, P12 shifted to a Saturday supplemental schedule before moving to Sunday-level service on March 18 with weekend buses running every 30 minutes. Full regular service resumed on August 23, 2020.

Service frequency increased on September 5, 2021, with buses running every 12 minutes daily from 7 a.m. through 9 p.m.

On January 12, 2025, all service within Forest Hill Apartments was discontinued following a cease-and-desist order from the property owner; consequently, the route was rerouted along Southern Avenue SE.

Better Bus Redesign

In 2022, WMATA initiated its Better Bus Redesign project—the first major comprehensive restructuring of its Metrobus Network.

By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network plan proposing to divide Route P12 into two distinct segments. The stretch between Addison Road station and Suitland station remained intact but was partially merged with the A12 and extended to New Carrollton station via Addison Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Highway under a new designation: Route MD147. The segment from Suitland station to Eastover Shopping Center via Southern Avenue station remained unchanged but was renamed Route MD148. A third new route, MD265, followed P12’s original path from Southern Avenue station toward Indian Head Highway before looping through Birchwood City and continuing to National Harbor with key stops including MGM National Harbor.

In WMATA’s Revised Draft Visionary Network proposal, Route MD147 was retained but renamed P60 and extended to Naylor Road station, incorporating portions of Route H12. Routes MD148 and MD265 were consolidated into a single route labeled P93 that operated from Suitland station to Eastover Shopping Center before continuing to National Harbor via Livingston Road and Oxon Hill Park & Ride.

Prior to releasing the final Proposed Network for 2025, WMATA removed the extension of P60 to Naylor Road; this segment was instead assigned to a proposed Route P83 operated by TheBus (Prince George's County). Both P60 and P93 were included in the finalized proposals for 2025. The P93’s terminus was adjusted to Birchwood City while a new Route P94 was introduced to cover service from Suitland station onward to National Harbor.

On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved the Better Bus Redesign Network plan which simplified operations on the College Park Line.

Effective June 29, 2025, Route P12 was divided: the Addison Road–Suitland portion merged with A12 as Route P60; meanwhile, the Suitland–Eastover segment split into Routes P93 (terminating at Birchwood City) and P94 (serving National Harbor). The P12 designation was reassigned to what had formerly been known as route 89M.

Incidents

  • On April 29, 2022, a deadly stabbing took place amid a dispute on a P12 bus close to the intersection of Southview Court and Southview Drive in Oxon Hill. The individual accused faced second-degree murder charges as of May 4, 2022.
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