Georgia Avenue–Silver Spring Line
| Company type | Public transit authority |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Products | Bus service, Metro rail service |
| Website | wmata |
The Georgia Avenue–Silver Spring Line, identified as Route M20, is a daily bus route managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It connects Silver Spring station and Wheaton Station along the Red Line. On certain weekdays, select trips continue to the ICC Park & Ride Lot. During weekday peak periods, buses operate every 7 to 20 minutes, with a frequency of every 12 minutes during weekday evenings and weekends, and every 30 minutes during late-night hours. The entire journey takes roughly 65 minutes, serving numerous neighborhoods along Georgia Avenue in Maryland.
Background
Route M20 travels along Georgia Avenue, linking Silver Spring Station to Wheaton Station. Some weekday services are extended to Glenmont Station and the ICC Park & Ride Lot. Weekend operations to Glenmont Station and ICC Park & Ride, as well as service to Leisure World and MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, have been transitioned to route M22, which operates between Bethesda Station and Olney.
The Montgomery division operates Route M20, which often utilizes articulated buses to accommodate high passenger demand.
Route Stops
<section begin=Y2-table/>
| Bus stop | Direction | Connections | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, Maryland | |||||||||
| Silver Spring station Bus Bay 219 |
Northbound station, Southbound terminal |
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: D40, D4X, P30, M70, D60, D6X, M52, M54, C87 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1–22, 28, Flash BRT (Blue, Orange) Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 915, 929 Template:Bus icon Shuttle-UM: 111 Template:Bus icon Peter Pan Bus Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:Rint MARC: Brunswick Line Template:Rint MTA: Purple Line (Planned) | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Ellsworth Drive | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: P30 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20 | |||||||
| Wayne Avenue / Dixon Avenue | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: D40 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Colesville Road | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 8, 21, 22 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Cameron Street | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 28 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Forest Glen Road Forest Glen station |
Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 7, 8 Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Plyers Mill Road | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 37 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Veirs Mill Road | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 37 | |||||||
| Wheaton Station Bus Bays A and E |
Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 7–9, 31, 34, 37–40, 48 Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M12, M22 Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon | |||||||
| Veirs Mill Road / University Boulevard | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M12 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 8 (NB only), 9 (NB only), 34, 38, 40, 48 | |||||||
| Glenmont Station Bus Bays D and H |
Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M42, M44 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 26, 31, 33, 39, 41, 49, 51, 53 Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Connecticut Avenue | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M22 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 26, 34, 41 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue / Norbeck Road | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 52 | |||||||
| Georgia Avenue-ICC Park & Ride Lot / Bus Bay Shelter | Southbound station, Northbound terminal |
Template:Bus icon Ride On: 53 Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus:201,204 | |||||||
History
Initially, this line was part of the former streetcar systems before transitioning to bus operations in 1973. During the early days of Metro, routes Y2 and Y4 connected Silver Spring station with Kensington, but these were eventually replaced by Ride On services throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Subsequently, route Y4 operated between Rockville and Glenmont station, until Ride On route 49 took over in 1998. Meanwhile, route Y1 linked Montgomery Village to Potomac Park, and route Y3 ran from Leisure World to Southwest Mall before merging into the Homecrest-Wheaton Line. Both Y1 and Y3 were phased out around the 1990s and replaced by Ride On routes.
The original Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line consisted of routes Y5 through Y9: Y5, Y6, Y7, Y8, and Y9. Initially, route Y5 operated between Leisure World and Federal Triangle; it later became part of the Norbeck–Wheaton Line before being replaced by Ride On route 48 during the 1990s and then incorporated into the Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line. Route Y6 connected Glenmont with Wheaton, eventually extending service to Aspen Hill. Route Y7 ran between Montgomery Village and Southwest Mall. Routes Y8 and Y9 provided local service solely between MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and Silver Spring station. All these routes primarily traveled along Georgia Avenue.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, routes Y5 and Y7 were rerouted to operate alongside Y8 and Y9 between MedStar Montgomery Hospital and Silver Spring station; route Y6 continued its Glenmont–Aspen Hill path without alteration. In the 1990s, route Y6 was redesignated as Q3 but was later replaced by Ride On route 41 in 1998. Route Y5 was discontinued and its service absorbed by routes Y7, Y8, and Y9.
Since the 1990s, the Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line has operated as follows:
- Y7: Runs from Rockville station to Silver Spring station via Norbeck Park and Ride; peak hour trips serve Rockville only.
- Y8: Connects Montgomery General Hospital to Silver Spring through Leisure World.
- Y9: Provides a direct connection from Montgomery General Hospital to Wheaton.
On June 29, 2003, WMATA modified services so that all trips ran between Montgomery General Hospital and Silver Spring station. Trips that passed Leisure World Clubhouse were designated as route Y9; those that served it were labeled route Y8. The Norbeck Park & Ride was served directly only during southbound morning rush hours and northbound afternoon rush hours on route Y7, which was extended to Montgomery General Hospital. Trips on route Y7 to Rockville station were eliminated; all ended at Norbeck Park & Ride instead. At this time, only route Y8 provided service to Silver Spring station; routes Y7 and Y9 did not. Routes Y7 and Y8 operated daily while route Y9 ran solely during weekday peak periods.
On September 7, 2003, Leisure World Clubhouse requested fewer weekday trips diverting from Georgia Avenue for direct service. Consequently, route assignments changed as follows:
- All trips on routes Y5 and Y7 served Norbeck Park & Ride.
- All trips on routes Y5 and Y8 served Leisure World.
- All trips on route Y8 served Leisure World but bypassed Norbeck Park & Ride.
- Trips on route Y9 served neither location.
On December 18, 2011, service expanded to include the new Intercounty Connector Park and Ride Lot located off Georgia Avenue. Routes Y5 and Y7 began entering this lot to facilitate transfers with MTA Maryland routes 201 and 202; concurrently, service to Norbeck Park & Ride was discontinued.
Between 2011 and 2012, WMATA conducted a study of the "Y" lines due to issues such as insufficient run times, inconvenient frequencies, and operational challenges. Proposed enhancements involved simplifying routing patterns, extending operating hours, consolidating stops for efficiency, improving passenger amenities, and upgrading route Y9 into a MetroExtra service.
At the time of this evaluation:
- Y5: Operated during weekday peak periods (morning trips toward Silver Spring; evening trips toward Olney) plus Sunday service.
- Y7: Provided weekday peak period service (morning trips to Silver Spring; evening trips to Olney) along with late-night Saturday operations.
- Y8: Ran daily except during peak direction on weekdays; most Saturday trips operated between Silver Spring and Leisure World.
- Y9: Offered daily direct service between Silver Spring and Olney; most Sunday trips covered MedStar Montgomery Medical Center to Wheaton station.
Streamlining
On August 24, 2014, WMATA eliminated routes Y5 and Y9, introducing routes Y7 and Y8 to streamline the Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line. Route Y7 was shortened and redirected to terminate at the Georgia Ave–ICC Park & Ride Lot instead of MedStar Hospital, while route Y8 ceased serving the Leisure World clubhouse, continuing directly along Georgia Avenue. During weekends, route Y7 operated solely between the Leisure World clubhouse and Wheaton station.
Temporary Y4
Between October 14 and December 12, 2014, WMATA launched a temporary weekday route Y4, known as the Leisure World–Olney Line, running from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This service restored direct connectivity for residents traveling from Olney to the Leisure World clubhouse following the August modifications, which had required passengers to walk from the clubhouse to Georgia Avenue to board route Y8 or use route Y7 for Silver Spring or the Georgia Ave–ICC Park & Ride Lot.
December 2014 Adjustments
Effective December 14, 2014, WMATA introduced route Y2 to offer direct transit between MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and Silver Spring station, covering portions previously served by routes Y8 and Y9. Route Y8 resumed service to the Leisure World clubhouse but discontinued weekend operations. The temporary Y4 was eliminated due to overlapping coverage with the restored Y8. These changes were implemented in response to rider feedback following the August alterations.
Subsequent Modifications
Following the inauguration of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center at Silver Spring station, routes Y2, Y7, and Y8 were rerouted from Wayne Avenue to this new facility, assigned Bus Bay 219 on level 2.
On June 25, 2017, weekend service on route Y8 was reinstated along its entire path, while route Y7 ceased weekend operations and was replaced by routes Y2 and Y8. This adjustment restored weekend transit access for Olney residents to the Leisure World clubhouse after a hiatus since 2014.
Starting December 17, 2017, northbound buses departing Wheaton station were rerouted via Veirs Mill Road, University Boulevard, Grandview Avenue, and Blueridge Avenue en route to Georgia Avenue due to Reedie Drive’s closure. Consequently, northbound service on Reedie Drive and the segment of Georgia Avenue between Reedie Drive and Blueridge Avenue was discontinued.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service reductions began on March 16, 2020, with operations shifting to a Saturday supplemental schedule and suspension of route Y7. Two days later, service transitioned to a Sunday schedule. Weekend operations on route Y8 were halted starting March 21 and replaced by route Y2 running every half hour. Full service resumed along with the reinstatement of route Y7 on August 23, 2020.
Service frequency improved on September 5, 2021, with buses running every 20 minutes.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA commenced its inaugural comprehensive overhaul of the Metrobus network through the Better Bus Redesign initiative.
In April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network plan proposing rerouting the line’s terminus from Silver Spring station to Bethesda station. The proposed Route MD142 would merge portions of current Route Y8 between MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and Wheaton station, extend through the Georgia Avenue–ICC Park & Ride Lot, then continue along University Boulevard, Connecticut Avenue, and East-West Highway toward Bethesda. Service connecting Wheaton and Silver Spring would be handled by Route MD141 following existing Route Q2 routing.
The Revised Draft Visionary Network renamed MD142 as Route M22 while preserving its routing and adding short trips between Wheaton and the Georgia Avenue-ICC Park & Ride Lot. The Wheaton-Silver Spring corridor was designated as Route M20 operating exclusively between those points. These changes formed part of WMATA's proposed network for 2025.
Further refinements in the 2025 proposal outlined Route M20 following current Y7 routing to serve the Georgia Avenue–ICC Park & Ride Lot but bypassing Leisure World Clubhouse. M20 would provide short weekday trips between Silver Spring and Wheaton alongside full weekend service; areas north of Wheaton would be covered by M22. Meanwhile, M22 would discontinue serving the Park & Ride lot.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved the Better Bus Redesign Network. Beginning June 29, 2025, Route Y7 will be renamed M20 without altering its path except for bypassing Leisure World Clubhouse; it will offer weekday short trips between Silver Spring and Wheaton plus all-day weekend service. Route Y2 will be discontinued; portions of Y8 will merge with L8 forming M22 that follows Y8’s alignment from Olney to Wheaton before diverting via University Boulevard and L8’s corridor along Connecticut Avenue en route to Bethesda station. Late-night M22 service will operate only between Olney and Wheaton.