Glover Park–Franklin Square Line
| Company type | Bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Defunct | 2021 |
| Fate | Discontinued |
Area served | Washington, D.C. |
| Products | Bus transit service |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Glover Park–Franklin Square Line, known as Route D1, was a bus service operating during weekday rush hours under the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It connected Glover Park with Franklin Square, running exclusively in the peak travel direction. Morning intervals ranged from 8 to 20 minutes, while evening trips occurred every 30 minutes. The journey duration was roughly 40 minutes.
Background
Operating only during weekday peak periods and in the peak flow direction, Route D1 linked Glover Park and Franklin Square. It functioned as an extended variant of Route D2, which terminates at Dupont Circle station. This line played a vital role in providing transit for residents of Glover Park, Burleith, and Georgetown to reach Downtown, addressing the absence of nearby Metrorail access in Georgetown.
The majority of operations were managed from the Western division garage, with some trips dispatched from Southern Avenue.
History
Introduced in 1999 within the Sibley Hospital–Stadium Armory Line framework, Route D1 complemented routes D3 and D6 during weekday peak hours alongside route D2. Its path connected Glover Park and Washington Union Station via stops including Federal Triangle and Franklin Square, primarily traveling along Q Street NW, K Street NW, E Street NW, and 13th Street NW. The route addressed increasing transit demand from communities such as Georgetown, Glover Park, and Burleith to Downtown Washington by filling a gap caused by Georgetown’s lack of a Metrorail station.
On December 27, 2009, Route D1 was shortened to end at Federal Triangle, with peak hour service to Washington Union Station taken over by route D3. At this point, it was separated from the Sibley Hospital–Stadium Armory Line and renamed the Glover Park–Franklin Square Line. WMATA adjusted operations to run between Glover Park and Federal Triangle with updated schedules that included two additional buses during off-peak periods.
In 2015, WMATA proposed removing the segment between Franklin Square and Federal Triangle due to insufficient ridership, noting that other routes such as 42, 80, D6, S2, S4, and X2 provided alternative service. This modification was enacted on June 26, 2016, further reducing Route D1’s coverage to operate solely between Glover Park and Franklin Square.
By 2019, WMATA considered discontinuing Route D1 entirely and rerouting the G2 line to cover its service area because of overlapping coverage. However, this plan met strong opposition from Georgetown residents concerned about losing transit options. As a result, WMATA retracted the proposal.
Service on Route D1 was halted beginning March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing ongoing low federal funding and diminished ridership numbers later that year, WMATA revisited plans for elimination. Route D1 remained out of operation after March 13, 2020, and was formally discontinued by September 5, 2021.