H Street Express

H Street Express (Route D2X)

Company type	Public transit service
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	December 19, 2010
Headquarters	Washington, D.C. , United States
Area served	Washington, D.C., Prince George's County, Maryland
Owner	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Website	www.wmata.com

The H Street Express (Route D2X) is a limited-stop Metrobus service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This route links Capitol Heights station, served by the Blue and Silver lines, with Gallery Place station, which connects to the Red, Green, and Yellow lines. Operating exclusively on weekdays at intervals of 15–16 minutes, the journey duration is roughly 50 minutes. It functions as a complementary service along the H Street corridor alongside route D20.

Background

Operating on weekdays, Route D2X provided transit between Capitol Heights station and Gallery Place station, enhancing coverage along H Street and Benning Road in conjunction with route D20. The buses were dispatched from Andrews Federal Center, having previously operated out of Bladensburg, Shepherd Parkway, and Southern Avenue Annex facilities. Under moderate snowfall conditions, the route included a detour via Eastern Avenue while serving all local stops.

Stops

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Bus stop	Direction	Connections
Prince George's County, Maryland
Capitol Heights Bus Bay D	Eastbound terminal, Westbound station	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 96, A12, F14, V2, V4 Template:Bus icon TheBus: 24, 25 Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon
Washington, D.C.
Dix Street NE / 62nd Street NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: V2, V4
58th Street NE / Foote Street NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: V2, V4
Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE / Division Avenue NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: V2, V4, W4
Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE / 49th Avenue NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: V2, V4
Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE / 44th Avenue NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: V2, V4
Minnesota Avenue	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: U4, U5, U6, U7, V2, V4, V7, V8, X2 Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon
Minnesota Avenue NE / Benning Road NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: A31, U4, U7, V2, V4, X2
Benning Road NE / 19th Street NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: S41, X2
Benning Road NE / 16th Street NE	Westbound	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: B2, X2, X8
Benning Road NE / 15th Street NE	Eastbound	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: B2, X2, X8
H Street NE / 14th Street NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: B2, X2
H Street NE / 8th Street NE	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 90, 92, X2
H Street NE / Union Station Garage	Bidirectional	Template:Rint Amtrak, VRE, MARC at Washington Union Station Template:Rint DC Streetcar at Union Station Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 33, 80, 96, D6, D8, X2, X8 Template:Bus icon DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station   Congress Heights–Union Station   National Mall Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 903, 922 Template:Bus icon Loudoun County Transit Template:Bus icon PRTC OmniRide Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon at Union Station
H Street NW / North Capitol Street	Bidirectional	Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 80, D8, X2

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History

Prior to WMATA's implementation of the Better Bus Redesign, the service now known as Route D2X operated under the designation Route X9. This route was originally part of the East Capitol Street Express Line, which included routes X1 through X7. Initially, Route X9 connected Capitol Heights station with Federal Triangle; however, it was discontinued in the late 1980s and its function was replaced by the Benning Road Line.

In 2010, WMATA conducted a study focused on the H Street and Benning Road corridor in response to increasing passenger volumes and delays affecting the DC Streetcar. The proposal included launching a new X9 route running between Capitol Heights and Metro Center stations to alleviate peak-time congestion and substitute for route X3.

Route X9 officially began service on December 19, 2010, operating as an express line during weekday peak periods along H Street, Benning Road, and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue. It served as a supplemental connection to route U2 between Capitol Heights and Minnesota Avenue stations, and to route X2 from Minnesota Avenue to Metro Center.

In June 2012, WMATA incorporated express routes into the MetroExtra branding initiative; Route X9 was included in this rebranding without significant alterations to its path.

As part of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget considerations, WMATA proposed extending X9 service to include midday operations. This change aimed to address rider demand and enhance coordination with the District Department of Transportation by providing limited-stop service along the Benning Road-H Street corridor during weekdays. This extension offered passengers a direct trip between downtown Washington, D.C., and Capitol Heights without transfers.

Midday service for Route X9 commenced on June 24, 2018, running every 15 minutes between Minnesota Avenue and Metro Center stations. Unlike peak-hour trips that utilized curbside stops, midday buses accessed designated bus bays at Minnesota Avenue station.

Service on Route X9 was suspended beginning March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was reinstated on August 24, 2020.

In February 2021, WMATA’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal included the potential elimination of the segment between Minnesota Avenue and Capitol Heights on Route X9 if federal funding was not secured.

On December 11, 2022, all westbound trips on Route X9 were truncated to terminate at Gallery Place station.

Starting June 29, 2025, under WMATA’s Better Bus Redesign plan, Route X9 was renamed D2X. While maintaining much of its previous routing, it ceased serving Minnesota Avenue station. Instead, it follows Benning Road NE to East Capitol Street NE, serving Benning Road station before concluding at Capitol Heights.