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Kenilworth Avenue Line

From Alfawiki
Kenilworth Avenue Line (Route R12)
Company typePublic transit bus service
IndustryPublic transportation
PredecessorKenilworth Avenue Express streetcar line
Founded1963
FateService shortened and reorganized; planned rerouting in 2025
Area served
Washington, D.C., Prince George's County, Maryland
OwnerWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
ParentWMATA Metrobus

The Kenilworth Avenue Line, known as Route R12, was a Metrobus service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This route linked Greenbelt station on the Green Line with Deanwood station on the Orange and Silver Lines. Operating from Monday through Saturday, buses ran every 30 minutes during peak periods and once per hour during off-peak times. The typical journey lasted about 45 minutes.

Background

Route R12 provided transit service six days a week, connecting Greenbelt station to Deanwood station predominantly along Kenilworth Avenue. It catered to the neighborhoods along Kenilworth Avenue and nearby areas, facilitating access to multiple Metrorail stations. The route was operated out of the Landover garage.

Route R12 stops

<section begin=R12-table/>

<section end=R12-table/>

History

Route R12 originated around 1963 as an express streetcar service running on weekdays between Farragut Square in Downtown D.C. and the Goddard Space Flight Center located in Greenbelt. On Saturdays, it operated between Federal Triangle and Beltway Plaza Mall as part of the "Kenilworth Avenue Express" Streetcar Line. During peak hours, routes R11 and R15 connected Farragut Square with Springhill Lake Apartments, while routes R13 and R14 served the corridor from Southwest D.C. to Macke Industrial Park.

In 1973, WMATA integrated all existing streetcar lines into its Metrobus network, maintaining their original routing.

Following the inauguration of Stadium–Armory station on July 18, 1977, routes R11, R12, and R15 were shortened to terminate at this station, ceasing their service to Farragut Square. Additionally, R11 and R15 provided early Saturday morning trips prior to the commencement of Blue Line subway operations. Routes R13 and R14 were eliminated and their service areas absorbed by routes R11, R12, and R15.

The early Saturday morning trips on routes R11 and R15 were discontinued on September 26, 1977, after Blue and Orange Line subway services began operating earlier; however, weekday peak hour schedules remained intact.

On December 3, 1978, after the opening of Deanwood station, route R12 was shortened to run only up to Deanwood station, removing its previous extension to Stadium–Armory. Meanwhile, routes R11 and R15 were reconfigured as express services running between Beltway Plaza Mall (R11) or Greenbelt Center (R15) and New Carrollton station, primarily using Greenbelt Road, Cherrywood Lane, Kenilworth Avenue, the Capital Beltway, and John Hanson Highway.

As a result, routes R11 and R15 became known collectively as the "Greenbelt-New Carrollton Express Line," while route R12 retained the designation "Kenilworth Avenue Line."

With the launch of Addison Road station on January 4, 1981, route R12 was extended from Deanwood to Addison Road station via Minnesota Avenue NE and followed the former path of route P12 along Addison Road and adjacent streets after P12 ceased serving Deanwood. Concurrently, route R12 was cut back to terminate at Beltway Plaza Mall, discontinuing its service to Goddard Space Flight Center. Consequently, the route was renamed the "Kenilworth Avenue–Addison Road Line."

From 1990

On December 11, 1993, coinciding with the openings of College Park–University of Maryland station and Greenbelt station, route R12 was rerouted to operate between Deanwood and New Carrollton stations. It served College Park station via River Road before continuing along its established route between Kenilworth Avenue and Beltway Plaza. From there, it proceeded to Greenbelt station before reaching New Carrollton. This change led to the route being renamed the Kenilworth Avenue-New Carrollton Line.

Routes formerly known as the R11 and R15 were eliminated and their service consolidated under route R12 between Greenbelt and New Carrollton stations. The section running between Deanwood and Addison Road station was replaced by extended services on routes V14 and V15.

From 2010

In 2010, the Greenbelt bus system came under scrutiny for its limited service area, an issue that gained attention amid Metro's budget crisis when potential cuts threatened the region. Although initial reductions were reversed, both Greenbelt and Prince George's County sought modifications to the service.[1][2] The R12 route faced operational challenges due to its extensive length.

One suggestion involved truncating route R12 to end at Greenbelt station, with a new T14 route introduced to cover the segment between Greenbelt and New Carrollton along the previous R12 path through Old Greenbelt.[3] This change would decrease direct R12 service to New Carrollton.[4]

Other alternatives recommended replacing parts of R12 with routes G12, G14, and G16. In this plan, G12 would connect Greenbelt and New Carrollton stations but discontinue stops in Franklin Park and the Beltway Plaza loop.[5][6]

Effective December 19, 2010, route R12 was shortened to operate solely between Deanwood and Greenbelt stations. The stretch from Greenbelt to New Carrollton was substituted by the newly introduced G12 route following a request from Greenbelt aimed at enhancing reliability, minimizing overlap with Prince George's County's TheBus services, and addressing concerns about R12's excessive length.[7][8]

R12's path within Franklin Park and Springhill Lake Complex was modified to improve coverage. This rerouting replaced the previous alignment along Edmonston Road and Springhill Lane with a route via Greenbelt Road, Beltway Plaza, Cherrywood Lane, Breezewood Drive, Edmonston Road, and Springhill Drive. Meanwhile, Springhill Lane service was transferred to TheBus route 16.[7]

Moreover, R12 began serving Campus Drive near College Park–University of Maryland station, providing better access to parks and recreational facilities while limiting one-way travel on River Road.[7] Route R11 was reintroduced for early weekday mornings to parallel R12 but bypassed Springhill Lake Apartments and Beltway Plaza.[7]

On August 23, 2015, route R11 was discontinued permanently; its service frequency was absorbed into an increased schedule on route R12, which ceased entering Beltway Plaza.[9]

Starting September 1, 2019, due to Purple Line construction, the College Park Metrobus loop was temporarily closed; R12 stops were relocated to River Road without any detours.[10]

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020, R12 operated on a reduced supplemental Saturday schedule before further cutbacks limited it to regular Saturday schedules without supplemental trips or Sunday weekend service. Partial restoration occurred on August 23, 2020; however, Saturday service remained suspended.[11][12][13]

On September 26, 2020, WMATA suggested cutting all Saturday service on route R12 and reducing weekday frequency to once per hour as a consequence of federal funding shortages.[14] Nevertheless, Saturday operations were fully reinstated on March 14, 2021.[15]

Complete restoration of route R12 service took place on September 5, 2021,[16] with Saturday service starting earlier from May 29, 2022.[17]

Better Bus Redesign

In 2022, WMATA embarked on the Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking its first extensive revamp of the Metrobus system.

By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network, which proposed maintaining Route R12 mostly intact while extending its reach to Berwyn Heights through Pontiac Street, Cunningham Drive, Berwyn Road, 57th Avenue, Quebec Street, and 60th Avenue—effectively exchanging routes with TheBus Route 16. This updated service was identified as MD253.

Subsequently, in the Revised Draft Visionary Network, WMATA renamed MD253 to Route P14 and modified its coverage within Berwyn Heights by eliminating Berwyn Road, 57th Avenue, and Quebec Street from the route. The P14 was set to discontinue service to the Beltway Plaza Loop, instead continuing along Cherrywood Lane, and would introduce Sunday operations not previously offered on the R12. These revisions were incorporated into WMATA’s proposed 2025 network.

On November 21, 2024, WMATA officially approved the Better Bus Redesign Network, streamlining service on the College Park Line. Beginning June 29, 2025, Route R12 would be preserved in large part but rerouted through Berwyn Heights via Pontiac Street, Cunningham Drive, and 60th Avenue—trading service of the Beltway Plaza Mall loop to TheBus Route 16. The route was rebranded as P14 and included new Sunday service for the first time.

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