Leesburg Pike Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Washington Virginia & Maryland Coach Company; Alexandria, Barcroft and Washington Transit Company |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Washington metropolitan area , United States |
Area served | Fairfax County and Alexandria, Virginia |
| Products | Metrobus service |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Website | www |
The Leesburg Pike Line, identified as Route F20, is a daily bus service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that links Tysons station on the Silver Line with King Street – Old Town station on the Yellow and Blue Lines of the Washington Metro. Operating every 12 minutes between 7 AM and 9 PM, and every half hour thereafter, the F20 connects prominent commercial and residential districts from Tysons Corner in Fairfax County to Old Town Alexandria. The typical journey duration is around 90 minutes. In 2023, this route was the most heavily utilized Metrobus line in Virginia, accommodating approximately 6,400 passengers on weekdays.
Route description and service
Daily operations of the F20 originate from Four Mile Run Division, traversing Leesburg Pike, Broad Street, Seminary Road, and Duke Street. Within Alexandria, the bus offers limited-stop service between Foxchase and King Street Station while providing local stops along other portions of the route. The line serves important communities such as Tysons Corner, Falls Church, Seven Corners, Culmore, Bailey's Crossroads, Skyline City, Seminary West, and Old Town Alexandria.
Background
The Leesburg Pike Line was established in 1939 by the Washington Virginia & Maryland Coach Company. Concurrently, the Alexandria, Barcroft and Washington Transit Company operated a parallel service known as the Seven Corner Line. Both lines were incorporated into WMATA’s system in 1973. Up until 2025, the Leesburg Pike Line included a total of 28 routes; among them, route 28A provided steady transit linking neighborhoods, shopping areas, landmarks, and commercial hubs along Leesburg Pike.
Alexandria-Tysons Corner Line
Initially called the Alexandria-Tysons Corner Line, this route connected Old Town Alexandria with Tysons Corner. The 28A traversed West Braddock Road while the 28B followed Seminary Road. The 28A served North Ridge; meanwhile, the 28B catered to Seminary Hills. Originally, the 28A operated Monday through Saturday; in contrast, the 28B ran daily with some peak-hour trips ending at Bailey's Crossroads. In 2002, service to Old Town was eliminated, shortening routes to terminate at King Street station.
WMATA discontinued route 28B in 2009 and rebranded the line as Leesburg Pike Line. The 28A was upgraded to daily operation and rerouted via King Street between Bradlee Shopping Center and King Street station. A limited-stop segment was introduced between Inova Alexandria Hospital and King Street Station to enhance travel times within Alexandria. At the same time, route 28X launched as a limited-stop peak-hour service along Leesburg Pike; it was renamed Leesburg Pike Limited Line in 2012 before being discontinued in June 2017.
Among Virginia Metrobus services connecting to Silver Line stations, the 28A remains one of three lines. On July 26, 2014, it began stopping at Tysons Corner station following the Silver Line’s inauguration there, improving integration with other bus routes that had previously served Tysons Westpark Transit Station.
Service Changes
The segment between Old Town Alexandria and King Street - Old Town station ceased operation on June 30, 2002. Service within Old Town Alexandria is now covered by DASH.
On December 27, 2009, route 28B and its service through North Ridge and Seminary Hills were terminated. The stretch of route 28A between Inova Alexandria Hospital and King Street Station transitioned to limited-stop service; local stops along this corridor were replaced by DASH routes AT5 and AT6.
The Seven Corners Transit Center opened on January 22, 2012 near Seven Corners Shopping Center. Following this development, route 28A was rerouted to serve this transit hub to facilitate better connectivity without altering its schedule.
After the Silver Line began operating at Tysons Corner station, route 28A extended its service from Tysons Corner Center to include Tysons Corner station itself to enhance bus network integration.
Starting June 25, 2017, westbound trips on route 28A heading toward Tysons Corner Metrorail Station no longer passed through Tysons Corner Center (Towers Crescent Dr., Tysons One Place, Fashion Blvd), although eastbound trips continued servicing that area.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were reduced on March 16, 2020 to a Saturday supplemental schedule and further cut back to Sunday schedules two days later on March 18. Weekend frequency was adjusted to every half hour beginning March 21. Full service was restored on August 23, 2020.
On September 5, 2021, significant rerouting occurred for Route 28A within Alexandria and Falls Church. In Alexandria, stops along King Street, West Braddock Road, and parts of North Howard Street were discontinued and replaced by DASH Routes 31 and 36. The route shifted to operate via Duke Street, North Jordan Street, and North Howard Street with limited stops at major points. In Falls Church, service moved from East Broad Street to North Washington Street and adjacent roads while adding a connection at East Falls Church station.
Due to an increase in COVID-19 Omicron variant cases, weekday frequencies were temporarily reduced to Saturday levels but returned to full weekday schedules on February 7, 2022.
Under WMATA's Better Bus Redesign initiative beginning June 29, 2025, Route 28A was renamed F20 while retaining its current routing pattern.
Incidents
- A tree collapsed onto a 28A bus traveling on North Beauregard Street on June 26, 2018, resulting in damage to the bus. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.