Massachusetts Avenue Line
| Company type | Public transit bus routes |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | June 29, 2025 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington, D.C., Maryland |
| Products | Bus transit service (Routes D90 and D96) |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Massachusetts Avenue Line consists of two routes: Route D90 ("Massachusetts Avenue–Tenleytown Line") and Route D96 ("Massachusetts Avenue–Bethesda Line"), both operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. These lines provide essential transit connections through major commercial and residential areas along Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C.
Route D90 links the Red Line's Tenleytown–AU station with downtown Washington at Mount Vernon Square, while Route D96 offers service between Bethesda Station and Potomac Park on weekdays, shifting to Dupont Circle on weekends. Both routes maintain frequent intervals, with buses arriving every 20 minutes during rush hours and every 20 to 30 minutes during weekday off-peak times; weekend service runs every 30 minutes. Average travel times are roughly 50 minutes for D90 and about 75 minutes for D96.
Introduced on June 29, 2025, these routes replaced the former N2, N4, and N6 lines to improve service efficiency along this vital corridor linking business districts and government offices.
Route description
Route D90 operates between Tenleytown–AU Station and Mount Vernon Square, traversing Massachusetts Avenue as well as Nebraska and New Mexico Avenues.
Route D96 connects Bethesda Station with Potomac Park on weekdays, with weekend service terminating at Dupont Circle. Its path includes Wisconsin Avenue, Western Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, New Mexico Avenue, and Q Street. The segment along Wisconsin Avenue between Bethesda and Friendship Heights serves as a substitute for a discontinued portion of Ride On route 34.
Both services are dispatched from the Western division.
History
The origins of routes N2 and N4 trace back to early 20th-century streetcar operations by the Washington Railway & Electric Company, running from Friendship Heights to Downtown Washington, D.C. The N2 route served the Wesley Heights area via Nebraska, New Mexico, Cathedral, and Idaho Avenues, whereas the N4 stayed along Massachusetts Avenue. Both were converted from streetcars to buses on May 13, 1925.
Following the acquisition of Washington Railway & Electric Company by Capital Transit Company, the N4 was rerouted toward Glen Echo Park via Maryland’s side of Massachusetts Avenue and Goldsboro Road. This alignment was later replaced by route N7 and Ride On route 29 when the N4 was shortened to Westmoreland Circle.
Express services designated as routes N1 and N3 operated under the name Massachusetts Avenue–Federal Triangle Line, connecting Friendship Heights with Federal Triangle until their eventual discontinuation.
Capital Transit transitioned to DC Transit in 1956 and later established Metrobus in 1973.
With the opening of Friendship Heights station on August 25, 1984, routes N1, N2, and N3 were adjusted to terminate there.
A late-night and weekend route N6 was introduced alongside N2 and N4 to provide combined coverage for Wesley Heights.
In 1996, routes N1 and N3 were discontinued; concurrently, route N4 was extended from Westmoreland Circle to Friendship Heights via Western Avenue.
On December 29, 1996, route N6 was eliminated but replaced by enhanced late-night and weekend service on routes N2 and N4 featuring varied frequencies for peak and off-peak periods.
Route N6 was reinstated in 1999 to consolidate low-ridership late-night and weekend segments previously covered by routes N2 and N4.
On June 25, 2000, route N2 was rerouted through Wisconsin Avenue, Tenley Circle, and Nebraska Avenue to reduce duplication with route N4 while improving access to Tenleytown–AU station. This complemented other services such as the 30 series and M4 operating along Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues. Service between Ward Circle and Cathedral/Massachusetts Avenues remained unchanged.
A new route N3 was introduced for weekday peak periods running from Friendship Heights station to Federal Triangle via Western Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue with additional streets served during peak directions.
In WMATA's FY2011 budget proposal (2010), elimination of route N3 was recommended due to redundancy with other services; plans included rerouting route N2 along Massachusetts Avenue, Westmoreland Circle, and Western Avenue departing from Ward Circle. Alternative coverage would be provided by routes M4 (Nebraska Avenue/Tenleytown) and 32/36 (Wisconsin Avenue).
On September 25, 2011, route N2 was realigned along Massachusetts Avenue, Westmoreland Circle, and Western Avenue replacing segments of the discontinued route N8; service to Tenleytown–AU station via Nebraska Avenue was discontinued. Simultaneously, route N3 termini were relocated away from Friendship Heights bus bays due to capacity limitations.
This change triggered opposition from residents in Glover Park and Wesley Heights who objected to losing direct access to Tenleytown–AU station. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3B criticized WMATA for insufficient public consultation. WMATA acknowledged that legal requirements for public input had not been met but noted significant community dissatisfaction citing safety concerns related to adverse weather conditions on alternative streets served.
The commission passed a resolution urging restoration of the original routing; WMATA explained that operational complexities associated with bus interlining complicated potential reversals.
Affected riders faced multiple transfers involving M4 and other routes to reach destinations previously served directly. In response, WMATA announced on December 9, 2011 that route N2 would revert to its former alignment via Wisconsin Avenue, Tenley Circle, and Nebraska Avenue effective January 22, 2012.
In September 2015, WMATA proposed fully eliminating remaining service on route N3 due to low ridership; riders could instead transfer via an extended route N4 or other connecting lines covering similar corridors.
On June 26, 2016, route N3 was officially discontinued; select weekday peak trips on route N4 were extended to Potomac Park. Termini for routes N2, N4, and N6 at Farragut Square were relocated from the east side to the west side.
During the COVID-19 pandemic beginning March 16, 2020, routes N2 and N4 were suspended; route N6 operated on a reduced schedule with weekend service suspended shortly thereafter. Modified schedules resumed August 23, 2020 while routes N2 and N4 remained inactive.
As part of WMATA's FY2022 budget proposals (September 2020), full elimination of routes N2 and N4 was suggested in favor of daily operation of route N6 for simplification amid financial constraints.
In February 2021, WMATA proposed merging route N6 with routes D2 and M4 if federal funding fell through; this combined routing would connect Glover Park through Dupont Circle to Sibley Memorial Hospital via Cathedral Heights. Routes N2 and N4 would be discontinued under this plan.
However, on September 5, 2021 WMATA restored routes N2 and N4 to their pre-pandemic schedules while reducing route N6 service to weekday late-night hours; extensions of route N4 trips to Potomac Park were discontinued.
Under WMATA's Better Bus Redesign effective June 29, 2025:
- Route N2 was redesignated as D90 operating between Tenleytown–AU station and Mount Vernon Square station; service to Friendship Heights station and Farragut Square was eliminated.
- Routes N4 and N6 were merged with D2 into a new route D96 running between Bethesda station through the Wisconsin Avenue corridor (including Friendship Heights), serving Wesley Heights via its former routing before continuing along New Mexico Avenue onto the previous D2 alignment between Glover Park and Dupont Circle. Weekday service extends to Potomac Park.