Red Line (Washington Metro)
| Company type | Rapid transit line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Products | Rapid transit service |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
The Red Line constitutes a rapid transit route within the Washington Metro network, encompassing 27 stations across Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. Notably the system's oldest and most heavily utilized line, it traces a broad "U" configuration connecting its endpoints at Shady Grove and Glenmont.
During weekday peak periods, trains arrive every 4 to 5 minutes, with intervals extending to six minutes during off-peak hours and weekends, and further lengthening to ten-minute headways after 9:30 p.m.
Distinctively, the Red Line operates on exclusive tracks without sharing rails with other Metrorail lines. It parallels freight operations run by CSX Transportation along the railroad’s Metropolitan Subdivision, spanning from Brentwood through Silver Spring to Twinbrook.
Planning and construction
The inception of planning dates back to the 1955 Mass Transportation Survey, which projected transit demands for the year 1980. A subsequent 1959 study proposed two rapid transit corridors incorporating subway segments in downtown areas. Due to local resistance against freeway developments, a moratorium on freeway projects in D.C. was established until 1962. The National Capital Transportation Agency’s 1962 analysis envisioned much of the present Red Line alignment, favoring the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor between Silver Spring and Rockville rather than a direct Bethesda-Rockville connection.
Following WMATA’s establishment in 1966, oversight of planning transitioned from federal to regional authorities involving D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Approval of routes hinged on suburban jurisdictions endorsing funding through bond referendums. To reduce expenses, the Red Line was routed primarily along preexisting railroad rights-of-way, resulting in its current configuration aside from an originally intended extension along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor. Early designs had proposed extending the western terminus further to Germantown instead of Shady Grove.
By 1969, WMATA had finalized most of the alignment except for extensions beyond Rockville. Montgomery County opposed terminating the line downtown due to concerns about traffic congestion; consequently, WMATA proposed adding one more station westward to Shady Grove. Conditional funding approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for this extension was granted in July 1975.
Construction commenced at Judiciary Square on December 9, 1969. Among challenges faced were National Park Service restrictions preventing a Rock Creek bridge; this necessitated tunneling that deepened stations such as Dupont Circle and Woodley Park. Additionally, legal disputes delayed tunneling beneath Yuma Street for two years until WMATA obtained authorization to proceed.
Operation and extension
Red Line service launched on March 27, 1976, initially running between Farragut North and Rhode Island Avenue. The mid-line Gallery Place opened on December 15, 1976, following court-mandated delays to meet accessibility standards. Westward expansion occurred incrementally: one station to Dupont Circle (January 17, 1977), three stations reaching Van Ness–UDC (December 5, 1981), five stations extending to Grosvenor–Strathmore (August 25, 1984), and four stations culminating at Shady Grove (December 15, 1984). On the eastern side, four stations extended service to Silver Spring (February 6, 1978), marking Maryland’s addition to the system; two more stations reached Wheaton (September 22, 1990), followed by a final extension of one station to Glenmont (July 25, 1998), completing the line.
Between January 27, 1997, and September 17, 1999, the Red Line shared track usage with the Green Line Commuter Shortcut, permitting direct travel from Greenbelt to Farragut North without transfers via a single-track spur connecting West Hyattsville and Brookland–CUA stations. This arrangement lasted until completion of the Green Line’s central segment in 1999.
The system’s inaugural infill station—NoMa–Gallaudet University—opened on November 20, 2004 between Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood.
In November 2010, WMATA approved $37 million for capital enhancements on the Red Line as part of a broader $212 million investment program spanning from 2010 through 2014. A state-funded expansion added a parking structure accommodating 1,200 vehicles at Glenmont station in April 2012 alongside an existing garage with capacity for 1,700 cars.
During the COVID-19 outbreak from March through June 2020, trains bypassed Grosvenor–Strathmore, Cleveland Park, and Judiciary Square stations; all three resumed service by June 28, 2020.
From September 11, 2021 until January 16, 2022, Rockville and Shady Grove stations were closed for the Rockville Canopy Replacement Project. On February 25, 2022, WMATA unveiled a new entrance along with an elevator at Medical Center, enhancing access to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This $68 million initiative—primarily funded by the Department of Defense—included pedestrian tunnels and improved bicycle amenities; construction began in December 2017 with key components opening in late 2021.
On June 1, 2024, all stations north of Fort Totten closed temporarily for repairs and construction of a new mezzanine at Silver Spring designed to connect with the Purple Line. Takoma reopened on June 28; remaining stations resumed service on September 1.
Automatic train operation (ATO), which had been suspended systemwide following a collision in June 2009, recommenced on the Red Line in December 2024. Nonetheless, safety issues related to automated trains overshooting platforms delayed ATO deployment on other lines.
Scheduled closures during summer 2026 will affect Medical Center and Bethesda stations as part of constructing a new mezzanine at Bethesda linking to both the Purple Line and Elm Street under WMATA’s major capital improvement initiatives.
2004 Woodley Park incident
On November 3, 2004, a Red Line train that was out of service unexpectedly rolled backward into the Woodley Park station, striking a stationary train that was in service. This collision resulted in injuries to twenty individuals. Following a 14-month investigation, it was determined that the train operator was likely distracted at the time. Safety experts warned that if the train had been fully occupied, the accident might have caused at least 79 fatalities. The operator was subsequently terminated, and Metro pledged to install rollback prevention systems on more than 300 rail cars.
2009 train collision
On June 22, 2009, a six-car train collided with and telescoped onto a halted train located between Takoma and Fort Totten. This tragic event caused the deaths of eight passengers along with the train operator and injured at least seventy others. It remains the most fatal accident in the history of the Washington Metro. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s July 2010 report, the crash was attributed to a defective track circuit within the automatic train control system. In response, WMATA outlined several safety enhancement plans, including replacing the 1000 series rail cars.
Chronology
Key dates marking when segments of the Red Line became operational.
| Date | Event | Total number of stations | Total line length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 29, 1976 | Service begins between Template:Wmata and Template:Wmata | 5 | 4.6 mi (7.4 km) |
| December 15, 1976 | Opening of Template:Wmata station between existing stops | 6 | 4.6 mi (7.4 km) |
| January 17, 1977 | Extension reaches Template:Wmata | 7 | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| February 3, 1978 | Service extended to Template:Wmata | 8 | 4.2 mi (6.8 km) |
| February 6, 1978 | Extension continues to Template:Wmata | 11 | 11.4 mi (18.3 km) |
| December 5, 1981 | Line lengthened to include Template:Wmata | 14 | 13.5 mi (21.7 km) |
| August 25, 1984 | Extension reaches Template:Wmata | 19 | 20.3 mi (32.7 km) |
| December 15, 1984 | Final extension opens to Template:Wmata | 23 | 27.3 mi (43.9 km) |
Route
The Red Line begins its route above ground at Shady Grove and runs alongside CSX Transportation's Metropolitan Subdivision, which is also used by MARC Train's Brunswick Line south of Twinbrook station. It then dives underground beneath Maryland Route 355 at North Bethesda station. Continuing through Tenleytown–AU station, it follows a subterranean path along Rockville Pike and Wisconsin Avenue except for a bridge crossing over the Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway). At Tenleytown, the tunnel bends eastward onto Yuma Street to reach Van Ness–UDC station, then proceeds south underneath Connecticut Avenue passing just south of Farragut Square. The tunnel curves east beneath Lafayette Park and continues under G Street NW through both Metro Center station and Gallery Place station.
From Gallery Place heading toward Judiciary Square station, the line travels southeast before turning east along D Street to arrive at Washington Union Station. It emerges adjacent to Union Station platforms and follows tracks along Washington Terminal yard northward to Brentwood (Washington, D.C.), then veers northwest where it merges with CSX's Metropolitan Subdivision tracks in an unusual gauntlet track configuration shared with freight trains. The Red Line proceeds northwest crossing from D.C. into Maryland through Takoma and past Silver Spring, re-entering a tunnel near 16th Street and continuing north beneath Georgia Avenue until reaching its terminus at Glenmont, Maryland.
The right-of-way along the Metropolitan Subdivision was originally part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's route into downtown Washington, D.C. This corridor is also utilized by MARC commuter trains stopping at Silver Spring and Rockville en route between Washington and Martinsburg, West Virginia; additionally, Amtrak employs this route with a Rockville stop on its Floridian line connecting Miami and Chicago.
Maintenance facilities are situated between NoMa–Gallaudet U and Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood stations, with further yards located near Shady Grove and Glenmont.[1]
Within WMATA’s internal system, the Red Line is identified as the Shady Grove Route (A) heading westbound and the Glenmont Route (B) eastbound; these two branches converge at Metro Center station.
To operate during peak hours at full capacity, the line requires a total of forty-four trains—comprising ten eight-car sets and thirty-four six-car sets—amounting to two hundred eighty-four rail cars.[2]
Notably, the Red Line is one of only two Metro lines that do not extend into Virginia; the other being the Green Line.
Stations
The following stations are served by the line, listed from the northwest end to the northeast terminus:
| Station | Code | Opening Date | Image | Rail Connections | Remarks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Wmata | A15 | December 15, 1984 | N/A | Northwestern endpoint of the line | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A14 | December 15, 1984 | Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl Template:Rint MARC: Template:Rcb |
N/A | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A13 | December 15, 1984 | N/A | No additional notes | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A12 | December 15, 1984 | N/A | No special remarks | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A11 | August 25, 1984 | N/A | None | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A10 | August 25, 1984 | N/A | No specific notes | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A09 | August 25, 1984 | Template:Rint MTA Maryland: Template:Rint Purple Line (planned) | No additional information | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A08 | August 25, 1984 | N/A | None | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A07 | August 25, 1984 | N/A | No remarks | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A06 | December 5, 1981 | N/A | No special notes | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A05 | December 5, 1981 | N/A | No comments | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A04 | December 5, 1981 | N/A | Recognized as the second deepest station within the Metrorail system. | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A03 | January 17, 1977 | N/A | No further details | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A02 | March 27, 1976 | N/A | No notes available | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | A01 | March 27, 1976 | Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon | No remarks | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | B01 | December 15, 1976 | Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon | None | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | B02 | March 27, 1976 | N/A | No special information | ||||||
| Template:Wmata | B03 | March 27, 1976 |
Template:Rint Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Floridian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Vermonter | |||||||
| {
{wmata |NoMa–Gallaudet U }} |
B35 | November 20, 2004 | N/A | Recognized as the first infill station on the Metrorail system. | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Rhode Island Avenue }} |
B04 | March 27, 1976 | N/A | No additional remarks | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Brookland–CUA }} |
B05 | February 6, 1978 | N/A | None | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Fort Totten }} |
B06 | February 6, 1978 | Template:WMATA icon | No special notes | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Takoma }} |
B07 | February 6, 1978 | N/A | No specific information | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Silver Spring }} |
B08 | February 6, 1978 | Template:Rint MTA Maryland: Template:Rint Purple Line (planned) Template:Rint MARC: Template:Rcb |
None | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Forest Glen }} |
B09 | September 22,1990 | N/A | Deepest station in the network; uniquely lacks escalators. | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Wheaton }} |
B10 | September 22,1990 | N/A | Features the longest escalators in the western hemisphere. | ||||||
| {
{wmata |Glenmont }} |
B11 | July 25,1998 | N/A | Serves as the northeastern terminus. |
Future
In November 2010, WMATA approved $37 million in capital enhancements for the Red Line, contributing to a broader $212 million modernization effort planned between 2010 and 2014.
By 2011, WMATA was investigating the possibility of extending the Red Line past Shady Grove station to reach Metropolitan Grove station by the year 2040.
April 2012 saw the opening of a new parking facility at Glenmont station with a capacity of 1,200 vehicles, augmenting the existing garage that accommodates 1,700 cars. This Maryland-funded initiative commenced construction in December 2009.
In 2021, plans surfaced for a new infill stop named North Takoma station, positioned between Takoma station and Silver Spring station (Maryland), as part of ongoing redevelopment proposals.