Veirs Mill Road Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Washington Suburban Lines |
| Founded | 1940s |
| Fate | Operated by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Headquarters | Montgomery County, Maryland , United States |
Area served | Montgomery County, Maryland |
| Products | Bus routes Q2, Q4, Q6 |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Veirs Mill Road Line, consisting of Routes Q2, Q4, and Q6, provided daily bus service managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. These routes linked Silver Spring station with Shady Grove station along the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The buses operated at intervals ranging from 16 to 30 minutes, with a combined headway of approximately 10 minutes during weekday rush hours, 15 minutes during midday and weekends, and 30 minutes overnight. Travel times typically spanned 55 to 60 minutes, covering the Veirs Mill Road corridor and connecting significant Metro stations and nearby neighborhoods.
Background
The Veirs Mill Road Line was composed of three routes: Q2, Q4, and Q6. Route Q2 ran between Silver Spring station and Shady Grove station, while Route Q4 operated from Silver Spring to Rockville station. Route Q6 connected Wheaton station with Shady Grove. All three shared a common segment between Wheaton and Rockville stations. Most trips on Q2 and Q6 served Montgomery College, except during early morning hours, late evenings, and Sundays. During the morning peak period, Route Q4 did not run; instead, all Q2 trips operated solely between Silver Spring and Montgomery College.
Service schedules were as follows:
- Route Q2 was active during weekday morning peak hours and after 6:20 PM, before 8:00 AM and after 7:00 PM on Saturdays, and before 8:00 AM and after 5:00 PM on Sundays.
- Route Q4 ran daily until 7:00 PM on weekdays, until 8:00 PM on Saturdays, and until 5:00 PM on Sundays.
- Route Q6 operated Monday through Friday from 5:05 AM to 7:35 PM, Saturdays from 7:00 AM to 7:35 PM, and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 5:35 PM.
All services originated from the Montgomery division garage, with articulated buses occasionally deployed due to high passenger volumes.
Route Stops
<section begin=Q1-table/>
| Bus stop | Direction | Q2 | Q4 | Q6 | Connections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, Maryland | |||||||||
| Silver Spring station Bus Bay 218 |
Northbound station, Southbound terminal |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 70, 79, F4, J1, J2, S2, S9, Y2, Y7, Y8, Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8 Template:Bus icon Ride On: Selected routes 1-22, Flash BRT Blue/Orange Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 915, 929 Template:Bus icon Shuttle-UM: 111 Template:Bus icon Peter Pan Bus Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:Rint MARC: Brunswick Line Template:Rint MTA: Purple Line (Planned) | ||||
| Georgia Avenue / Ellsworth Drive | Northbound |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: F4, Y2, Y7, Y8 Template:Bus icon Ride On: Routes 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20 | ||||
| Wayne Avenue / Dixon Avenue | Southbound |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 70, Y2, Y7, Y8 | ||||
| Georgia Avenue / Colesville Road | Southbound |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: Y2, Y7, Y8 Template:Bus icon Ride On: Routes 8, 21, 22 | ||||
| Georgia Avenue / Cameron Street | Bidirectional |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: Y2, Y7, Y8 Template:Bus icon Ride On: Route 28 | ||||
| Georgia Avenue / Spring Street | Bidirectional |
|
|
|
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: Y2, Y7, Y8 | ||||
Overview
The origins of Route Q2 trace back to the 1940s when Washington Suburban Lines launched service along Veirs Mill Road, connecting Wheaton and Rockville, with a later extension reaching Silver Spring.
1970s Developments
Following the acquisition of Washington Suburban Lines by DC Transit, which was subsequently taken over by WMATA on February 4, 1973, the Veirs Mill Road Line operated routes Q1, Q2, and Q7. These routes linked Silver Spring station to Montgomery Village. Route Q1 catered specifically to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission facility in Germantown, while Q7 traveled via Aspen Hill Road and Parkland Drive.
On February 21, 1978, routes Q1 and Q7 were discontinued. Route Q2’s service area was reduced to end at Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus. New routes Q4 and Q8 were introduced: Q4 ran between Silver Spring station and Rock Creek Village, and Q8 connected Montgomery Mall with Silver Spring station.
Changes in the 1980s
With the inauguration of Shady Grove and Rockville stations on December 15, 1984, route Q2 was extended to reach Shady Grove station, and route Q4’s terminus was lengthened to Rockville station.
On January 27, 1985, route Q4 was renamed the Parkland Drive Line until it was replaced by Ride On route 48 in 1994. Additionally, Metrobus route Q8 was phased out and substituted by Ride On routes 38 (serving Westfield Wheaton to Congressional Plaza) and 47 (covering Seven Locks Road).
1990s Adjustments
The opening of Wheaton station bus bays on September 22, 1990, prompted a minor rerouting of the line there. Route Q1 was reinstated to offer supplementary express service during peak hours along Veirs Mill Road between Wheaton and Rockville stations.
Routes Q1 and Q2 operated independently on the Veirs Mill Road Line between Silver Spring station and Shady Grove station via Montgomery College using Georgia Avenue and Veirs Mill Road corridors.
Developments in the 2000s
Route Q1 was discontinued on January 13, 2001, with route Q2 assuming its service responsibilities.
In 2009, WMATA collaborated with Montgomery County and the Maryland Department of Transportation to propose a restructuring of the Veirs Mill Road Line aimed at resolving issues like poor schedule reliability, bus bunching, traffic congestion, delays, overcrowding, and lengthy travel times.
The restructuring plan divided route Q2 into two segments: Q2A operating between Shady Grove and Wheaton stations, and Q2B running from Rockville to Silver Spring stations. This arrangement provided overlapping service along Veirs Mill Road with headways of approximately 7.5 minutes during peak periods and 15 minutes during off-peak hours between Wheaton and Rockville. Longer intervals were planned for sections also served by parallel Ride On and Metrobus routes. A future limited-stop service along Veirs Mill Road was also envisioned.
These discussions had been underway since as early as 2003. At that time, route Q2 ranked among the busiest in the system with an average weekday ridership of around 10,200 passengers.
Subsequent proposals introduced routes Q4 and Q6 alongside the existing Q2: route Q4 connecting Silver Spring and Rockville stations; route Q6 linking Shady Grove and Wheaton stations. Performance data indicated steady ridership growth from 10,200 daily passengers in 2009 to approximately 10,400 in 2011. Cost recovery remained stable at about 36.5%, accompanied by a 5% increase in operational speed.
Financially, these modifications resulted in net savings of $165,000 during the latter half of fiscal year 2010 and $321,900 throughout fiscal year 2011.
Effective December 27, 2009, WMATA implemented several adjustments to the Veirs Mill Road Line: route Q2 preserved its routing but operated only during early morning and evening peak periods without Sunday service. New routes—Q1, Q4, Q5, and Q6—were introduced. Route Q1 served early morning and late-night hours but bypassed Montgomery College; route Q4 provided daily service between Rockville and Silver Spring; route Q5 operated exclusively on Sundays without serving Montgomery College; route Q6 ran Monday through Saturday including stops at Montgomery College. These changes resulted in combined frequencies of approximately every 7–8 minutes during weekday peak times and every 15 minutes off-peak. Plans for a limited-stop service along Veirs Mill Road remained under consideration for future implementation.
2010-2015
Following the inauguration of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center at Silver Spring station, routes Q1, Q2, and Q4 were redirected to Bus Bay 218 located on the transit center’s second floor, where they shared the bay with route J5.
In 2015, WMATA put forward a plan to streamline the Viers Mill Road Line by ending service at Wheaton station during Metrorail operational hours and reducing the number of routes from five to two. Service to Silver Spring station would persist during early mornings and late nights when Metrorail was not running. The objective was to enhance schedule reliability by avoiding congestion near the Capital Beltway and simplifying the route structure. Alternative coverage was proposed through routes Y2, Y7, and Y8. Additionally, WMATA suggested launching a limited-stop MetroExtra route Q9 operating weekdays between Wheaton and Rockville stations to ease overcrowding.
2016-2025
On June 26, 2016, WMATA introduced a pilot program enabling southbound Q Line riders to transfer free of charge using their SmarTrip cards to Red Line trains at Wheaton or Forest Glen stations continuing onward to Silver Spring; northbound transfers were credited for the Red Line segment. This benefit was restricted to designated transfer points, with standard fares applying outside this zone.
In its FY2021 budget plan, WMATA proposed discontinuing service between Rockville station and Shady Grove station, consolidating all routes to terminate at Rockville via route Q4. This measure aimed at cost reduction due to overlapping service with the Red Line and Ride On buses but would have required about 18–24% of passengers to transfer. The proposal faced strong opposition from Montgomery County residents and officials who highlighted negative economic consequences for transit-reliant groups such as students, seniors, and service workers. A coalition of county leaders urged WMATA to retain frequent and dependable service. Public opinion reflected 60% opposition to these cuts.
In response to substantial political and rider resistance, WMATA withdrew this proposal on April 2, 2020.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, starting March 16, 2020, service was scaled back initially to a Saturday supplemental schedule and then further reduced to a Sunday schedule, suspending routes Q2 and Q6 which were replaced by Q1 and Q5. Weekend operations ceased on March 21, 2020. Weekday service resumed on August 23, 2020; however, Saturday service for Q2 and Q6 remained suspended until full restoration on September 5, 2021.
On September 26, 2020, WMATA suggested permanently ending Saturday service for routes Q2 and Q6 and cutting weekday trips due to decreased federal funding; these proposals were reversed with full restoration occurring in 2021.
Effective June 25, 2023, all trips formerly designated as Q1 were reclassified as Q2 trips, while those previously labeled Q5 became Q6 trips. The updated routes continue bypassing Montgomery College before 6 AM and after 10 PM Monday through Saturday as well as all day Sunday. Routes Q1 and Q5 were officially discontinued.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA embarked on the Better Bus Redesign initiative—the first extensive revision of the Metrobus Network.
By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network which included renaming the Veirs Mill Road Line as Route MD141, operating between Silver Spring station and Shady Grove station via Montgomery College.
The Revised Draft Visionary Network further renamed Route MD141 to Route M10 with service limited between Wheaton station and Montgomery College. The segment from Silver Spring to Wheaton was reassigned to Route M20, while Ride On Route 55 took over service between Montgomery College and Shady Grove. A proposed limited-stop express route M1X was added as a supplement to M10. These revisions were integrated into WMATA’s Proposed Network for 2025.
In the 2025 proposal, WMATA removed route M1X in favor of planned bus rapid transit Ride On Flash service along Veirs Mill Road and suggested transferring operations of Route M10 to Ride On for better resource utilization while preserving its existing routing.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA officially approved the Better Bus Redesign Network.
By February 2025, Ride On proposed renaming Route M10 as Route 40 running between Wheaton station and Montgomery College via Veirs Mill Road; this change received approval from Montgomery County authorities.
Beginning June 29, 2025, routes Q2, Q4, and Q6 will transition to Ride On as Route 40 with truncated service operating between Wheaton station and Montgomery College. Early morning, late evening, and Sunday trips will only run between Wheaton and Rockville station. Service from Shady Grove to Montgomery College will be assumed by Ride On Route 55 while Route M20 will cover the corridor between Wheaton and Silver Spring.
Although reduced in scope, this line aligns with the forthcoming Ride On Flash system that promises enhanced transit through modernized stations and increased frequency.