Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line
| Company type | Public transit bus service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia , United States |
Area served | Arlington County, Fairfax County, Alexandria, Virginia |
| Owner | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Barcroft–South Fairlington Line, identified as Route 22A and Route 22F, is a daily bus route managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It links the Ballston–MU station on the Orange and Silver Metro lines (routes 22A and 22C) or Skyline City (route 22F) with the Pentagon station on the Yellow and Blue Metro lines.
Service intervals vary from roughly 20 minutes during peak periods to as long as 60 minutes on weekends. This line connects important residential and commercial districts throughout Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Alexandria, offering essential transit connections between neighborhoods such as Ballston and Skyline City and key transit centers including the Pentagon Transit Center.
Route description and service
Routes 22A, 22C, and 22F operate out of Four Mile Run Division with differing schedules. The 22A functions during off-peak hours and weekends via Pentagon City, whereas the 22C and 22F run exclusively during rush hours. Both the 22C and 22F avoid stops at Parkfairfax and Pentagon City station; notably, the 22F operates in one direction only—heading toward Pentagon Station in the mornings and returning to Skyline City in the afternoons. Between terminals, routes 22A and 22C serve neighborhoods such as Buckingham, Alcova Park, Barcroft, and Fairlington. Meanwhile, the 22F covers Stonegate and Fort Ward before merging with other routes at Fairlington.
History
Before December 29, 2003, this line was known as the "Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line," while route 22B was designated as the "Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line" until June 28, 2009. Subsequently, the entire service was renamed the "Barcroft–South Fairlington Line."
Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line
The original 22 line comprised routes 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22F. Routes 22A and 22B operated via Walker Chapel, Williamsburg Boulevard, and East Falls Church station to Seven Corners Transit Center. Some westbound morning trips and eastbound afternoon trips on the 22B terminated at Ballston station. The peak-hour-only 22B was supplemented by the midday-only 22C, which followed a similar path but ended at Ballston without continuing further west. Route 22F followed a route akin to the 22B but incorporated a loop around Walker Chapel, stopping twice at Ballston—serving Pentagon Station during morning rush hours and Ballston in afternoon peaks.
In response to Arlington Transit assuming control over the northern section of route 22 in 2003, WMATA restructured its services. On December 29 of that year, routes 22C and 22F were discontinued by WMATA. The remaining route 22B was renamed "Pentagon–Army-Navy Drive–Shirley Park Line," terminating service west of Shirley Park. Meanwhile, route 22A was redesignated as the "Barcroft–South Fairlington Line," ending service west of Ballston station. The northernmost segment encompassing Walker Chapel, Williamsburg Boulevard, and East Falls Church station is presently operated by Arlington Transit’s Route 53.
After separating from the Walker Chapel–Pentagon Line, WMATA maintained route 22B to serve Shirley Park and Army Navy Drive. This route was shortened to conclude at Shirley Park in Arlington County near Gunston Middle School. From Shirley Park, route 22B served Avalon Bay and Pentagon Metro stations but did not stop at Pentagon City Metro station. Unlike route 22A, route 22B only connects with it at Pentagon Station. Saturday service for route 22B commenced on December 30, 2007, following the introduction of Saturday service on route 22A in 2006. On June 29, 2009, WMATA discontinued this line after Arlington Transit launched Route 87 covering similar areas; ART extended Route 87 to Shirlington and rebranded it as "Pentagon Metro-Army Navy Drive-Shirlington."
Service changes
On December 2, 2006, WMATA introduced Saturday operations for route 22A, improving weekend access to Ballston and Shirlington. The inauguration of Shirlington Bus Station in 2008 created a new transfer hub for route 22A, which replaced the previous stop located at South Quincy Street and 28th Street South.
Beginning June 17, 2012, peak service between Barcroft and Ballston Station was expanded with the reinstatement of route 22B. This route operated as a loop through Barcroft, concluding near the junction of Columbia Pike and South Four Mile Run Drive.
Sunday service was added to route 22A on June 21, 2015, shifting it to daily operation. This enhancement incorporated extra stops in Parkfairfax (Alexandria) and at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus. As a result, routes 25A, 25C, 25D, and 25E were discontinued from the Ballston–Bradlee–Pentagon Line. Routes 22C and 22F were reintroduced: route 22C provided peak-hour service similar to the 22A but bypassed Parkfairfax (substituting route 25A), while route 22F offered hourly peak trips between Fairlington and Pentagon Station or NVCC Alexandria (replacing routes 25C and 25D), without serving Shirlington or Parkfairfax.
Route 22B was discontinued on June 24, 2018, leaving routes 22A, 22C, and 22F active. On the same day, route 22A was rerouted through Pentagon City to improve bus connectivity alongside Columbia Pike–Pentagon City Line routes and Arlington Transit (ART) services. Subsequently, on December 17, 2018, ART launched Route 72 between Ballston and Shirlington, incorporating sections of the former WMATA route 22B including N. Glebe Rd north of Old Dominion Drive.
In WMATA’s FY2021 budget proposal, plans were made to eliminate routes 22A and 22C in favor of relying on route 22F and ART Route 72 due to low ridership levels and overlapping service; these proposed cuts were later reversed on April 2, 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, service levels were reduced significantly: the line operated under a Saturday schedule with route 22C suspended initially; Sunday service resumed with route 22F suspended; weekend services were halted from March through August of 2020; full service returned on August 23 with routes 22A and 22F reinstated but not route 22C.
Starting June 28, 2020, weekday operations for route 22A were limited to running between Pentagon station and Shirlington Transit Center during restricted hours; ART Route 72 supplemented service along this shortened segment. Full restoration of all services occurred on August 23 as part of WMATA’s recovery efforts.
The FY2022 budget proposals included plans to decrease frequencies on routes 22A, C, and F due to budgetary constraints; additionally, all service on routes A and C was slated for transfer to ART. By September–October 2020, WMATA suggested complete elimination of route C (which had been inactive since March) alongside frequency reductions for routes A and F.
On June 6, 2021, every trip on route 22F was extended to Skyline City to partially replace suspended routes 28F and 28G.
In response to rising Omicron variant cases during late 2021 and early 2022, weekday service for route 22A was downgraded to Saturday-level frequencies; all operations of route 22F were temporarily suspended. Full weekday service resumed on February 7, 2022.
As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign implemented on June 29, 2025, the network was restructured: route 22A was redesignated as A71 running between Ballston–MU station and King Street–Old Town station via South Farrington; route 22F became A66 serving Culmore and replacing segments of former routes 16C/16E; meanwhile, new routes A25 and A66 covered portions between Pentagon and Shirlington.