Downtown Largo   | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Station platform in June 2005, a few months after opening. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 9000 Lottsford Road Largo, Maryland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°54′2.1″N76°50′40.3″W / 38.900583°N 76.844528°W /38.900583; -76.844528 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1island platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Elevated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 2,200 spaces | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Capital Bikeshare, 4 racks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | G05 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | December 18, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-12-18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Largo Town Center (2004–2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 1,435 daily[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 70 out of 98 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Former services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Downtown Largo station (also known asLargo) is anisland-platformedWashington Metrostation inLake Arbor,Prince George's County, Maryland,United States, with aLargo postal address.[2][3]
The station opened on December 18, 2004, asLargo Town Center and is operated by theWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It is the eastern terminus of theBlue andSilver Lines, and serves the town of Largo and the formerThe Boulevard at the Capital Centre.
It is the first and so far only station inPrince George's County outside theCapital Beltway, and is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) fromNorthwest Stadium, the home of theWashington Commanders. It is also a major commuter station, with two parking garages, containing a total of 2,200 spaces, connected by a bridge at the top level. This station is also one of two stations that has two lines terminating at one station, the other one isNew Carrollton.
In 1980,Herbert Harris and other local legislators introduced legislation to study the feasibility of constructing an additional 47 miles (76 km) to the original 103-mile (166 km) network. Included in this request was a previously considered 13-mile (21 km) extension of the Blue Line through Largo en route to a proposed terminus atBowie.[4]
In October 1996, the proposed routing for the extension of the Blue Line to Largo received a favorableenvironmental impact statement thus allowing for the project to move forward.[5] The plan represented the first expansion to the original 103-mile (166 km) Metro network and would include both the then named Summerfield and Largo stations.[5] The station gained approval from Congress as part of the extension in February 2000 with the federal government contributing $259 million towards its construction.[6]
Construction began in 2001, and the station opened as Largo Town Center on December 18, 2004 within 4 weeks after the opening of the system's first infill station,NoMa-Gallaudet University, betweenUnion andRhode Island Avenue-Brentwood stations.[7] Its opening coincided with the completion of 3.2 miles (5.1 km)[8] of rail east of theAddison Road station and the opening of theMorgan Boulevard station.[7] The final cost of building it, its sister station and rail extension was $456 million.[9]
In December 2012, the station was one of five added to the route of theSilver Line, which was originally supposed to end at theStadium–Armory station but was extended intoPrince George's County, Maryland to Largo due to safety concerns about apocket track just past Stadium–Armory.[10] Therefore, the station is also the eastern terminus of the Silver Line, which began service on July 26, 2014.[11]
On January 13, 2022, WMATA's Safety and Operations Committee recommended the name of the station be changed to Downtown Largo[12] after conducting a brief public opinion survey, despite the survey saying participants did not like the term "Downtown".[13] The new name became effective on September 11, 2022.[14]
The Downtown Largo station consists of an elevated island platform station, similar in architecture to the Morgan Boulevard station one stop to the west. Track G1 is the nominal eastbound track, while G2 is the nominal westbound track. Since the station is the terminus of the G route, trains approach to whichever platform track is unused and switch onto the westbound track after departure. The station itself is flanked on both sides by a six-story parking structure, with the garage to the southeast being roughly double the size of the one to the northwest. Past the station to the northeast, tracks dip underground to connect to a 3-track train storage facility located underneath a WMATA building. Provisions exist on the elevated trackage just beyond the station to the northeast, before the tracks enter the tunnel portal, for a further elevated extension if one was ever to be built. No tracks or switches are installed, only the concrete structure for a flying junction exists. A crossover is installed just past the platform to the southwest of the station.
