TheBlue Line is arapid transit line of theWashington Metro system, consisting of 28stations inFairfax County,Alexandria andArlington,Virginia;Washington, D.C.; andPrince George's County,Maryland, United States. The Blue Line runs fromFranconia–Springfield toLargo. The line shares track with theOrange Line for 13 stations, theSilver Line for 18, and theYellow Line for six on the same segment and seven altogether. Only three stations (Franconia–Springfield,Van Dorn Street, andArlington Cemetery) are exclusive to the Blue Line.
Trains run every 10 minutes during weekday rush hours, every 12 minutes during weekday off-peak hours and weekends, and every 15 minutes daily after 9:30pm.[1]
Planning for Metro began with the Mass Transportation Survey in 1955, which attempted to forecast both freeway and mass transit systems sufficient to meet the needs of 1980.[2] In 1959, the study's final report included two rapid transit lines that anticipated downtown Washington subways.[3] Because the plan called for extensive freeway construction inWashington, D.C., alarmed residents lobbied for federal legislation creating a moratorium on freeway construction through July 1, 1962.[4] The National Capital Transportation Agency's 1962Transportation in the National Capital Region report anticipated much of the present Blue Line route in Virginia with the route following the railroad right-of-way inside Arlington and Alexandria to Springfield.[5] It did not include a route in Prince George's County.[5] The route continued in rapid transit plans until the formation of WMATA.
With the formation of WMATA in October 1966, planning of the system shifted from federal hands to a regional body with representatives of Washington, D.C.,Maryland, andVirginia.Congressional route approval was no longer a key consideration.[6] Instead, routes had to serve each local suburban jurisdiction to assure that they would approve bond referendums to finance the system.[7]
The Virginia portion of the Blue Line took much of its present form along theRichmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad right-of-way toColchester, as construction along existing right-of-way is the least expensive way to build into the suburbs.[8] A surface-level section of the Blue Line that parallelsVirginia State Route 110 where passingArlington National Cemetery and traveling betweenThe Pentagon andRosslyn replaced a section of the closedRosslyn Connecting Railroad, a subsidiary of thePennsylvania Railroad.[9][10] The railroad's predecessor, theWashington Southern Railway, constructed the section in 1896 within the grade of the old disusedAlexandria Canal.[10][11]
In March 1968, the WMATA board approved its 98-mile (158 km) Adopted Regional System (ARS), which included the Blue Line from Huntington to Addison Road, with a possible extension to Largo.[12] The ARS contained a Blue Line/Orange Line station at Oklahoma Avenue between Stadium/Armory and the Anacostia River Bridge. Residents objected to a proposed 1,000-carcommuter parking lot at that station and the traffic it would generate in the neighborhood. In reaction to their lobbying, the DC government insisted that the station be removed, and the tunnel for the line be extended through the neighborhood.Schrag 2006, p. 161 This then made the line the only one to have a station canceled due to neighborhood opposition.[13] To be constructed as an above ground station in the parking lot north of RFK Stadium near Oklahoma Avenue, the station was canceled saving Metro $12 million and the alignment of the line was shifted slightly to the east to address neighbor concerns.[13] To better accommodate tourists, a Smithsonian station exit was added to the Mall, and the federal government requested in 1972 that theArlington Cemetery station be added to the Blue Line. The federal government paid the cost of both design changes.[14]
Service on the Blue Line began on July 1, 1977, on 18 stations betweenNational Airport inCrystal City andStadium–Armory in Washington, the first link of the Metro toVirginia.[15][16] The line was extended by three stations toAddison Road on November 22, 1980.[17] Service south of National Airport began on June 15, 1991, whenVan Dorn Street opened.[18] The original plan for the line was completed when this link was extended toFranconia–Springfield on June 29, 1997.[19] Two new stations inMaryland –Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center (nowDowntown Largo) – opened on December 18, 2004.[20]
From its opening on November 20, 1978, until December 11, 1979, the Orange Line was co-aligned with the Blue Line from National Airport to Stadium-Armory, with the Orange Line continuing east from Stadium-Armory toNew Carrollton.[21] Beginning December 1, 1979, the Orange Line diverged westward fromRosslyn toBallston–MU when that extension opened.[22] The Blue and Orange Lines remain co-aligned from Rosslyn to Stadium-Armory and theSilver Line is co-signed along the same route as well.[23]
The Blue Line was originally planned to follow a slightly different route. The plan would have sent Blue Line trains toHuntington, with Yellow Line trains serving Franconia–Springfield. This was changed due to a shortage of rail cars at the time of the completion of the line to Huntington. Because fewer rail cars were required to operate the Yellow Line service than would be required to run the Blue Line service out to Huntington, the line designations were switched due to the Yellow Line's shorter route.[24] From 1999 to 2008, the Blue Line operated to Huntington on July 4, as part of Metro's specialIndependence Day service pattern.[25]
The ARS had the Blue Line end at Addison Road. However, sports fans continually argued for a three-mile (4.8 km) extension to theCapital Centre sports arena inLargo, Maryland. On February 27, 1997, the WMATA board approved the construction of the extension.[16] By the time the extension opened in 2004, professional basketball and hockey had relocated to anew arena atop theGallery Place station, and the Capital Centre was replaced with a shopping mall. However, the extension still drew considerable sports spectator traffic because it is within walking distance of theFedExField football stadium.[26] The extension cost $456 million.[27]
In 1998, Congress changed the name of the Washington National Airport station to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with the law specifying that no money be spent to implement the name change. As a result, WMATA did not change the name of the National Airport station (which never included the full name of the airport). In response to repeated inquiries from Republican congressmen that the station be renamed, WMATA stated that stations are renamed only at the request of the local jurisdiction. Because both Arlington County and the District of Columbia were controlled by Democrats, the name change was blocked. Not until 2001 did Congress make changing the station's name a condition of further federal funding.[28][29][30][31]
In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. Blue and Yellow Lines south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport would be closed from May to September 2019, the most extended line closure in Metro's history to accommodate these platform reconstructions. All trains terminated at Ronald Reagan Airport as a result.[32][33][34][35]
From March 26, 2020 until June 28, 2020, trains were bypassingVan Dorn Street,Arlington Cemetery,Federal Triangle,Smithsonian,Federal Center SW, andMorgan Boulevard stations due to the2020 coronavirus pandemic.[36][37] All stations (except Arlington Cemetery) reopened beginning on June 28, 2020.[38] Arlington Cemetery station was later reopened on August 23, 2020.[39]
Beginning on November 27, 2020, until March 14, 2021, Blue Line trains began servingHuntington andEisenhower Avenue stations during most weekends due to Metro modernizing the signal system at Alexandria Rail Yard causing bothFranconia–Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations to be closed. Additionally, trains operated to Huntington between December 20, 2020, and January 3, 2021, due to a complete closure at Alexandria Rail Yard. Metro chose to do a total shutdown instead of single tracking because completing the same work with weekend single tracking could more than double the time for completion while providing severely limited rail service with waits of up to 36 minutes between trains.[40] However work was completed three weeks earlier.
On December 14, 2020, WMATA announced that Blue Line service will be suspended between February 13 to May 23, 2021, to rebuild the platforms at bothArlington Cemetery andAddison Road. AdditionalYellow Line trains will operate betweenFranconia–Springfield andMount Vernon Square whileSilver Line trains will serve in part of the Blue Line.[41]
On June 15, 2022, WMATA announced that an additional Blue Line service called theBlue Plus will operate betweenHuntington andNew Carrollton stations beginning on September 10, 2022, due to the14th Street Bridge shutdown that suspended allYellow Line service until May 7, 2023.[42][43] The Yellow Line resumed service on this date, but with its northeastern terminus truncated fromGreenbelt toMount Vernon Square.[44]
On November 16, 1995, WMATA and the developer of thePotomac Yard area of Alexandria, Virginia, signed an agreement to construct anew station between Braddock Road and National Airport that the developer will finance.[16] TheFederal Transit Administration, in cooperation with WMATA, theNational Park Service and TheCity of Alexandria government, completed anenvironmental impact statement for the project in June 2016.[45] The station opened on May 19, 2023.[46]Automatic train operation on the Blue and Orange lines, which had ceased following the2009 Red Line train collision, was allowed to resume in June 2025.[47][48]
The southwestern terminal of the Blue Line is theFranconia–Springfield located at the intersection of Frontier Drive and the Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Virginia Route 289). The line travels above ground along theCSX right of way, where it joins the Yellow Line just south of King Street in Old Town Alexandria. The joint line continues north along the CSX Railroad until it curves to the east on an elevated bridge adjacent to theNational Airport terminal. The Blue Line (along with the Yellow Line) then enters a subway tunnel under 15th Street South in Crystal City and bends north under Hayes Street and then The Pentagon parking lots. The Blue Line separates from the Yellow Line in this tunnel and emerges on surface tracks that parallelVirginia Route 110 and serveArlington Cemetery before entering a tunnel south of Rosslyn, where it merges with the Orange Line and Silver Line. The tunnel travels under North Lynn Street and then thePotomac River, where it bends east and travels under I Street NW. There is a non-revenue branch track on the westbound track that connects to the Northwest bound track before Farragut North on the Red Line between the Farragut West and McPherson Square stations. The tunnel bends south under 12th Street NW and crosses underneath the Red Line at theMetro Center station. The tunnel then turns east under D Street SW, passing under the Green and Yellow Lines at theL'Enfant Plaza station. The tunnel continues east under Pennsylvania Avenue SE, G Street SE, and Potomac Avenue SE. The Blue Line (along with the Orange and Silver lines) bends north under 19th Street SE and transitions to an elevated line in theRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium parking lot near Oklahoma Avenue NE. The Blue Line (along with the Orange and Silver Lines) crosses theAnacostia River on a bridge adjacent toBenning Road NE nearRFK Stadium. At this point, the Blue and Silver Lines stay together but both would proceed to part ways with the Orange Line and enters a tunnel underBenning Road andEast Capitol Street. The Blue Line (along with the Silver Line) become a surface or elevated route with short tunnels parallel to Central Avenue fromAddison Road to the Eastern terminal at Largo, where it ends adjacent to the parking lots of "The Blvd" shopping center.[49]
In terms of WMATA's internal route designations, the Blue Line service travels along the entirety of the J Route (from the terminus at Franconia-Springfield to the C & J junction just south of King Street), part of the C Route (from the C & J junction just south of King Street to Metro Center), part of the D Route (from Metro Center to the D & G Junction just east of Stadium-Armory) and the entire G Route (from the D & G junction past Stadium-Armory to the terminus at Largo Town Center).[50] The Blue Line needs 23 six-car trains (138 rail cars) to run at peak capacity.[51][needs update]
On June 18, 2012, Metro initiated its "Rush+" service plan, which had been under consideration for some time. This plan was intended to clear congestion atRosslyn, where the Blue andOrange lines meet and ultimately prepare the tracks to accommodate theSilver Line.[52] Under the plan, Blue Line trains continued on the usual route but someYellow Line trains originated atFranconia–Springfield and were routed over theFenwick Bridge toGreenbelt.[53] During rush hour, there were fewer Blue Line trains on the tracks which could mean potentially increased wait times for regular Blue Line customers. Furthermore, some Orange Line trains were routed toLargo Town Center until the Silver Line opened in July 2014.[54]
A second improvement project involves building a pedestrian tunnel to interconnect the Gallery Place station with Metro Center. A July 2005 study proposed connecting the eastern mezzanine of Metro Center with the western mezzanine of Gallery Place that are only one block apart. The proposed connection would reduce the number of passengers that use the Red Line to transfer between the Yellow Line and the Blue and Orange lines at Metro Center. As of 2011, the project remained unfunded.[55]
In addition, a transportation planning group has proposed an extension of the Blue Line that would reachPotomac Mills inPrince William County.[56]
The following stations are along the line, from southwest to east:
| Station | Code | Opened | Image | Other Metro Line(s) | Connections/other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franconia–Springfield | J03 | June 29, 1997 | |  Southern terminus | |
| Van Dorn Street | J02 | June 15, 1991 |  | ||
| King Street–Old Town | C13 | December 17, 1983 |  |  |  atAlexandria Union StationTransfer station for theYellow Line (southern) |
| Braddock Road | C12 | .jpg) | |||
| Potomac Yard | C11 | May 19, 2023 |  | Infill station | |
| National Airport | C10 | July 1, 1977 | .jpg) | ||
| Crystal City | C09 |  | Manassas Line,Fredericksburg Line | ||
| Pentagon City | C08 |  | |||
| Pentagon | C07 |  | Built as a multi-level station due to geographic constraints, with trains heading south towardsHuntington (Yellow Line) andFranconia–Springfield (Blue Line) on the lower level, and trains heading north towardsMount Vernon Square (Yellow Line) andLargo (Blue Line) on the upper level. | ||
| Arlington Cemetery | C06 |  | |||
| Rosslyn | C05 |  |   | Another multi-level station. Transfer station for theOrange andSilver Lines to join on same track | |
| Foggy Bottom–GWU | C04 |  | |||
| Farragut West | C03 | _026.jpg) | Out of station interchange (OSI) to theRed Line'sFarragut North station, which is located just one block away. There have been proposals to connect up the two stations through an underground passageway, though it has not been financed. | ||
| McPherson Square | C02 |  | |||
| Metro Center | C01 |  |  | Transfer station for theRed Line | |
| Federal Triangle | D01 | | |||
| Smithsonian | D02 | ||||
| L'Enfant Plaza | D03 |  | at L'Enfant Transfer station for theGreen andYellow Lines | ||
| Federal Center SW | D04 | | |||
| Capitol South | D05 | ||||
| Eastern Market | D06 | ||||
| Potomac Avenue | D07 | ||||
| Stadium–Armory | D08 | Transfer station for theOrange andSilver Lines towardsNew Carrollton | |||
| Benning Road | G01 | November 22, 1980 | | ||
| Capitol Heights | G02 | ||||
| Addison Road | G03 | ||||
| Morgan Boulevard | G04 | December 18, 2004 | |||
| Largo | G05 | Eastern terminus |
There used to be a rail line from Rosslyn to the Long Bridge, but that was replaced by the Blue Line.
Continuing south in Virginia was the Alexandria and Washington Railroad, opened in 1857. The Baltimore and Potomac acquired this line after reaching it, operating it until 1901, when the Washington Southern Railway (the successor of the Alexandria and Washington) was taken over by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, an independent bridge line owned equally by the PRR and five other railroads. Soon after, in 1904, the line from the Long Bridge to Rosslyn, built by the Washington Southern, was split off into the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad, owned by the PRR.
The grading is rather light. Most of the line follows along the route of an old disused canal and in constructing the roadbed the carrier used the canal grading as far as possible.
The Washington Southern Railway extends from the junction of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad at the south end of the Long Bridge, opposite Washington, D. C., to Quantico, Virginia, a distance of 32.12 miles. It has three branches — .... ; and the Rosslyn branch from the south end of the Long Bridge to the south end of the Aqueduct at the village of Rosslyn, Va., opposite Georgetown, D. C., a distance of 1.13 miles. This latter branch was opened for business April 2, 1896.
With the opening today of its 12-mile-long Blue Line from National Airport to RFK Stadium, Washington's Metro subway grows from a downtown demonstration line into the spine of a regional transportation system that could rival the Capital Beltway in its effect on Washington.
Rush Plus is designed to ease crowding, improve the commuting experience for Metrorail riders on the Orange, Blue, Green and Yellow lines, and prepare for the future Silver Line. .... Every third existing Blue Line train (three trains per hour in each direction) will now operate between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt via the Yellow Line bridge. These trains will be identified as Yellow Line trains. As a result, customers at Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street, and stations from L'Enfant Plaza to Greenbelt will have new transfer-free trip options between certain stations.
Rush Plus is designed to ease crowding, improve the commuting experience for Metrorail riders on the Orange, Blue, Green and Yellow lines, and prepare for the future Silver Line. .... During each rush hour period, 18 new Orange Line trains — three per hour in each direction — will operate between Vienna and Largo Town Center.
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