Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station

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Ronald Reagan Washington
National Airport 20 airtransportation inv.svg
WMATA Metro Logo.svg WMATA Blue.svg WMATA Yellow.svg rapid transit station
Reagan National Metro Station.jpg
Location2400 South Smith Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia
Coordinates38°51′11″N 77°02′38″W / 38.852985°N 77.0439°W / 38.852985; -77.0439Coordinates: 38°51′11″N 77°02′38″W / 38.852985°N 77.0439°W / 38.852985; -77.0439
Owned byWMATA
Platforms2 island platforms
Tracks3 (2 in regular service)
ConnectionsBus transport Metrobus: 10N
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Bicycle facilities8 racks
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeC10
History
OpenedJuly 1, 1977; 44 years ago (July 1, 1977)[1]
Rebuilt2003–2004, 2020
Previous namesNational Airport (1977–2001)
Passengers
20175,906 daily [2] Decrease 9.67%
Services
Preceding station WMATA Metro Logo.svg Washington Metro Following station
Braddock Road
toward Franconia–Springfield
 Blue Line Crystal City
toward Largo Town Center
Braddock Road
toward Huntington
 Yellow Line Crystal City
toward Greenbelt
Yellow Line train at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (formerly National Airport) is a Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The station platform is elevated and covered and is the last above ground station on the Yellow Line in Virginia, heading into Washington, D.C. It is one of only two stations in the system to have three tracks (the other being West Falls Church). The station is located across Smith Boulevard from the B and C terminals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA); the airport shuttle bus carries people to and from Terminal A. The mezzanines are directly connected to the B and C terminals by pedestrian walkways to Level 2 (gate level). The airport's Abingdon Plantation historical site is near the station.

History[]

The station opened on July 1, 1977.[1] Its opening coincided with the completion of 11.8 miles (19.0 km)[3] of rail between National Airport and RFK Stadium and the opening of the Arlington Cemetery, Capitol South, Crystal City, Eastern Market, Farragut West, Federal Center SW, Federal Triangle, Foggy Bottom–GWU, L'Enfant Plaza, McPherson Square, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Potomac Avenue, Rosslyn, Smithsonian and Stadium–Armory stations.[4]

When service began on July 1, 1977, it was the southern terminus of both the Blue and Yellow Lines. After the Yellow Line extension to Huntington opened on December 17, 1983, it remained the southern terminus for the Blue Line[5] until the Van Dorn Street station opened in 1991.

During construction of a second canopy at the station, Metro began running trains through the center track even though it had not been constructed for standard operations, and on January 20, 2003, a Blue Line train derailed at the switch. No injuries resulted, but the accident delayed construction by a number of weeks.[6] The center track was originally intended for relaying trains.[1]

In 2014, a train was temporarily parked in the middle track while one of the elevators in the station was repaired, creating a "train bridge" to allow passengers to walk through the train to transfer between directions.[7]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station served as a temporary southern terminal for the Blue and Yellow Lines from May to September 2019, while the stations south of the National Airport station were closed. The platforms at the National Airport station itself were rebuilt from August to December 2020.[8][9][10]

Renaming controversy[]

The station retained its original name after the airport was renamed in 1998 from "Washington National Airport" to "Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport". In early 2001, a letter signed by 24 members of Congress requested WMATA rename the station to conform. However, according to a Metro policy adopted in 1987, groups seeking to rename a station were required to pay the cost of replacing signs and maps. The Arlington County government, which could have made the change, demurred—the price was estimated at $400,000—and WMATA subsequently declined to rename the station on April 19, 2001.[11] In response, Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia threatened to withhold federal funding from the agency unless the station was renamed.[11] Congress ultimately voted to require the renaming on November 30, 2001.[12] According to then-General Manager Richard A. White, Metro paid to complete the renaming.[13]

During the 2003–2004 renovation of the station, new signage was installed.[citation needed] Similar signage can be found at the Gallery Place, NoMa–Gallaudet U, Morgan Boulevard, Grosvenor–Strathmore, and Largo Town Center stations.

Station layout[]

The station has two island platforms across three tracks, with the center track not used for regular service.

P
Platform level 		Southbound ← WMATA Blue.svg toward Franconia–Springfield (Braddock Road)
← WMATA Yellow.svg toward Huntington (Braddock Road)
← (future: Potomac Yard)
Island platform
Center track No regular service
Island platform
Northbound → WMATA Blue.svg toward Largo Town Center (Crystal City) →
→ WMATA Yellow.svg toward Greenbelt (Crystal City) →
G Street level Exit/Entrance; fare control, ticket machines, station agent,
walkway to Terminals B/C, shuttle bus to Terminal A

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Feaver, Douglas B. (July 1, 1977). "Today, Metro could be U.S. model". The Washington Post. p. A1. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  3. ^ "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 2017. p. 3. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "Metro's newest stations: Where they are, what's nearby", The Washington Post, June 24, 1977
  5. ^ Staff Reporters (December 17, 1983). "Gala opening set for Yellow Line extension". The Washington Post. p. C1.
  6. ^ Layton, Lyndsey (February 27, 2003). "Metro track blamed in derailment – Section not made for regular use". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  7. ^ Aratani, Lori (March 11, 2014). "See Metro's 'Train Bridge'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Metro plans 'summer shutdown' on Blue, Yellow lines next year". WTOP. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "Platform reconstruction at Reagan National Airport Station to begin August 7 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Layton, Lyndsey (April 21, 2001). "Riders rail at cost of 'Reagan' Metro stop". The Washington Post. p. B2.
  12. ^ "H.R.2299 - Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002". Bill Sec. 345, Act of November 30, 2001. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "LunchTalk Online transcript". June 17, 2005.

External links[]

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