Getting Around Washington, DC by Metrorail

The Washington, DC metropolitan area is a popular tourist destination, particularly during the summer vacation period. It is also a city that can appear daunting and unfriendly to the first-time visitor. Its system of confusing one-way streets, restricted zone parking, and some of the most active, eagle-eyed parking enforcement monitors in the country, make it a nightmare for people driving in the city for the first time.

Thanks, however, to the foresight of the government in the 1960s, getting around town, to all the main attractions and historical sites, is actually easier than it first appears.

The Washington area subway system, Metrorail, or more commonly just Metro, is a 106 mile rail system that crisscrosses the entire metropolitan area, linking the District of Columbia with the nearby Maryland and Virginia suburbs, and offering easy access to most of the area's memorials and museums. Construction on what was originally planned as a 98 mile system began in 1969, with the first 5 miles opening on March 27, 1976. Links to Arlington County, Virginia opened later in 1976, to Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland in 1978, and Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria in Virginia in 1983. Plans are currently under discussion for further expansion of the system to link with Dulles International Airport in Virginia, and build a cross county line in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Washington's Metro is the second busiest rapid transit rail system in the United States after New York, with over 200 million trips per year on average.

First-time visitors and infrequent riders are often confused by the system, but with a little study, it is actually a breeze to navigate. Riders enter and exit the system through turnstiles using paper cards with monetary value stored on magnetic strips, or by using proximity cards called SmarTrip Cards. Fare cards can be purchased with either cash or credit/debit cards from vending machines located in each of the system's 86 stations.

Unlike many single fare transit systems, Metro fares are based on distance traveled and time of day, with higher fares during morning and afternoon rush hours on weekdays. Reduced fares on weekdays are in effect from 9:30 am to 3 pm, and after 7 pm. On weekends and holidays, reduced fares are in effect all day.

Most of the suburban Metro stations have parking lots and garages where you can park all day for under $5, which is a bargain when one considers the downtown parking garage fees that start at $10 or more. Parking fees must be paid with a SmarTrip card which can be purchased at the station for a $5 base fee and can have up to $300 stored on them. The paper tickets are limited to a total of $39.95, but the amount is reduced when you leave the station after a ride, and additional value can be added up to the maximum.

The five existing lines, all color-coded, intersect at key stations, enabling a rider to travel throughout the system with one fare card. System maps are prominently displayed in all stations and on each train car, making it easy to determine where you are and where you want to go. System maps and information can also be accessed on the Metro web site (http://www.wmata.com). You can also determine train arrival times and directions to sites from Metro stations on the web site, which has some excellent neighborhood maps with most of the key sites and businesses marked.

The five current Metro lines are:

Red Line: From Glenmont in Silver Spring, Maryland, through downtown DC, to Shady Grove, between Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland. Transfers to other lines can be made at Fort Totten, Gallery Place/Chinatown and Metro Center stations.

Orange Line: From new Carrolton in Prince Georges County, Maryland to Vienna/Fairfax in Virginia. Transfers at Stadium Armory, L'Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, and Rosslyn stations.

Blue Line: Franconia-Springfield in Virginia to Largo Town Center in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Transfers at King Street, Pentagon and Rosslyn stations in Virginia, Metro Center and L'Enfant Plaza stations in the District, and Stadium Armory in Prince Georges County.

Yellow Line: Huntington in Alexandria, Virginia to Fort Totten in the District (for most of the day, the yellow line terminates in the District at Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center station. Transfers at King Street and Pentagon Stations in Virginia, and L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place/Chinatown stations in the District.

Green Line: Branch Avenue to Greenbelt in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Transfers at Fort Totten, Gallery Place/Chinatown, and L'Enfant Plaza.

Some words of caution

Although Washington's Metro system is one of the cleanest and safest in the country, it is not without problems. There have been robberies and assaults in the system, mostly in parking lots or garages and, though rare, there have even been robberies on the trains.

Panhandlers and solicitors occasionally wander through the stations, and it is impossible for the Metro transit police to keep track of or control them.

The choice of red tile for the floors of the stations might have seemed a brilliant idea when it was conceived, but the designers did not take into account how slick they become when wet. On rainy days, platforms can be tricky to navigate after thousands of wet feet have moistened them.

Unlike elevators that open when they encounter obstructions, Metro train doors do not. A bag or body part blocking the door will keep it from closing, but it will not open until the train operator throws a switch. Repeated obstructions of a door can cause an entire train to be taken out of service, stranding hundreds of passengers on the platform until the next (hopefully uncrowded) train pulls into the station.

The magnetic strips on paper tickets are sensitive. They can be erased if they are carried too close to a cell phone or even a credit card. They also will not function properly after they have been creased, wrinkled or torn.

These few glitches, as annoying as they can sometimes be, are minor when compared to the convenience of being able to get around to most of the major sites in the area without having to deal with traffic jams and parking problems.