| Navy Yard – Ballpark | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station statistics | |||||||||||
| Address | 200 M Street SE Washington, DC 20003 |
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| Lines | |||||||||||
| Connections | WMATA Metrobus DC Circulator MTA Maryland Commuter Bus OmniRide Commuter |
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| Structure | Underground | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 12 racks | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Opened | December 28, 1991 | ||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||
| Code | F05 | ||||||||||
| Owned by | WMATA | ||||||||||
| Formerly | Navy Yard (1991-2011) | ||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||
| Passengers (2010) | 2.768 million[1] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Navy Yard – Ballpark is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C. on the Green Line. The station is located in the Navy Yard/Near Southeast neighborhood of Southeast, with entrances on M Street at Half Street and New Jersey Avenue.
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The Navy Yard/Near Southeast neighborhood has been undergoing significant gentrification both residentially and commercially. Nationals Park is possibly the biggest catalyst for redevelopment at the present time and is only located one block south of the station with easy access using the Half Street, SE exit.[2] The headquarters of the United States Department of Transportation (USDoT) are also near the station, across the street from the New Jersey Avenue, SE exit.[2]
A station serving the Navy Yard area existed in original plans for Metro; however, the routing of the Green Line below proved controversial. In 1976, the original routing was rejected as too costly and disruptive. A new study proposed a more westerly path which would move the Anacostia station west, replace the Good Hope Road station with one at Congress Heights, and terminate at Brinkley instead of Branch Avenue. During December 1977 public hearings, this route was criticized as disserving poorer landowners in the area, but Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) approved the western route in 1980, scheduled to open in 1986. Supporters of the Branch Avenue route then took the case to the U.S. District Court.
The court ruled in February 1981 that the 1977 hearings were invalid, as insufficient public notice had been given, and issued an injunction halting construction below the Waterfront station. New hearings were held in June 1982, but the court again ruled against WMATA in October 1983. A third set of hearings in July 1984 selected the present route, allowing construction to commence.[3] Service to the station began on December 28, 1991, with the extension of the Green Line to Anacostia's station.
The station is named for the nearby Washington Navy Yard and Nationals Park. Originally named "Navy Yard", the station was renamed Navy Yard – Ballpark on November 3, 2011.[4] The construction of the USDoT office complex and Nationals Park, the new US$600 million stadium of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team, have spurred rapid growth in the neighborhood.[5] Most of the neighborhood's land and businesses have been purchased by companies and is currently being developed into commercial and residential projects.[6] The area plans to contain 12,000,000 to 15,000,000 square feet (1,400,000 m2) of office space, 9,000 residential units, 1,200 hospitality rooms, 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) of retail space, four public parks, and an Anacostia Riverwalk trail system.[7]
Due to the construction of the Washington Nationals' new stadium and other building projects, the Navy Yard – Ballpark station underwent a major expansion to serve game-day crowds and expected increase in daily traffic from new residents and workers.[8][9] WMATA announced that it carried 21,492 people to the inaugural game on March 31, 2008, over half the total crowd; it was considered a success.[10]
Navy Yard – Ballpark uses the island platform layout with two tracks. Track F1 is used by trains to Greenbelt while Branch Avenue-bound trains use track F2.[11]