Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Blue Line Yellow Line

Washington Metro rapid transit station
Location 2400 South Smith Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22202
Coordinates 38°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 by WMATA
Line(s)
Platforms 2 island platforms
Tracks 3
Connections Metrobus: 10N
Construction
Structure type Elevated
Bicycle facilities 8 racks
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code C10
History
Opened July 1, 1977 (July 1, 1977)[1]
Previous names National Airport (1977–2001)
Traffic
Passengers (2016) 6,538 daily [2] Decrease 10.24%
Services
Preceding station   Washington Metro   Following station
Blue Line
toward Huntington
Yellow Line
Weekdays rush hour service
toward Fort Totten
Yellow Line
Not on weekdays rush hours
toward Fort Totten

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]

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.[8] In response, Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia threatened to withhold federal funding from the agency unless the station was renamed.[8] Congress ultimately voted to require the renaming on November 30.[9] According to then-General Manager Richard A. White, Metro paid to complete the renaming.[10]

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

Station layout

P
Platform level		 Westbound ← Blue Line Blue Line toward Franconia–Springfield (Braddock Road)
← Yellow Line Yellow Line toward Huntington (Braddock Road)
(No service: Potomac Yard)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Center track No regular service
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Eastbound → Blue Line Blue Line toward Largo Town Center (Crystal City) →
→ Yellow Line Yellow Line toward Fort Totten (Crystal City) →
M Mezzanine One-way faregates, ticket machines, station agent
Walkway to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Terminal B/C
G Street Level Exit/Entrance; connection to shuttle buses to Terminal A

References

  1. 1 2 3 Feaver, Douglas B. (July 1, 1977). "Today, Metro could be U.S. model". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  2. ↑ "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  3. ↑ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (July 2009). "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  4. ↑ Staff Reporters (June 24, 1977), "Metro's newest stations: Where they are, what's nearby", The Washington Post
  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. 1 2 Layton, Lyndsey (April 21, 2001). "Riders rail at cost of 'Reagan' Metro stop". The Washington Post. p. B2.
  9. ↑ Schrag, Zachary (2006). The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-8018-8246-X.
  10. ↑ LunchTalk Online transcript, June 17, 2005
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