Washington Metro

The Washington Metro is the public transportation system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia, both inside and outside the Capital Beltway. In Maryland service is provided in Prince George's County and Montgomery County; in Virginia in Fairfax County, Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church.

Related Topics:
Public transport - Washington, D.C. - Maryland - Virginia - Capital Beltway - Prince George's County - Montgomery County - Fairfax County - Arlington County - City of Alexandria - City of Falls Church

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Since opening in 1976, the subway network has grown to five lines, consisting of 86 stations and 106 miles (170.5 km) of track. The original plan of 83 stations on 103 miles (165.5 km) was completed on January 13, 2001. There were 190 million trips on Metrorail in 2004, meaning about 520,000 passengers use the system every day.{{ref|wmata-fact}} The system is the second busiest in the nation – behind only the New York City Subway.

Related Topics:
1976 - January 13 - 2001 - New York City Subway

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Washington's Metrorail is well known for its design by Chicago architect Harry Weese. Weese's design is an exemplar of late-20th-century modern architecture. With its heavy use of concrete, and the repetitive nature of its design motifs, it demonstrates aspects of Brutalism, which, in Washington, is also exemplified by the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building. Simultaneously, however, with its coffered groin and barrel vaults (seen here http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?21102 in the Metro Center station), it reflects the neoclassical style of architecture that can arguably be described as the closest thing to an "official" federal style in Washington, D.C., as demonstrated in such buildings as the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the former U.S. Patent Office building (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum), by Robert Mills, the White House, by James Hoban, and the Beaux-Arts Lincoln Memorial, by Henry Bacon. The innovative design of Metro's stations additionally facilitates the cleanliness and safety which are are a hallmark of the system.

Related Topics:
Harry Weese - Modern architecture - Concrete - Brutalism - J. Edgar Hoover Building - Groin and barrel vaults - Neoclassical style - Washington, D.C. - Smithsonian American Art Museum - Robert Mills - White House - James Hoban - Beaux-Arts - Lincoln Memorial - Henry Bacon

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The Metrorail (subway) system, as well as Metrobus (bus) services, are owned and operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) - a multijurisdictional, quasi-governmental agency. WMATA also operates a paratransit service for the disabled. However, the expression "Washington Metro" usually refers to Metrorail exclusively.

Related Topics:
Subway - Bus - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority - Paratransit - Disabled

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