History UsefulNotes / WashingtonMetro

There have been several proposed extensions; the one that seems to be most likely (despite [[DevelopmentHell thirty years of delays]]) is the proposed "Purple Line" that would run north of the District entirely within Maryland to connect the outer portions of the Green, Red, and Orange Lines; it would be the first line not to be a radial going to Downtown and also the first not to enter the District. It is planned as a light rail line, instead of a true part of the metro, in order to keep costs down, as the ridership demand wouldn't be as great. DC is also (re)introducing streetcars to supplement the Metro in some neighborhoods; however, these have little to do with the Metro system and are run by the District directly.

* The Metro is one of the ''deepest'' subway systems in America and indeed in the world(see: RagnarokProofing below). Unlike most US rapid transit systems, which largely follow the street network and were dug by cut-and-cover, the Metro often deviates from the street system, typically using bored tunnels for its underground sections. The Forest Glen station on the Red Line is so deep that it has no escalators; you take a high-speed elevator to get to the surface. The Wheaton, Woodley Park, Columbia Heights, and Rosslyn stations are also very deep and have extremely long escalators--Wheaton's are the longest in the US, taking a good 2 minutes 45 seconds to go up standing.

However, the Metro has, for some time now, been in a state of [[NetworkDecay disrepair]], with signals malfunctioning, trains breaking down, and other equipment failures leading to various and frequent delays. In an attempt to remedy this, Metro has announced a complete overhaul of the system, which began on June 4, 2016. They are dubbing the effort [[https://wmata.com/rail/safetrack.cfm "SafeTrack"]]. Time will tell if this will improve Metro service. None of this is out of the ordinary; the system was almost entirely built 40 years ago and while regular maintenance was done, it was not done to a sufficient extent and some things can only be repaired so many times, so ''a lot'' of the network is currently at or near the end of its useful life.

However, the Metro has, for some time now, been in a state of [[NetworkDecay disrepair]], with signals malfunctioning, trains breaking down, and other equipment failures leading to various and frequent delays. In an attempt to remedy this, Metro has announced a complete overhaul of the system, which began on June 4, 2016. They are dubbing the effort [[https://wmata.com/rail/safetrack.cfm "SafeTrack"]]. Time will tell if this will improve Metro service.

** Metro has phased out the paper farecards entirely, meaning =SmarTrip=] cards are now mandatory to ride the system.

However, the Metro has, for some time now, been in a state of [[NetworkDecay disrepair]], with signals malfunctioning, trains breaking down, and other equipment failures leading to various and frequent delays. In an attempt to remedy this, Metro has announced that a complete overhaul of the system would begin in June of 2016. They are dubbing the effort [[https://wmata.com/rail/safetrack.cfm "SafeTrack"]]. Time will tell if this will improve Metro service.

** Metro has announced plans to phase-out the paper farecards entirely, meaning eventually [=SmarTrip=] cards will become mandatory to ride the system.

%%!!Tropes as depicted in fiction:

* The Metro appears several times in the American version of ''[[Series/HouseOfCardsUS House of Cards]]''; this includes the opening credits, as well as two of Zoe Barnes' meetings with Frank Underwood, including [[spoiler:the one in which Underwood kills her]].[[note]]The former scene was very clearly shot at Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter on the Yellow and Green Lines; the latter was just as clearly ''not'', what with its low ceiling, high dinginess, and generally out-of-place design. It was shot instead at a Baltimore Metro Subway station; WMATA forbids scenes of violence from being shot at real Metro stations, but Baltimore has no such qualms.[[/note]]

* If you intend to be in the city for more than a day, get a [=SmarTrip=] card. This wave-and-pay stored-value card makes everything easier and cheaper for you and everyone. This is not shilling; it's actually true. Ask anyone who's been there.

The result is that the Metro is supremely modern, efficient, and consistent. (Yes, you just read those words used to describe a project funded and managed by the federal bureaucracy[[note]]Although really the bureaucratic nightmares you have probably were because of state bureaucracies[[/note]].) This even shows up in the architecture, with sober, simple, and hauntingly beautiful Brutalist/Mid-century Modern coffered concrete arches defining all the stations (almost as a direct challenge to the palatial stations of the UsefulNotes/MoscowMetro). The trains were designed from the start for driver-assisted automatic operation (albeit this has been nixed since the Fort Totten disaster on the Red Line in 2009). Although schedules are somewhat unreliable, the times posted for trains on the electronic boards in each station are almost always exactly right; this makes riding the rails in DC a remarkably low-stress experience.

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro, or on the escalators, or in the elevators. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few UsefulNotes/McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station. Despite this, it is not uncommon to see people drinking water or coffee on trains; the transit police generally consider water harmless (because, you know, it's ''water''--what're they going to do, clean it up with, um, water?) and coffee inevitable (because people tend to ride the Metro to work).

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro, or on the escalators, or in the elevators. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few UsefulNotes/McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station. Despite this, it is not uncommon to see people drinking water or coffee on trains.

The result is that the Metro is supremely modern, efficient, and consistent. (Yes, you just read those words used to describe a project funded and managed by the federal bureaucracy.) This even shows up in the architecture, with sober, simple, and hauntingly beautiful Brutalist/Mid-century Modern coffered concrete arches defining all the stations (almost as a direct challenge to the palatial stations of the UsefulNotes/MoscowMetro). The trains were designed from the start for driver-assisted automatic operation (albeit this has been nixed since the Fort Totten disaster on the Red Line in 2009). Although schedules are somewhat unreliable, the times posted for trains on the electronic boards in each station are almost always exactly right; this makes riding the rails in DC a remarkably low-stress experience.

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro, or on the escalators, or in the elevators. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few UsefulNotes/McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station. This, however, does not stop some people from doing it anyway.

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few UsefulNotes/McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station. This, however, does not stop some people from doing it anyway.

!! Tropes applicable
* AccidentalInnuendo: There is a station on the Orange and Silver Lines called "Ballston-MU." It's named for its suburb, but still...
** "Foggy Bottom" also tends to make out-of-towners smirk.
* AsceticAesthetic: The spare, grey station architecture. As noted, it still manages to be magnificent in its own way.
* [[CaliforniaDoubling Baltimore Doubling]]: WMATA is very strict regarding what can be filmed inside the Metro system (no violence or illegal activity, among other restrictions), so in media the Baltimore Metro is typically used instead (as in the House of Cards example above). Other systems are occasionally used, but since Baltimore is so close to DC it is by far the most common stand-in.
* BerserkButton: '''Stand on the right side on the escalators'''. Failure to do so may earn you an umbrella poke or a trampling.
* OverlyLongName: Some of the double-barreled and triple-barreled stations had this reputation, like "U Street-African-American Civil War Memorial-Cardozo" and "New York Ave–Florida Ave–Gallaudet U". Officials shortened some of the most egregious examples in 2011 and 2012.
** Not to mention the name of the metro itself: The '''Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority''' (WMATA).
** The station for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, whose name was actually mandated by Congress (it and the airport were previously just "National Airport"). While it is never referred to by that actual name in conversation, whether it is called "Reagan Airport" or "National Airport" [[AllIssuesArePoliticalIssues can give a clue to the person's political leanings.]]
* PublicRelationsAd: A large proportion of the advertising on the Metro is of this kind, thanks to the large proportion of government and government-related workers who ride it.
* RunningGag: It's sometimes joked that if the Metro had even one day when every single escalator was working, it would be headline news.
* RagnarokProofing. Why is the Metro buried so ridiculously deep into bedrock, lined with concrete and built using hefty arches and strong vaulted ceilings? Simple: its meant to survive a direct nuclear strike at least partly intact and InWorkingOrder. The Metro is underneath the hub of the US government. In the event of World War Three, natural disaster, a surprise ground invasion, or [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant tapir attack]], the Metro is designed to remain intact and operational long enough to deliver the members of the US government and military officials to safety in any of a number of even deeper bunkers, serve as refuge and evacuation route for the general population of the city, and provide an efficient and defensible TunnelNetwork from which to operate an effective counter-strike.
* SceneryPorn: The aforementioned concrete coffered stations. The vaults at Metro Center and Gallery Place are particularly pretty.
** Also, Huntington, the Yellow Line's south terminus, built into the middle of a hillside.
* SeriousBusiness: Don't eat on the train. Don't drink on the train. Stand to the right on the escalators.

* The '''Silver Line''', when fully completed, will run from Loudoun County, VA in the west to the aforementioned Largo Town Center in the east, running by Washington Dulles International Airport on the way. It is mostly concurrent with the Orange Line, diverging at East Falls Church, and share the Blue Line up to Largo Town Center. The first completed part opened in 2014.

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station. This, however, does not stop some people from doing it anyway.

* The '''Silver Line''', [[DevelopmentHell partially completed as of this writing]], will run from Loudoun County, VA in the west to the aforementioned Largo Town Center in the east, running by Washington Dulles International Airport on the way. It will mostly be concurrent with the Orange Line, diverging at East Falls Church, and share the Blue Line up to Largo Town Center.

There have been several proposed extensions; the one that seems to be most likely (despite [[DevelopmentHell thirty years of delays]]) is the proposed "Purple Line" that would run north of the District (although whether as light rail or heavy rail is unclear) entirely within Maryland to connect the termini of the Green, Red, and Orange Lines; it would be the first line not to be a radial going to Downtown and also the first not to enter the District. DC is also (re)introducing streetcars to supplement the Metro in some neighborhoods; however, these have little to do with the Metro system and are run by the District directly.

Five lines, 86 stations, 103 miles of track, 800,000 trips daily. UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC's Metrorail might have only been established in 1976 and serve a metropolitan area half the size of the UsefulNotes/NewYorkSubway, but it is already the second-busiest subway in the United States and the second most-extensive on the East Coast, and today the Metro is as much a part of the identity of the District as the Subway is in New York.

* The Metro appears several times in the American version of ''[[Series/HouseOfCardsUS House of Cards]]''; this includes the opening credits, as well as two of Zoe Barnes' meetings with Frank Underwood, including [[spoiler:the one in which Underwood kills her]].[[note]]The former scene was very clearly shot at a real Metro station; the latter was just as clearly ''not'', what with its low ceiling, high dinginess, and generally out-of-place design. It was shot instead at a Baltimore Metro Subway station; WMATA forbids scenes of violence from being shot at real Metro stations, but Baltimore has no such qualms.[[/note]]

* AccidentalInnuendo: There is a station called "Ballston-MU." It's named for its suburb, but still...

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned. The reason was that at the time, the transit police could issue a ticket (which has a fine of $100) to adults, there was no provision to do so for minors, so if a minor got caught eating, the only thing transit police could do was arrest them. As a result of incidents like the above they can now issue children citations for eating on a train or in a station.

The result is that the Metro is supremely modern, efficient, and consistent. (Yes, you just read those words used to describe a project funded and managed by the federal bureaucracy.) This even shows up in the architecture, with sober, simple, and hauntingly beautiful Mid-century Modern coffered concrete arches defining all the stations (almost as a direct challenge to the palatial stations of the UsefulNotes/MoscowMetro). The trains were designed from the start for driver-assisted automatic operation (albeit this has been nixed since the Fort Totten disaster on the Red Line in 2009). Although schedules are somewhat unreliable, the times posted for trains on the electronic boards in each station are almost always exactly right; this makes riding the rails in DC a remarkably low-stress experience.

* The '''Red Line''' runs in a U-shape from Glenmont, MD, to Shady Grove, MD, looping through Downtown at Union Station (where you can connect to UsefulNotes/{{Amtrak}}, MARC and VRE commuter rail, and intercity bus services) and Metro Center. It is one of only two lines not to cross into Virginia.
* The '''Blue Line''' runs in an L-shape from Franconia-Springfield in Virginia to Largo Town Center to the east of the city in Maryland. It runs concurrently with the Orange and Silver Lines for most of its run.
* The '''Orange Line''' runs in a generally straight line from Vienna, VA to New Carrolton, MD. It runs concurrently with the Blue Line for most of its route in the District from Rosslyn to Armory Stadium, and with the Silver Line from east of West Falls Church to Armory Stadium.
* The '''Yellow Line''' runs in a generally straight line from Huntington, VA to Fort Totten Station in the District. It runs concurrently with the Blue Line for most of its route in Virginia; concurrence runs from King Street in Old Town Alexandria to UsefulNotes/ThePentagon. In the District, it mostly runs concurrently with...
* The '''Green Line''', which runs in a general C-shape from Branch Avenue in Suitland, MD, to Greenbelt, MD. Helpful tip: Best way to get to the University of Maryland. Like the Red Line, it does not run into Virginia.
* The '''Silver Line''', [[DevelopmentHell partially completed as of this writing]], will run from Loudoun County, VA to Largo Town Center, running by Washington Dulles International Airport on the way. It will mostly be concurrent with the Orange Line, diverging at East Falls Church, and share the Blue Line up to Largo Town Center.

* It is ''clean''. And they intend to keep it this way. Do not eat or drink on the Metro. Small children have been ''arrested'' for eating a few McDonalds fries on the Metro. You have been warned.

* Despite the previous two grouses, you really can take the Metro pretty much everywhere in DC. You're well-advised not to drive; the Metro is generally faster, easier, and less stressful, and driving in Washington is a pain in the ass.

* After you hear the "Doors Closing" chime, do not try to board. The doors do not bounce back open if something (even a limb) gets caught, and you need to rely on the kindness of the train operator to open the doors back up so you can get all the way in. It doesn't always happen.

* The Metro is one of the ''deepest'' subway systems in America and indeed in the world. Unlike most US rapid transit systems, which largely follow the street network and were dug by cut-and-cover, the Metro often deviates from the street system, typically using bored tunnels for its underground sections. The Forest Glen station on the Red Line is so deep that it has no escalators; you take a high-speed elevator to get to the surface. The Wheaton, Woodley Park, Columbia Heights, and Rosslyn stations are also very deep and have extremely long escalators--Wheaton's are the longest in the US, taking a good 2 minutes 45 seconds to go up standing.

* Large sections of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' involve you trekking through broken-down Metro stations. Some parts (the map, the turnstiles, the trains themselves) are clearly not based on reality, while others (the vaulted concrete ceilings, the orange hexagonal floor tiles, the shape of the platforms) are almost creepily accurate.

** You can also use this on certain Maryland transportation networks, including UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}'s transit network; the system is interchangeable with the Maryland DOT [=CharmCard=].