Structure type Underground | Level 2 | |
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Location 600 Maryland Avenue, SouthwestWashington, D.C. 20024690 Virginia Avenue SW (VRE) Connections Virginia Railway Express: Fredericksburg Line Manassas Lineat L'Enfant Metrobus: 5A, 52, 74, A9, V1, V5, W9 MTA Maryland Commuter Bus Loudoun County Transit OmniRide Commuter Address Washington, DC, United States Owner Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Tracks 4 (2 upper level, 2 lower level) Similar Metro Center station, Smithsonian station, Franconia–Springfield station, Rosslyn station, Federal Center SW station | ||
Exploring the metro l enfant plaza station in washington dc
L'Enfant Plaza is a Washington Metro station in the Southwest Federal Center neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. The station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It is a transfer station, with two levels: the upper level has two side platforms and is used by the Green and Yellow Lines, while the lower level has an island platform used by the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. It is also where the Yellow and Green lines converge going north. The station serves five out of the system's six lines, serving the most lines out of any station in the system; only the Red Line does not serve the station.
Contents
- Exploring the metro l enfant plaza station in washington dc
- Location
- VRE station
- History
- Notable nearby locations
- References
L'Enfant Plaza is the last station in the District on the Yellow Line before crossing the Potomac into Virginia on the 14th Street Bridge.
Location
The station is located in Southwest Washington, with entrances at the L'Enfant Plaza shopping mall concourse at 9th and D Streets, on D Street between 6th and 7th Streets, and at Maryland Avenue and 7th Street. It is in the center of an area crowded with federal buildings and is a transfer point allowing passengers to easily cross the Potomac between Virginia and central Washington, making it a very busy station. L'Enfant Plaza is named for the French-American planner of Washington, D.C., Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant.
VRE station
Directly above the Metro station, on Virginia Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets, is the Virginia Railway Express L'Enfant station, which provides commuter rail service both to Fredericksburg and to Manassas Regional Airport in Bristow. Numerous Amtrak trains pass through this station, most without stopping. There is one side platform on the north side of the station with 3 tracks passing through. There are walkways on each side of the station that lead to 6th and 7th Streets respectively.
History
The station opened on July 1, 1977. Its opening coincided with the completion of 11.8 miles (19.0 km) 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, McPherson Square, National Airport, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Potomac Avenue, Rosslyn, Smithsonian and Stadium–Armory stations. Orange Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on November 20, 1978; Yellow Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on April 30, 1983; Green Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on May 11, 1991; and Silver Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on July 26, 2014. This makes the station unique in that the lower level island platform opened before the upper level side platforms.
L'Enfant Plaza was the setting of a 2007 Pulitzer Prize winning article by Washington Post reporter Gene Weingarten. World-famous classical violinist Joshua Bell performed outside the station at rush hour disguised as a street musician. Only seven people stopped to watch him for a minute or more. In total, he made $52.47 performing for 45 minutes, including $20 from the one person who recognized him. Three days earlier, Bell had performed at a concert in Boston where seats started at $100.
On January 12, 2015, smoke began appearing in the station which suspended service at L'Enfant Plaza during the afternoon rush hour. The smoke caused 1 death and 84 people were treated at local hospitals. Green Line and Yellow Line trains were temporarily suspended while Blue Line, Orange Line, and Silver Line trains bypassed L'Enfant Plaza and continued normal service.