L'Enfant Plaza (WMATA station)
| L'Enfant Plaza Washington Metro rapid transit station |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Address | 600 Maryland Avenue, Southwest 6th & 7th Streets at C Street, Southwest (VRE) Washington, D.C. 20024 |
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| Lines |
Metro: Silver Line (planned)
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| Connections |
at L'Enfant Metrobus MTA Maryland Commuter Bus Loudoun County Commuter Bus OmniRide Commuter |
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| Structure | Underground | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Levels | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms (upper level) 1 island platform (lower level) |
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| Tracks | 4 (2 upper level, 2 lower level) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opened | July 1, 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible |  |
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| Code | F03 (upper level) D03 (lower level) |
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| Owned by | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | Zone 1 (VRE) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (2010) | 6.396 million[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 service for both the Blue and Orange Lines provided on an island platform on the lower level, and for both the Green and Yellow Lines provided on a pair of side platforms on the upper level. The station is also scheduled to be on the Silver Line route, which is expected to start operations in 2013.[2] It is also where the Yellow and Green lines converge going north. It is the only station in the system to be served by four lines; when the Silver Line begins service, it will be the only station in the system to be served by five lines. Only the Red Line does not serve the station.
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[edit] 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.[3]
[edit] History
The station opened on July 1, 1977.[4] Its opening coincided with the completion of 11.8 miles (19.0 km)[5] 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.[6] Orange Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on November 20, 1978;[7] Yellow Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on April 30, 1983;[8] and Green Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on May 11, 1991.[9]
Adjacent to the Metro station, between 6th and 7th Streets, is the Virginia Railway Express L'Enfant station, which also provides commuter rail service both to Fredericksburg and to Manassas Regional Airport in Bristow.
[edit] Notable nearby locations
- L'Enfant Plaza
- National Mall
- Several Smithsonian Institution museums, including:
- Several federal government buildings, including:
[edit] References
- ^ Neighborhood profiles WDCEP Retrieved 2011-10-19
- ^ Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (2010). "Dulles Metrorail Project Overview". http://www.dullesmetro.com/about/overview.cfm. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
- ^ L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. He wrote this name on his "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...." (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900's, a French ambassador to the U.S., Jean Jules Jusserand, popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (Reference: Bowling, Kenneth R (2002). Peter Charles L'Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic. George Washington University, Washington, D.C. ISBN 978-0-9727611-0-9). The United States Code states in 40 U.S.C. 3309: "(a) In General.—The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant." The National Park Service identifies L'Enfant as Major Peter Charles L'Enfant and as Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant on its website.
- ^ Feaver, Douglas B. (July 1, 1977), "Today, Metro could be U.S. model", The Washington Post: A1
- ^ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (July 2009). "Sequence of Metrorail openings". http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/metrofacts.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
- ^ Staff Reporters (June 24, 1977), "Metro's newest stations: Where they are, what's nearby", The Washington Post
- ^ Eisen, Jack; John Feinstein (November 18, 1978), "City-County fanfare opens Orange Line; Ceremonies open new Orange Line", The Washington Post: D1
- ^ Lynton, Stephen J. (April 25, 1983), "Trans-Potomac subway segment to open Saturday", The Washington Post: B1
- ^ Fehr, Stephen C. (May 5, 1991), "Going was tough, but Green gets going", The Washington Post: D1
[edit] External links
Media related to L'Enfant Plaza (Washington Metro) at Wikimedia Commons
- WMATA: L'Enfant Plaza Station
- StationMasters Online: L'Enfant Plaza Station
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: L'Enfant Plaza (Upper Level)
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: L'Enfant Plaza (Lower Level)
- D Street and 9th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
- D Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, from Google Maps Street View
- Maryland Avenue and 7th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
Coordinates: 38°53′05″N 77°01′19″W / 38.884775°N 77.021964°W
