WMATA spent $69,000 for the sample station in May 1968. After just a few weeks of construction, it measured 64 feet in width, 30 feet in height, and just 17 feet in length. It marked a key milestone in the capital subway project – a massive planning and engineering effort that started in the 1950s.
Metro in Washington DC opened on March 27th, 1976. All rides were free that day on the 4.6 miles of tracks.
The proposals were published to convince transit officials that the 19-mile system authorized by Congress within the city – part of a 25-mile network extending into the suburbs -would be inadequate by 1985.
Near the end of World War II, there was an interesting proposal to build a subway in the District to alleviate post-war traffic.
Check out this great set of photos from 1973, showing construction of Metro Center underground. Also, don’t miss these other great old Metro photos showing Dupont Circle we posted a while ago. Source: Library of Congress Source: Library of Congress
Washington DC almost has a subway started in 1912, well before WMATA and Metro opened in 1976. Learn about what almost was built in the District.
This is a map of Metro done with braille. I’m not sure what the date it on this, but since the Red Line stops at Silver Spring (why is it named Silver Spring?), it’s some time before 1990, when Forest
How cool are these? We stumbled across them on Metro’s Facebook page. Tunnel near Forest Glen
Are you a long-time resident of Brookland? If so, you might remember the time when Metro just arrived. Or, like the article below, was about to arrive. This was printed in the Washington Post on August 6th, 1977. When the Glenmont line
In these 1966 drawings, train cars roll under Connecticut Avenue, but above Rock Creek. These amazing early Metro plans never came to fruition. They depict the Red Line between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park.
