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. Underground photo of Metro Center construction in 1973 Source: Library of Congress Photo of Metro Center in 1973 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.

Explore a Metro map done with braille and discover its date. This map stops at Silver Spring, so it's some time before 1990, when Forest Glen was built. Find out more in this blog post.

Take a look back in time at the construction of the Washington DC Metro with photos from the Metro's Facebook page. See the work that went into building the tunnel near Forest Glen, emergency stairs, Silver Spring station, Gallery Place-Chinatown and Archives.

Brookland is now an up-and-coming neighborhood in Washington DC, but it wasn't always this way. In 1977, the Washington Post printed an article about how Metro was about to arrive. Read on to learn more about the past and present of this DC neighborhood.

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.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find a larger version of this image, but it’s still pretty cool to see. Dupont Circle metro Source: Rare Vintage Photos of Washington, D.C.

Imagine if the Kennedy Center had its own Metro station. Here's an article from the Washington Post from 1966 that explores the estimated cost and feasibility of making this a reality.

This. Is. Awesome. Thanks to GoDCer Harrison for sharing this. We first came across it on InTheCapital. Is this the best 70s video or what?

Read this fascinating article from the Washington Post from April 8th, 1941, when only Boston, New York and Philadelphia had subways. Learn about the traffic problem in Washington at the time and the possibility of a subway being built.

Learn about the history of Washington DC's Metro Center Station, from the 1969 plans for the station to the current hub of the DC Metro. Discover stories about the station's construction and how it became the bustling hub it is today.

We love getting stuff like this from readers! Check out the 20-year-old documentary from a GoDCer that documents some vintage DC street scenes and urban storefronts, including the Dor-Ne Corset Shoppe, The Wiz Records, Fort Stevens Liquor Store and more. Watch the video on Youtube now!

Discover the mystery behind one of WMATA's earliest sketches, "Halloween In Washington." Learn more about the sketch's history, significance and the clues that point to when it was made.

Washington Metro cars were almost bright red. Early mockups had the trains looking tomato red.

What is the history of Farragut Square in Washington, DC? Read three great stories from its past.

When was the bus strike in Washington, DC? In 1974 it created a traffic nightmare for commuters.