Nifty
Fifty

            For almost everywhere in the US, thinking about getting from place to place will conjure an image of a car, since most public transit is little more than an afterthought. So when a city has a transit network that not only covers most of its area, but also makes it convenient and reliable, that really is something unique and special. The Metro has played a central role in connecting DC for 50 years now, and while it may be easy to view the trains that rattle past each day as an unexciting part of city background noise, it only exists because of decades of vision, investment and yes, the occasional (though seemingly frequent) bout of track work.

An early plan for the Metro from 1974 that bears a close resemblance to the network that exists today. Courtesy of United States National Capital Planning Commission. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/75697293/

Metro Center subway station being being constructed at 13th and G Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. Leffler, Warren K, photographer. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2013651410/>

            The journey of Metro began in 1952 with the National Capital Planning Act, which created a commission to develop a plan to enhance the city. This gave it domain over the arrangement and creation of parks, monuments, highways, and public transit systems. Studies for how such a transit network should work began in 1954 in collaboration with Maryland and Virginia and in 1960, the National Capital Transportation Act was signed, setting the creation of Metro in motion. This would begin the lengthy process of planning, gathering funds and working through the political maze of making such an ambitious project a reality. And there were major threats, including attempts both successful and not, to divert money marked for the rail system to highway construction. But voters remained committed to seeing it through and a significant part of the overall funding for the project came directly from residents of Virginia, through bond sales. After nearly a decade of delays and process, ground was finally broken at Judiciary Square, on December 9th 1969, and construction began on the original 4.2 miles of rail.

            After years of planning and construction, Metro opened its doors (or stood clear of the closing doors) for the first time on March 27th 1976, launching its inaugural train from the Rhode Island Avenue station. The event was attended by tens of thousands riders, far exceeding the original attendance estimates, leading to backlogs and delays. A far cry from the network that exists today, this first iteration only included the Red Line, which ran from Rhode Island Avenue to Farragut North. But it wouldn’t be long before the range of this tiny corridor would be expanded. Just the next year, the Blue line initiated service into Virginia, creating a direct connection from DC to National Airport. The Orange Line would debut service to Prince George’s County in 1978 and the Yellow Line would follow in the spring of 1983, leading to the opening of the second levels of Gallery Place and L’Enfant stations. 1991 saw the opening of the Green Line and then the final line addition would come in 2014 with the Silver Line expanding rail service out to Reston, Virginia, and eventually onto Dulles and Ashburn in late 2022. For a more granular view of Metro history, WMATA maintains a timeline of significant Metro events, though this has only been maintained up until 2010.

A view inside of the L'Enfant station. The Brutalist vaulted ceiling is a hallmark of the system's aesthetics, and was designed by architect Harry Weese. Photo by Tom Potter.

            WMATA has been appropriately celebrating this golden anniversary, hosting commemorative events and popup shops through the course of March. Looking ahead the commemoration continues with special train car wraps and limited edition 50th anniversary themed SmartTrip cards. The SmartTrip cards will be available at select Metro stations during the summer, so be sure to keep an eye out for those! The DC Metro is a shining example of what a public project can do and be for a city, but an important thing to remember is that it took time and planning to accomplish this feat. The planning and funding of the system began more than a decade and a half prior to the first trains running and even then it would take many additional years of investment and expansion before it would become the far reaching network that it is today. Early in the Metro’s existence, there were almost certainly individuals who doubted whether the investment was worthwhile, but now the impact and necessity of it is undeniable. Public good is not created with fleeting political stunts and short term thinking, but with strategic planning, perseverance and a willingness to pay for something that you may not fully benefit from. And the Metro perfectly demonstrates this.