- OPERATION

Mon-Thu 5:00 - 24:00, Fri 5:00 - 2:00, Sat 8:00 - 2:00, Sun 8:00 - 24:00.

Trains circulate every 3-6 minutes during rush hours, 6-12 minutes daytime and 10-15 minutes off-peak.

The Washington metro has a quite unique feature - blinking lights in the platform edge warn you of a train approaching.

The Metro Transit Police is in charge of keeping the metro a safe place.

- FARES (2005)

Single - $1.35 (0-3 miles) - $3.90 according to distance travelled (for transfer to buses get a transfer ticket when entering Metrorail, then you get a discount on your bus fare).

Farecards are available from vending machines, fare is deducted automatically when leaving the paid area.

1-Day-Pass - $6.50 (valid after 9:30, all day weekends on Metrorail only)

7-Day Fast Pass - $32.50 for Metrorail

- All fares subject to change -

The capital of the United States of America is the centre of a metropolitan area with some 3 million inhabitants spread out over the District of Columbia (city of Washington) and the adjacent counties in the states of Maryland and Virginia. The decision to build a metro network was taken in 1966, and one year later WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) was founded in order to plan, build and then exploit the rapid rail system together with an effective bus feeder network.

The first section started revenue service on 27 March 1976 on the Red Line between Farragut North and Rhode Island Ave. In the following years the network kept growing steadily with new sections opening almost every year until 1993. But eventually also the remaining parts of the planned 100-mile network were put into service in the last few years:

1997 - Blue Line south from Van Dorn St to Franconia-Springfield; 1998 - Red Line north from Wheaton to Glenmont; 18 Sept. 1999 Green Line's central section with two new stations - Georgia Ave/Petworth and Columbia Heights; and finally the opening of the Anacostia - Branch Ave section of the Green Line on 13 January 2001 to conclude this ambitious project.

Today the Washington Metro is certainly one of the most modern metros in the world. It's celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2001. Compared to older subways, Washington's underground stations features spacious vaulted roofs and good visibility over the whole station complex. Most outer branches run on the surface, partly in the median strip of expressways. Apart from the Red Line, all other four lines form a network sharing tracks and platforms along certain stretches, an arrangement similar to Munich's U-Bahn network. Currently the system includes 164.5 km (80 km underground) and 87 stations (51 underground), 61 km and 43 stations lie within Washington DC, 56.4 km (24 stations) are in Maryland and 47 km (20 stations) in Virginia.

In 2004 the Blue Line was extended by 2 stations from Addison Road to Largo Town Center (5 km, with an intermediate station at Summerfield) (2005). On the Red Line a new station was added between Union Station and Rhode Island Ave, called New York Ave.