Braddock Road station is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. The station was opened on December 17, 1983, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for both the Blue and Yellow Lines, the station is located at Braddock Road and West Street.

Braddock Road
Braddock Road station platform
General information
Location700 North West Street
Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates38°48′50″N 77°03′14″W / 38.81389°N 77.05389°W / 38.81389; -77.05389
Owned byWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeEmbankment
Parking10 spaces (parking meters)
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare, 46 racks, 12 lockers
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeC12
History
OpenedDecember 17, 1983; 40 years ago (1983-12-17)
Rebuilt2019
Passengers
20231,692 daily[1]
Rank61 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
King Street–Old Town Blue Line Potomac Yard
King Street–Old Town
toward Huntington
Yellow Line Potomac Yard
Out-of-system interchange
Preceding station Metroway Following station
Terminus Potomac Yard Fayette
Location
Map

History edit

Originally scheduled to open in summer 1982, its opening was delayed because of both unavailability of new subway cars and the lack of a test track.[2] Construction of the station was complete by summer 1982,[3] and in September 1983 Metro announced the station would open that December as the new cars would be ready for service.[4] The station opened on December 17, 1983.[5] Its opening coincided with the completion of 4.2 miles (6.8 km)[6] of rail between National Airport and Huntington and the opening of the Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington and King Street–Old Town stations.[5]

In 2012, a Capital Bikeshare station was installed across the street as part of Alexandria's initial bikeshare expansion[7] and another station was added closer to the entrance in early 2022.

In 2014, the Metroway Bus Rapid Transit system began service with Braddock Road station serving as the southern terminus.[8]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The Blue and Yellow Lines south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station, including the Braddock Road station, would be closed from May to September 2019, during which the platforms at this station would be rebuilt.[9][10]

Between September 10 and November 5, 2022, Braddock Road was closed due to the Potomac Yard station tie-in, closing all stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station. Shuttle buses were provided throughout the shutdown.[11]

 
Panoramic image of the exterior of the station in 2016

Station layout edit

Access to the island platform is provided by one pair of escalators and one elevator. West of the platform are the three tracks of the RF&P Subdivision, which carry Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express trains, while east of the platform there are bus bays serving DASH and Metrobus and a small metered parking lot.

P
Platform level
Track 3                Fredericksburg Line, Manassas Line and Amtrak do not stop →
Track 2                Fredericksburg Line, Manassas Line and Amtrak do not stop →
Track 1                Fredericksburg Line, Manassas Line and Amtrak do not stop →
Southbound   toward Franconia–Springfield (King Street–Old Town)
  toward Huntington (King Street–Old Town)
Island platform
Northbound   toward Downtown Largo (Potomac Yard)
  toward Mount Vernon Square (Potomac Yard)
G Street level Exit/entrance, buses, parking, fare control, ticket machines, station agent

References edit

  1. ^ "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Feaver, Douglas B. (January 30, 1981). "Status of future Metro openings". The Washington Post. p. C5.
  3. ^ Battiata, Mary (September 22, 1982). "Alexandria angered by delays in opening of subway". The Washington Post. p. VA1.
  4. ^ Lynton, Stephen J. (September 21, 1983). "Metro panel approves plan for December Yellow Line opening". The Washington Post. p. C4.
  5. ^ a b Burgess, John (December 20, 1983). "Yellow Line trains run smoothly as new stations get first test". The Washington Post. p. C3.
  6. ^ "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Capital Bikeshare welcomed to Alexandria". Washington Post. September 19, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "Metroway premium transit service starting this summer". WMATA. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  9. ^ "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "Metro plans 'summer shutdown' on Blue, Yellow lines next year". WTOP. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Metro announces travel alternatives for major Blue and Yellow Line construction this fall | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.

External links edit