Woodley Park station (also known as Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan) is an underground station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Located at 24th Street and Connecticut Avenue Northwest, it serves the neighborhoods of Woodley Park and Adams Morgan in Northwest Washington.

Woodley Park
Zoo/Adams Morgan
Woodley Park station platform in August 2014
General information
Location2700 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates38°55′28″N 77°03′09″W / 38.924505°N 77.052392°W / 38.924505; -77.052392
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Depth150 ft (46 m)[1]
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare, 8 racks
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeA04
History
OpenedDecember 5, 1981 (December 5, 1981)[2]
Previous namesZoological Park (during construction)
Woodley Park–Zoo (1981–1999)
Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan (1999–2011)
Woodley Park (2011–present)
Passengers
20233,279 daily[3]
Rank26 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Cleveland Park Red Line Dupont Circle
toward Glenmont
Location
Map

Station layout

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The main escalators

Woodley Park was the first in the system to deviate from the waffle-like coffers found at most underground stations in downtown Washington, instead using a simpler four-coffer arch. The advantage of the four-coffer arch was that it was pre-cast in Winchester, Virginia, and then hauled underground and installed on-site, while the waffle-style arches used in other stations had to be cast in place. This was done as a cost-saving measure.[2]

Access to the station's mezzanine is provided by two sets of three escalators, connected by a short walkway just underneath street level. The entrance is located at the southwest corner of Connecticut Avenue and Woodley Road. An elevator connects to the street with the mezzanine, which contains fare control and access to the island platform.

Like other stations on the Red Line constructed with rock-tunneling methods, it is rather deep, at 150 feet (46 m) below ground. After Forest Glen, it is the second deepest station in the system.[4][5] The escalators have a vertical rise of 102 feet (31 m); they are the longest in the District of Columbia and the third longest on the Metrorail system (behind Wheaton and Bethesda).[6]

History

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Cleanup after the November 3, 2004 accident

The station opened on December 5, 1981.[2][7] Its opening coincided with the completion of 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of rail northwest of the Dupont Circle station and the opening of the Cleveland Park and Van Ness–UDC stations.[2][7][8]

Originally known as simply "Zoological Park", in 1979 its name was changed to "Woodley Park–Zoo" because neighbors believed that the name was misleading, as the National Zoological Park is located 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the station.[9] The Adams Morgan neighborhood lies at the other end of the nearby Duke Ellington Bridge, and "Adams Morgan" was added to the station name in 1999 to reflect this.[10] On November 3, 2011, the station was renamed to "Woodley Park", with "Zoo/Adams Morgan" as a subtitle.[11]

On November 3, 2004, an out-of-service train rolled backwards into the station and collided with an in-service train. The non-fatal collision injured about 20 people and caused $3.5 million in damages. An investigation determined that the operator of the runaway train was likely asleep.[12]

The original escalators were replaced in 2015–18.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Levy, Claudia (November 6, 1989). "New Metro Stop Is Way Down Under: Curious in Md. Take Preview Plunge Into Area's Deepest Station DOWN UNDER IN SILVER SPRING". The Washington Post. ProQuest 139934602. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Burgess, John (December 4, 1981). "The New Northwest Passage". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  3. ^ "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "See some of the reasons why Metrorail is hard to maintain". Washington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Levy, Claudia (November 6, 1989). "New Metro Stop Is Way Down Under;Curious in Md. Take Preview Plunge Into Area's Deepest Station". The Washington Post. p. B3.
  6. ^ a b Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (December 2014). "Replacement of 6 Woodley Park escalators to begin January 5". Archived from the original on January 1, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Burgess, John (December 5, 1981), "3 Metro stations opening today", The Washington Post, p. B7
  8. ^ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (July 2009). "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  9. ^ Eisen, Jack (August 7, 1979). "Zoological Park Subway Stop Name, 9 Others Changed by Metro Board". The Washington Post. p. C5.
  10. ^ "Metro in brief". The Washington Post. June 11, 1999. p. B3.
  11. ^ "Station names updated for new map" (Press release). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  12. ^ Sun, Lena H (March 23, 2006). "Dozing Operator Blamed in Rail Crash". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
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