Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Washington Metro rapid transit station
File:15.WMATA.RRWNA.VA.08mar07.JPG
Location	2400 South Smith Boulevard Arlington, VA 22202
Coordinates
Owned by	WMATA
Line(s)	Blue Line Yellow Line
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	Metrobus: 13Y
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	8 racks
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	C10
History
Opened	July 1, 1977 (July 1, 1977)
Previous names	National Airport (1977–2001)
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	6732 daily   2.61%
Services
Preceding station   Washington Metro   Following station Braddock Road toward Franconia–Springfield Blue Line Crystal City toward Largo Town Center Yellow Line Greenbelt-Franconia-Springfield weekdays rush hours service Rush Plus Crystal City toward Greenbelt Braddock Road toward Huntington Yellow Line Mount Vernon Square-Huntington weekdays rush hours service Crystal City toward Mount Vernon Square Yellow Line Not on weekdays rush hours Crystal City toward Fort Totten   From 2020   Potomac Yard toward Franconia–Springfield Blue Line Crystal City toward Largo Town Center Yellow Line Greenbelt-Franconia-Springfield weekdays rush hours service Rush Plus Crystal City toward Greenbelt Potomac Yard toward Huntington Yellow Line Mount Vernon Square-Huntington weekdays rush hours service Crystal City toward Mount Vernon Square Yellow Line Not on weekdays rush hours Crystal City toward Fort Totten

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (formerly National Airport) is a Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The station platform is elevated and covered and is the last above ground station on the Yellow Line in Virginia, heading into Washington, D.C. It is one of only two stations in the system to have three tracks (the other being West Falls Church). The station is located across Smith Boulevard from the B and C terminals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA); the airport shuttle bus carries people to and from Terminal A. The mezzanines are directly connected to the B and C terminals by pedestrian walkways to Level 2 (gate level). The airport's Abingdon Plantation historical site is near the station.

History

The station opened on July 1, 1977. Its opening coincided with the completion of 11.8 miles (19.0 km) of rail between National Airport and RFK Stadium and the opening of the Arlington Cemetery, Capitol South, Crystal City, Eastern Market, Farragut West, Federal Center SW, Federal Triangle, Foggy Bottom–GWU, L'Enfant Plaza, McPherson Square, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Potomac Avenue, Rosslyn, Smithsonian and Stadium–Armory stations.

When service began on July 1, 1977, it was the southern terminus of both the Blue and Yellow Lines. After the Yellow Line extension to Huntington opened on December 17, 1983, it remained the southern terminus for the Blue Line until the Van Dorn Street station opened in 1991.

During construction of a second canopy at the station, Metro began running trains through the center track even though it had not been constructed for standard operations, and on January 20, 2003, a Blue Line train derailed at the switch. No injuries resulted, but the accident delayed construction by a number of weeks. The center track was originally intended for relaying trains.

In 2014, a train was temporarily parked in the middle track while one of the elevators in the station was repaired, creating a "train bridge" to allow passengers to walk through the train to transfer between directions.

Renaming controversy

The station retained its original name after the airport was renamed in 1998 from "Washington National Airport" to "Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport". In early 2001, a letter signed by 24 members of Congress requested WMATA rename the station to conform. However, according to a Metro policy adopted in 1987, groups seeking to rename a station were required to pay the cost of replacing signs and maps. The Arlington County government, which could have made the change, demurred—the price was estimated at $400,000—and WMATA subsequently declined to rename the station on April 19, 2001. In response, Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia threatened to withhold federal funding from the agency unless the station was renamed. Congress ultimately voted to require the renaming on November 30. According to then-General Manager Richard A. White, Metro paid to complete the renaming.

During the 2003–2004 renovation of the station, new signage was installed. Similar signage can be found at the Gallery Place, NoMa – Gallaudet University, Morgan Boulevard, Grosvenor-Strathmore, and Largo Town Center stations.

Station layout

P Platform level	Westbound	← Blue Line toward Franconia–Springfield (Braddock Road) ← Yellow Line toward Huntington (Braddock Road) (No service: Potomac Yard)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Center track	No regular service
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Eastbound	→ Blue Line toward Largo Town Center (Crystal City) → → Yellow Line toward Fort Totten (Crystal City) →
M	Mezzanine	One-way faregates, ticket machines, station agent
G	Street Level	Exit/ Entrance

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• WMATA: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station
• StationMasters Online: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station
• The Schumin Web Transit Center: National Airport Station
• Station from Google Maps Street View

• LunchTalk Online transcript, June 17, 2005