The full ride of the Metro Blue Line to FranconiaSpringfield.

Red Line:    • DC Metro Red Line – Glenmont  Shady ...  
Orange Line:    • DC Metro Orange Line – Vienna  New C...  
Yellow Line:    • DC Metro Yellow Line – Mount Vernon S...  
Green Line:    • DC Metro Green Line – Greenbelt  Bra...  
Silver Line:    • DC Metro Silver Line – Downtown Largo...  

Washington Metro
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Date: Sunday, January 28, 2024
Origin: Downtown Largo Station Largo, Maryland, USA
Destination: Franconia–Springfield Station Springfield, Virginia, USA

Railcar: 7208 (cab and tunnel view)

Distance: 30 miles / 49 kilometers
Average Speed: 33 mph / 53 km/h
Top Speed: 59 mph / 95 km/h
Track Gauge: 4 ft 8.5 in / 1,435 mm
Total Ride Time: 1 hour, 8 minutes

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"Step back, doors closing..."

The Blue Line opened in 1977 as the second route in the DC Metro system. The route makes a right angle, originating from Prince George's (PG) County, MD into the heart of Washington, DC, then crossing south under the Potomac River into the Northern Virginia suburbs. The Blue Line boasts a total of 28 stops, taking just over an hour to travel endtoend.

The Metrorail service was launched in 1976 by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), with roots going back to the 1950s. Since then, it's become the secondlargest transit rail transit system in America after the New York City Subway. Existing rail cars include the aluminumskinned 2000/3000 (Breda) and 6000 Series (Alstom), as well as the stainless steel 7000 Series (Kawasaki), with the 8000 Series (Hitachi) set to enter service in 2025. The Blue Line spans 30 miles while sharing tracks and tunnels with the Orange, Silver and Yellow Lines at various points, with speeds topping out around 60 miles per hour. Trains operate in 6 and 8car sets, requiring 138 rail cars for the line to run at peak capacity.

Special thanks to the entire Metro staff.

Station artwork:
"Largo Lens" Ray King, 2004

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0:00:00 – Boarding
0:00:20 – SmartTrip Fare & Ridership Information
0:00:52 – Leaving Downtown Largo (First Silver Transfer)
0:01:50 – Largo Morgan Boulevard
0:03:46 – Morgan Boulevard Addison RoadSeat Pleasant
0:06:37 – Addison Road Capitol Heights
0:08:43 – Capitol Heights Benning Road
0:11:07 – SPECIAL Train
0:11:40 – Benning Road StadiumArmory
0:13:40 – Orange Line Junction
0:15:16 – Arrival at StadiumArmory (First Orange Transfer)
0:16:18 – StadiumArmory Potomac Avenue
0:18:12 – Potomac Avenue Eastern Market
0:20:01 – Eastern Market Capitol South
0:21:45 – Capitol South Federal Center SW
0:23:37 – Federal Center SW L'Enfant Plaza
0:25:00 – Holding at L'Enfant Plaza (Yellow/Green Transfer)
0:25:27 – L'Enfant SmithsonianNational Mall
0:26:58 – Smithsonian Federal Triangle
0:28:24 – Federal Triangle Metro Center (Red Line Transfer)
0:29:52 – Metro Center McPherson Square
0:31:28 – McPherson Square Farragut West
0:32:28 – Farragut Crossing Program
0:32:47 – Farragut West Foggy BottomGWU
0:34:19 – Foggy Bottom Rosslyn
0:34:55 – Crossing under the Potomac
0:36:19 – Arrival at Rosslyn (Final Orange/Silver Transfer)
0:36:52 – Rosslyn Arlington National Cemetery
0:38:56 – Arlington National Cemetery Pentagon (First Yellow Transfer)
0:41:28 – Pentagon Pentagon City
0:43:07 – Pentagon City Crystal City
0:44:57 – Crystal City Washington National Airport (DCA)
0:46:21 – Connecting to Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore (BWI) SEE COMMENTS
0:47:00 – Arrival at DCA
0:47:48 – Leaving DCA
0:49:04 – United Airlines N852UA & N26210 (Star Alliance Livery)
0:49:26 – Southwest Airlines N420WN, N4032N & N7835A
0:50:00 – Washington National Airport Potomac YardVT
0:51:53 – Potomac Yard Braddock Road
0:54:41 – Braddock Road King StreetOld Town (Final Yellow Transfer)
0:56:36 – Leaving King StreetOld Town (Alexandria Union Station)
0:58:27 – Alexandria Rail Yard
0:59:02 – King StreetOld Town Van Dorn Street
1:01:52 – Van Dorn Street FranconiaSpringfield
1:05:39 – Arrival at FranconiaSpringfield
1:06:46 – Disembarking & Station MiniTour

Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons

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The Travel Series™ is a collection of ambient videos focusing on commercial aviation and passenger rail. “Birdwatching” explores aircraft types, similarly with “Trainspotting.” Footage may be extracted into hourslong ambiences called “Vibes."

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2024 by Javan Hamilton

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