WMATA Floats New Blue Line with Georgetown Metro Stop

• December 6th 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

As Metro explores ways to alleviate congestion on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines, WMATA is putting forth some new (and old) proposals, most of which would add a second Metro stop in Rosslyn, and some of which resurrect the concept of a Georgetown Metro station.

The six proposals, announced on Thursday, are part of the Blue/Orange/Silver Capacity and Reliability Study (BOS Study). Perhaps the most eye-catching option, however, would redefine the Blue Line route.

The New Blue Line option would entail building a second station in Rosslyn ("Rosslyn II"), tunneling beneath the Potomac River, then creating a stop in Georgetown near the terminus of Key Bridge. 

From the Georgetown stop, the line could take one of two routes: the first would go east to Dupont Circle, Mount Vernon Square, and Union Station, then through Kingman Park and the Arboretum into Prince George's County. The second route would follow Wisconsin Avenue (or a parallel street) to meet either Friendship Heights or Bethesda Metro station.

It is unclear where additional stops along these routes would be located, although the possibilities are an interesting thought exercise; for example, the first route could have a stop near the Starburst intersection, and the second route could have a stop at City Ridge. The New Blue Line option would also have the benefit of creating three sets of tracks at Rosslyn to split the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines up.

Implementation of this option would take 20-25 years. Considering how much the question of a Georgetown Metro station has come up over the years, along with the uncertainty surrounding the Rosslyn-Georgetown gondola, pursuing a New Blue Line would certainly be a game-changer.

Metro is holding public information sessions on the BOS Study this month and soliciting feedback on the aforementioned proposals. Check out the remaining proposals, including two new options for the Silver Line, here.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/wmata-floats-potential-new-blue-line-with-georgetown-metro-stop/16222.