Washington DC Metro discussion

[MARC Rider]

Tourist question here. Are the Washington DC metro cars anywhere at all conducive to travelers to/from Union Station lugging a couple rollaboards? Most “subway” cars I’m familiar with elsewhere have barely any open floor space at all that would make that even remotely easy. Much less a space specifically for luggage while on board.

I should also inquire about how the station “toll gates” work for an old guy like me trying to pass through one dragging a suitcase behind me. Is using the Metro at all with luggage just a dumb idea?

As other have said, the Washington Metro is quite rollerbag-friendly. That is, as long as at least one elevator or set of escalators is operating. If the escalators aren't operating., there is at least one elevator (or set of elevators) that will get you from the platform to the street. There are times when a station might have no functioning elevators or escalators, but they will post that fairly prominently and describe alternate bus shuttles from stations where the elevators and escalators are working.

One other note about Union Station: The underground entrance to Union Station at the southwest end from the mezzanine to the food court, involves about 3-4 steps. I can usually bump a rollerbag up or down this, but if you want to avoid that, just ride the regular escalators to the street level, and enter the station there. I think the elevator is at the northeast end of the platform, which exits to the train concourse.

 

[Trollopian]

It’s quite easy to use metro with luggage. The fare gates are not rotary gates/turnstiles, but rather either a small gate that folds into the fare machine (older style), or a small door that swings open (newer style). The Red Line can be a bit crowded, depending on the time of day, but the area near the door typically has plenty of room to have a roll aboard suitcase with adjacent seats.

The only thing I’d note is that if you are traveling before the end of the year, the Red Line has track work that will necessitate a shuttle bus for people traveling west of downtown DC.

Trogdor is right. Specifically, between now and December 30, a critical segment of the "inner" Red Line is closed for track work, making Metrorail nearly useless for travel westbound (in the direction of Metro Center, Dupont Circle, Bethesda, etc.) from Union Station. The eastbound leg toward Brookland and Silver Spring and north is unaffected. More at WMATA. Shuttle buses are plugging the gap, but it's pretty hard to wrangle a big suitcase onto one. Sorry.

(This affects not just travelers to/from Union Station, but those flying into either airport, DCA or IAD, and needing to transfer to the Red Line at some point.)

 

[jis]

Trogdor is right. Specifically, between now and December 30, a critical segment of the "inner" Red Line is closed for track work, making Metrorail nearly useless for travel westbound (in the direction of Metro Center, Dupont Circle, Bethesda, etc.) from Union Station. The eastbound leg toward Brookland and Silver Spring and north is unaffected. More at WMATA. Shuttle buses are plugging the gap, but it's pretty hard to wrangle a big suitcase onto one. Sorry.

(This affects not just travelers to/from Union Station, but those flying into either airport, DCA or IAD, and needing to transfer to the Red Line at some point.)

I suppose one could go to Fort Totten from Union Station and then take Yellow/Green from there to connect to whatever line at L'Enfant Plaza. Will take a while, but one can still stay in the Metro system and get to almost anywhere without having to lug bags onto a bus.

 

[lordsigma]

I've navigated the ride from Union Station to Wiehle/Reston East and back, and from Dulles to National Airport with a big roller bag (too big to carry on) and a backpack and it wasn't too bad. The silver line ride's long and I'm glad it wasn't rush hour for most of them. I could've probably stacked another rolling bag on top of the big one but I didn't have that much stuff.

Especially long now with phase 2 of silver line open. Last time I used the silver line I was heading to Reston for lunch from the RPA spring meeting. I used the Reston Town Center stop for the first time which is the first new stop after Wiehle - prior to getting off for lunch I rode all the way to the new terminus in Ashburn. Reston Town Center gets you much closer to the town center complex which is a great walking area with lots of restaurants. It doesn’t really have much parking since the existing stop had a bunch already. It’s more about having a walking station closer to the action in Reston.

 

[joelkfla]

As other have said, the Washington Metro is quite rollerbag-friendly. That is, as long as at least one elevator or set of escalators is operating. If the escalators aren't operating., there is at least one elevator (or set of elevators) that will get you from the platform to the street. There are times when a station might have no functioning elevators or escalators, but they will post that fairly prominently and describe alternate bus shuttles from stations where the elevators and escalators are working.

One other note about Union Station: The underground entrance to Union Station at the southwest end from the mezzanine to the food court, involves about 3-4 steps. I can usually bump a rollerbag up or down this, but if you want to avoid that, just ride the regular escalators to the street level, and enter the station there. I think the elevator is at the northeast end of the platform, which exits to the train concourse.

Metro has an excellent elevator/escalator status page, which in my experience is kept up to date. They also have station pages which clearly show the location of street elevators, and even photos of them. IMO, the best transit website I've seen for mobility access.

 

[railiner]

I suppose one could go to Fort Totten from Union Station and then take Yellow/Green from there to connect to whatever line at L'Enfant Plaza. Will take a while, but one can still stay in the Metro system and get to almost anywhere without having to lug bags onto a bus.

Just learned there is another "Fort Totten" besides the one I know in Queens, NY....

 

[bonzoesc]

Especially long now with phase 2 of silver line open. Last time I used the silver line I was heading to Reston for lunch from the RPA spring meeting. I used the Reston Town Center stop for the first time which is the first new stop after Wiehle - prior to getting off for lunch I rode all the way to the new terminus in Ashburn. Reston Town Center gets you much closer to the town center complex which is a great walking area with lots of restaurants. It doesn’t really have much parking since the existing stop had a bunch already. It’s more about having a walking station closer to the action in Reston.

I did the walk from WRE to RTC in May this year (tried and failed to find a lost airtag at WRE) and there's honestly a great rail trail for cycling and running that wasn't completely miserable to drag bags down, only a bit stressful trying to not be an obstacle to people riding on a weekday afternoon.

 

[JamesWhitcombRiley]

Youngkin signals support for Metro boost as Democrats file arena bills

Youngkin (R) promised two Democrats who have agreed to carry legislation creating a professional basketball and hockey arena in Alexandria that he will support increased funding for the Metro transit system over the next two years, one of the two lawmakers said Friday.

Shortly after the bills appeared online, Youngkin’s office released a statement that made an unspecified commitment to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/01/19/virginia-youngkin-arena-metro-democrats/

Previously the WP reported the arena as the "largest-ever public subsidy for a project of its kind."

The NFL Commanders (or the Washington Football Team, a name some remember fondly) are also hunting for a stadium. Meanwhile the Orioles are threatening to move to Nashville. Like one of those 1970s TV shows about rich people, the original founder of super prominent private equity firm Carlyle is a Baltimore loyalist, and now a philanthropist, especially in U.S. history. He wants to buy the Orioles. Gov. Youngkin in Virginia was co-CEO of Carlyle for two years. Rich people, what are you going to do.

Back in the real world, there's an entertaining post on NoVa reddit about people who ride the Metro for fun with their kids. One parent just goes to a random stop and walks around with her munchkin.