Addison Road station

This article is about the Washington Metro station. For other uses, see Addison Road.

Addison Road station is a rapid transit station on the Washington Metro's Silver and Blue Lines. It is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, who opened it in 1980. It was the eastern end of the Blue Line until 2004. The station is in Seat Pleasant on Central Avenue, although its official address puts it in Capitol Heights.

Addison Road Seat Pleasant
General information
Location	100 Addison Rd S Capitol Heights, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates	38°53′12.2″N 76°53′39.4″W
Owned by	WMATA
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Metrobus: A12, C21, C22, C27, C29, J12, F14, P12, V12, V14 TheBus: 18, 20, 23
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Parking	1,268 spaces
Bicycle facilities	16 racks
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	G03
History
Opened	November 22, 1980; 43 years ago (November 22, 1980)
Previous names	Addison Road—Seat Pleasant (2000–2011)
Passengers
2023	1,004 daily[1]
Rank	80 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Capitol Heights toward Ashburn Silver Line Morgan Boulevard toward Downtown Largo Capitol Heights toward Franconia–Springfield Blue Line
Former services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Capitol Heights toward Vienna Orange Line Morgan Boulevard toward Downtown Largo
Location

History

The station, which has a single central platform, opened on November 22, 1980, and coincided with the completion of 3.52 miles (5.66 km) of rail east of the Stadium–Armory station and the opening of the Benning Road and Capitol Heights stations.^[2] The station was originally named "Addison Road"; the name "Seat Pleasant" was added in 2000^[3] and moved to a new subtitle location in 2011.^[4] It was the eastern terminus of the Blue Line from its opening until December 18, 2004, when the extension to the Largo Town Center (now known as Downtown Largo) station opened to the east.^[5] In the early eighties, due to peculiarities of the system at the time, trains travelling toward Addison Road showed blue rollsigns, but switched to orange signs before departing westward, back into the city.^[6]

In December 2003, security cameras at this station filmed a deer walking around the station mezzanine, running down an escalator, and going down the platform past a waiting train, as startled passengers watched. The deer then jumped onto the tracks and escaped into nearby woods. Metro spokesperson Lisa Farbstein reported that Metro had nicknamed the deer "Rudolph the Blue Line Reindeer".^[7]

In December 2012, Addison Road was one of five stations added to the route of the Silver Line, which was originally supposed to end at the Stadium–Armory station, but was extended into Prince George's County, Maryland, to Downtown Largo (the eastern terminus of the Blue Line) due to safety concerns about a pocket track just past Stadium-Armory.^[8] Silver Line service at Addison Road began on July 26, 2014.^[9]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The platform at the Addison Road station would be rebuilt from February 13 to May 23, 2021.^[10]

References

1. "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
2. Cooke, Janet (November 23, 1980). "Three new Metro stations have a festive first day". The Washington Post. p. D1.
3. "Metro to rename 4 subway stations". The Washington Post. March 24, 2000.
4. "Station names updated for new map" (Press release). WMATA. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
5. Dana, Rebecca (December 19, 2004). "Metro, Prince George's extend their reach; Two new Blue Line stations open, bringing passengers and economic potential". The Washington Post. p. C3.
6. Alpert, David (July 25, 2014). "Watch Metro grow from one short line in 1976 to the Silver Line today". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
7. "Deer runs through rail station". China Daily. December 17, 2003. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
8. Aratani, Lori (December 5, 2012). "Metro details Silver Line service changes". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
9. Halsey, Ashley (July 26, 2014). "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
10. "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". The Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

External links

• Media related to Addison Road (WMATA station) at Wikimedia Commons
• WMATA Addison Road station page

• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Addison Road–Seat Pleasant Station
• Central Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View