Rhode Island Avenue station

"Rhode Island Ave" redirects here. For the street the station is located on, see Rhode Island Avenue.

Rhode Island Avenue station (also known as Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood) is a Washington Metro station in Washington, D.C., on the Red Line. The station is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Northeast, on an elevated platform crossing Rhode Island Avenue NE (U.S. Route 1)

Rhode Island Avenue Brentwood
Rhode Island Avenue station platform in February 2003 with the United States Capitol in the distance
General information
Location	919 Rhode Island Avenue NE Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38.920741°N 76.995984°W / 38.920741; -76.995984
Owned by	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Metrobus: 83, 86, D8, H8, H9, P6, S41, T14, T18 Metropolitan Branch Trail
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Parking	221 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Capital Bikeshare, 12 racks
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	B04
History
Opened	March 27, 1976; 48 years ago (March 27, 1976)
Previous names	Rhode Island Avenue (1976–2004)
Passengers
2023	2,915 daily[1]
Rank	32 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station NoMa–Gallaudet U toward Shady Grove Red Line Brookland–CUA toward Glenmont
Former Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Union Station toward Farragut North Green Line Commuter Shortcut Brookland-CUA toward Greenbelt
Location

History

Rhode Island Avenue station in August 1976

Shady Grove-bound Red Line train arriving at the station in March 2017

The station was built on land formerly part of the African-American Columbian Harmony Cemetery. When the station was constructed in 1976, workers discovered that not all the bodies had been moved. At least five coffins were unearthed, and numerous bones.^[2] A plaque was affixed to a column near one of the station's entrances to commemorate the former cemetery.^[3] When a parking lot at the site was renovated in 1979, more bones and bits of cloth and coffins were unearthed.^[2]

Service began on March 27, 1976, as one of the first stations in the system, opening as the eastern terminus of the Red Line.^[4] It was replaced as the eastern terminus by Silver Spring on February 6, 1978.^[5]

From the time the station opened on March 27, 1976, all the way up until November 20, 2004, the station was originally just named, "Rhode Island Avenue". However; on November 20, 2004, during exactly the same time WMATA opened its brand new "New York Avenue - Florida Avenue - Galludet University" Metrorail Station in between the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station & Union Station, the "Rhode Island Avenue" Metro Station, was officially renamed, "Rhode Island Avenue - Brentwood" in recognition of the Brentwood neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., which the station is located in. However; this particular name change of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station, was only initially reflected on WMATA's Metrorail Rider Guides, System Maps, and on most of WMATA's newer/updated Metrobus Schedules for each of the Metrobus Routes that served the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. The pylons and station signage, on the other hand, did not officially reflect the new name change of the station, until they were eventually replaced with brand new pylons and station signage during July/August, 2005.

In the summer of 2018 from July 21 to September 3, the station was shut down for platform repairs due to settling of the platform and decaying concrete caused by salty de-icer used in the winter.^[6]

Future improvements

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The platforms at the Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station would be rebuilt starting in September 2020.^[7]

Station layout

The station's main entrance is located just south of Rhode Island Avenue on Washington Street N.E. The station's island platform is stated to have the highest elevation of any Metro station in the system.

Notable places nearby

• WMATA's Brentwood Rail Yard
• USPS Washington Main Office
• Edgewood Terrace Apartment Complex
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Building

References

1. "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
2. Schneider, Gregory S. (October 25, 2020). "A Virginia state senator found headstones on his property. It brought to light a historic injustice in D.C." The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
3. Meyer, Eugene L. "History Chiseled in Stone", Washington Post. October 30, 1998.
4. "METRO HISTORY" (PDF). WMATA. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
5. Alberto, Cuadro; Denise, Lu (April 27, 2015). "How D.C. Metro grew over the years". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
6. Pascale, Jordan (July 20, 2018). "Why Metro Is Shutting Down Those Two Red Line Stations". DCist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
7. "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

External links

• Media related to Rhode Island Avenue – Brentwood (WMATA station) at Wikimedia Commons
• WMATA Rhode Island Avenue station page

• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Station
• Rhode Island Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View