North Capitol Street Line

The North Capitol Street Line, designated as Route 80 is a daily bus route that is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Fort Totten station of the Red and Green lines of the Washington Metro and McPherson Square station of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro. With late night and early morning trips extending to Foggy Bottom-GWU station of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 12 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes at night.

80
North Capitol Street Line
Overview
System	Metrobus
Operator	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Garage	Bladensburg
Status	In Service
Route
Locale	Northeast, Northwest
Communities served	Fort Totten, Brookland, Chinatown, Downtown, Foggy Bottom
Landmarks served	Fort Totten station, Providence Hospital, Brookland-CUA station, Washington Union Station, Union Station, Gallery Place station, Metro Center station, McPherson Square station
Start	Fort Totten station
Via	12th Street NE, Michigan Avenue NE, North Capitol Street, H Street NW
End	McPherson Square station (Foggy Bottom-GWU station) (Late night and early morning only)
Length	40 minutes
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	12-20 minutes
Operates	24 Hours
Annual patronage	1,352,646 (FY 2023)[1]
Transfers	SmarTrip only
Timetable	https://www.wmata.com/schedules/timetables/upload/80_231217.pdf
Route map ← 79    83 →

Background

Route 80 operates between Fort Totten station and McPherson Square station with late night and early morning trips extending to Foggy Bottom station providing service along North Capitol Street. The route is one of the most popular routes, with having 4,594 average weekday ridership in 2023.^[2]

Current stops

Bus stop	Direction	Connections
Washington, D.C.
Fort Totten Bus Bay F	Southbound stop, Northbound terminal	Metrobus: 60, 64, E2, E4, F6, K2, K6, K9, R1, R2 Washington Metro:
Fort Totten Alighting Only	Northbound	Metrobus: 60, 64, E2, E4, F6, K2, K6, K9, R1, R2 Washington Metro:
Galloway Street NE / 4th Street NE	Southbound	Metrobus: E2, E4, F6
Galloway Street NE / South Dakota Avenue NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: E2, F6
South Dakota Avenue NE / Farragut Place NE	Bidirectional
South Dakota Avenue NE / 8th Street NE	Bidirectional
South Dakota Avenue NE / Delafield Street NE	Southbound
South Dakota Avenue NE / Emerson Street NE	Northbound
South Dakota Avenue NE / Decatur Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Crittenden Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Buchanan Street NE	Southbound
12th Street NE / Allison Street NE	Northbound
12th Street NE / Varnum Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Upshur Street NE	Southbound
12th Street NE / Taylor Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Michigan Avenue NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: R4
12th Street NE / Quincy Street NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: H6
12th Street NE / Perry Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Otis Street NE	Bidirectional
12th Street NE / Monroe Street NE	Southbound	Metrobus: G8, H8, H9
12th Street NE / Newton Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: G8, H8, H9
Brookland-CUA Bus Bays E and J	Bidirectional	Metrobus: G8, H2, H4, H6, H8, H9, R4 CUA Shuttle: Blue, Green Washington Metro: ACHS Shuttle: Brookland Metro Metropolitan Branch Trail
Monroe Street NE / 7th Street NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: G8, H2, H4
Michigan Avenue NE / Catholic University of America Gibbons Hall	Southbound	Metrobus: H2, H4
Michigan Avenue NE / 4th Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: H2, H4
Michigan Avenue NE / Irving Street NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: H2, H4
Michigan Avenue NE / Franklin Street NE	Bidirectional	Metrobus: H2, H4
Michigan Avenue NE / North Capitol Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: D8, H2, H4
North Capitol Street NW / Girard Street NE	Southbound	Metrobus: D8, H2, H4
North Capitol Street NW / Douglas Street NE	Southbound
North Capitol Street NE / Evarts Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Channing Street NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NE / Channing Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Bryant Street NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NE / Bryant Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Adams Street NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NW / W Street NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NW / V Street NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NE / V Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Rhode Island Avenue NW	Southbound	Metrobus: G8
North Capitol Street NE / Rhode Island Avenue NE	Northbound	Metrobus: G8
North Capitol Street NE / T Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Randolph Place NW	Southbound
North Capitol Street NE / Randolph Place NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / Florida Avenue NW	Southbound	Metrobus: 90, 92, P6
North Capitol Street NE / Florida Avenue NE	Northbound	Metrobus: 90, 92, P6
North Capitol Street NW / P Street NW	Southbound	Metrobus: P6
North Capitol Street NE / P Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: P6
North Capitol Street NW / N Street NW	Northbound	Metrobus: P6
North Capitol Street NW / Pierce Street NW	Southbound	Metrobus: P6
North Capitol Street NE / M Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: P6
North Capitol Street NW / K Street NW	Southbound	Metrobus: D4, P6
North Capitol Street NE / K Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: D4, P6
North Capitol Street NE / I Street NE	Northbound
North Capitol Street NW / H Street NW	Southbound	Metrobus: D8, X2, X9
North Capitol Street NE / H Street NE	Northbound	Metrobus: D8, X2, X9
North Capitol Street NE / Massachusetts Avenue NE Union Station	Northbound	Amtrak, VRE, MARC (at Union Station) Metrobus: 96, D6, D8, X2, X8, X9 Washington Metro: DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station   Congress Heights – Union Station   National Mall MTA Maryland Bus: 903, 922 Loudoun County Transit PRTC OmniRide
North Capitol Street NW / Massachusetts Avenue NW Union Station	Southbound	Amtrak, VRE, MARC (at Union Station) Metrobus: 96, D6, D8, X2, X8, X9 Washington Metro: DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station   Congress Heights – Union Station   National Mall MTA Maryland Bus: 903, 922 Loudoun County Transit PRTC OmniRide
Massachusetts Avenue NW / G Street NW	Bidirectional	Metrobus: 96
Massachusetts Avenue NW / New Jersey Avenue NW	Bidirectional	DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station
H Street NW / 5th Street NW	Southbound	Metrobus: X2
H Street NW / 4th Street NW	Northbound	Metrobus: X2
H Street NW / 6th Street NW	Bidirectional	Metrobus: X2
H Street NW / 7th Street NW Gallery Place-Chinatown	Bidirectional	Metrobus: 70, 74, 79, P6, X2, X9 Washington Metro:
H Street NW / 9th Street NW	Northbound	Metrobus: G8, P6, X2, X9
H Street NW / 11th Street NW Metro Center	Bidirectional	Metrobus: 54, 59, 63, 64, D6, G8, P6, S2, X2 Washington Metro:
H Street NW / 13th Street NW	Southbound Bidirectional (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3F, 3Y, 16Y, D6, G8, X2
K Street NW / 13th Street NW	Northbound	Metrobus: 3F, 3Y, 16Y, D6, S2, S9 DC Circulator   Woodley Park–Adams Morgan–McPherson Square Metro DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station
H Street NW / 14th Street NW McPherson Square	Northbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3F, 3Y, 16E, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 52, 54, 59, D4, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 DC Circulator   Woodley Park–Adams Morgan–McPherson Square Metro DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station Washington Metro:
Franklin Square Bus Bay A McPherson Square	Southbound	Metrobus: 3F, 3Y, 16E, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 52, 54, 59, D4, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 DC Circulator   Woodley Park–Adams Morgan–McPherson Square Metro DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station Washington Metro:
K Street NW / 14th Street NW McPherson Square	Northbound	Metrobus: 3F, 3Y, 16E, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 52, 54, 59, D4, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 DC Circulator   Woodley Park–Adams Morgan–McPherson Square Metro DC Circulator:   Georgetown–Union Station Washington Metro:
I Street NW / 15th Street NW McPherson Square	Southbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 11Y, 33, 36, 80, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 Washington Metro:
15th NW between I & K Streets NW McPherson Square	Northbound stop, Southbound terminal	Metrobus: 3Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 Washington Metro:
H Street NW / Madison Place NW McPherson Square	Northbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, D6, G8, S2, S9, X2 Washington Metro:
H Street NW / 17th Street NW (Northbound) I Street NW / 17th Street NW (Southbound) Farragut Square	Bidirectional (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 11Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 38B, D6, G8, L2, N2, N4, N6, X2 DC Circulator:   Georgetown – Union Station MTA Maryland Bus: 901, 902, 904, 905, 909, 950, 995 Loudoun County Transit PRTC OmniRide Washington Metro: (at Farragut West) (at Farragut North)
I Street NW / 18th Street NW Farragut West	Southbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 38B, D6, X2 PRTC OmniRide Washington Metro:
H Street NW / 18th Street NW Farragut West	Northbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 42, 43, D6, X2 MTA Maryland Bus: 305, 325 PRTC OmniRide Washington Metro:
I Street NW / 19th Street NW	Southbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 3Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 38B, D6, X2
I Street NW / 20th Street NW	Southbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 32, 33, 36, 38B, X2
Pennsylvania Avenue NW / 21st Street NW	Northbound (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 32, 33, 36, X2 DC Circulator:   Georgetown – Union Station
Pennsylvania Avenue NW / 22nd Street NW Foggy Bottom-GWU	Northbound stop, Southbound terminal (Late night & early morning only)	Metrobus: 32, 33, 36, 38B, X2 DC Circulator:   Georgetown – Union Station Washington Metro:

History

See also: College Park Line

Route 80 began service in 1872 as the North Capitol Street and College Park Line as a horsecar service.

The line was a mix of its current and the College Park Line, Operated along North Capitol Street and in College Park, Maryland via Brentwood.

After electric streetcars operated by the Metropolitan Railroad took over the city, the line was acquired in 1902 by the Washington Railway and Electric Company, which merged to become the Capital Traction Company in the 1930s, and operated as DC Transit after 1956. Just two years later on September 7, 1958, Routes 80 and 82 were abandoned, the first streetcar lines to be abandoned.^[3]

After DC Streetcars, Route 80 service on the North Capitol Street Streetcar Line, alongside 81 between Brookland & Potomac Park. it was later extended to Riggs Road NE, via 12th Street NE and South Dakota Avenue NE during the early 1970s although both routes were eventually truncated to the Fort Totten Metro Station on February 19, 1978, shortly after it opened.

Route 81 operated as a part of the Line until 1996/1997 when it became a part of the College Park Line, operating between Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood station and Cherry Hill via Greenbelt station.

As of September 5, 2021, the line stopped serving Kennedy Center and service was replaced by routes 42 and 43.^[4]

Early morning and late night service was extended to Foggy Bottom station on June 25, 2023.^[5]

As of December 17, 2023, the route now operates 24/7.^[6]

In WMATA's FY2025, they proposed terminating the route at Union Station instead of going to McPherson Square or Foggy Bottom-GWU, eliminating service on service along H Street, I Street, K Street, 15th Street, 13th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Massachusetts Avenue. It would also be proposed Route 80 would be moved into the 20-minute Frequent Service Network, rather than the 12-minute Frequent Service Network. Service would operate every 20 minutes or better from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week.^[7]

References

1. "Metrobus FY2023 Annual Line Performance Report" (PDF). wmata.com. April 27, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
2. "Metrobus Ridership Summary". wmata.com. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
3. Cohen, Bob. "Washington, D.C. Railroad Histor". Retrieved 23 June 2024.
4. "Improved frequency and changes to Metrobus service begin Sunday". Retrieved 2 March 2024.
5. "Metrobus Changes Begin Sunday". Retrieved 2 March 2024.
6. "Metrobus Changes Begin Sunday, December 17, 2023 with 24/7 DC Bus Service". Retrieved 2 March 2024.
7. "District of Columbia Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Metrobus Service Changes" (PDF). www.wmata.com. Retrieved 23 June 2024.