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Public transportation in Washington state
The city is divided into four sectors - northeast (NE), northwest (NW), southeast (SE), southwest (SW). These areas are located around the city center - the Pentagon. Addresses in Washington DC include the above destinations.
See also:🔗National Mall - Washington Monument | Washington, DC
Transportation in washington d.c - Wikipedia
The transportation system is well developed in Washington. It is convenient and simple at the same time. The main public transport is metro and buses. Although it would be correct to include bicycles here as well.
The metropolitan metro has a fairly long length, and in terms of loading it is second only to the metro in New York. The bus network is also well developed and serves not only city routes, but also district ones. Cycling has become widespread in Washington, DC, which can be rented in many parts of the city at specially prepared stations. Bicycle rental is possible for different times, for example, for a day, five days, or even a month and a year.
Modern Washington has the highest quality roads. There is very dense traffic on them at any time of the day, since most residents have personal cars at their disposal and do not need much public transport. Guests of Washington are offered car rental for a certain period, and at a very reasonable price.
See also:🔗washington, d.c. attractions | 30 best places to must-visit in Washington state
• Metro
The Washington Metro has 6 lines. They got their names from the names of colors - yellow, red, blue, orange, green and silver.
A characteristic feature of the metro is that all of its lines start in the suburbs of the capital and intersect in the center. There are a total of nine official transfer stations, although transfers can be made at some more stations. Among the official interchange stations, one should highlight L 'Enfant Plaza, which is located next to the main museums and where four lines intersect: Gallery Place - Chinatown - located in the area of the National Museum of American Art and is the intersection of three subway lines Metro Center, located next to the White House. The distance between the last two stations is easily covered on foot in just 5 minutes, and L 'Enfant Plaza is located within 1 kilometer from them.
The interval between trains is approximately 15 minutes. Schedules, line diagrams and other information can be found at information stands at the entrance to the metro or from the station attendant. Traffic increases during rush hour. In addition, two more cars are added to the four cars. But this does not always help. So, in the evening rush hours in downtown Washington, it is worth a lot of effort to get on the train. At normal times, the trains are free. It is worth paying attention to such a feature of the Washington metro as the use of two trains at the same time at most stations. Therefore, when a train arrives at the boarding platform, be sure to make sure that this is your train by looking at its color, which is applied as a designation to the first and last carriage. This allows people to hop on other lines without having to change trains in the city center. Additionally, visual information about the terminal station of this train is provided. It can be seen on every trailer.
Of course, the metro is a very fast way to get around Washington. Most of the trips last no more than 15–20 minutes. You can cross the city from one suburban area to another in one hour. True, there is a small "but" - subway trains do not go to all areas of the capital. However, this gap is more than compensated for by bus routes.
Opening hours:
On weekdays, the metro starts working at 5:00, on weekends - at 7:00; closes at 24:00 Monday through Thursday and Sundays, and runs until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays. It is worth noting that the last trains leave the terminal stations half an hour before the end of the movement.
Tickets:
The Washington Metro (like buses) has different fares depending on the time of day and days of the week. On weekdays from the opening of the metro until 9:30 and from 15:00 to 19:00, and on weekends from midnight, the fare will be from 2.25 to 6 dollars. The rest of the time, travel will cost from $ 2 to $ 3.85.
However, it is worth remembering that when buying regular tickets, you need to make an additional payment of $ 1. There is no surcharge when using the Smart Trip contactless card. Smart Trip can be ordered from the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority website. Moreover, when changing from bus to metro and vice versa with a SmartTrip card, the passenger pays a reduced amount.
There are also several passes for an unlimited number of trips - a regular pass can be bought from vending machines, and a Smart Trip can be added to a Smart Trip card online at the above website:
- 1-day pass - $ 13.
- 7-day pass - $ 58 (only for Smart Trip card holders).
- 7-Day Short Travel Pass - $ 38
- 28-day pass — $ 176 (for Smart Trip card holders only).
• Buses:
There are many buses in the city. All of them are very comfortable, therefore, movement in them is convenient. The bus cabin has air conditioning and good seating.
The fare is paid directly to the driver. Passenger service is provided by Metrobus, which covers 176 city routes.
Buses do not run as often as the metro, but this is quite enough to solve problems with the transportation of people. The company offers two types of routes - regular and express (J7, J9, P17, P19, W13, W19, 11Y, 17A, 17B, 17G, 17H, 17K, 17L, 17M, 18E, 18G, 18H, 18P, 29E, 29G, 29H, 29X).
Tickets:
One trip - $ 2 (with Smart Trip).
Express Buses - $ 4.25 (with Smart Trip) In May 2006, DC Circulator began transporting passengers in the central part of the city . It looks more like a minibus, and the price of the trip is $ 1.
The bus fleet is also actively used for intercity transportation. This is a comfortable mode of transport, which, in addition to excellent seats, has decent luggage compartments. The fare for commuter buses is the same on weekdays and weekends. But there is an opportunity to save money - for this, you should book a ticket in advance and the price of a trip on a weekday will be reduced by about 40%.
🔗Buy a ticket for the Hop-on Hop-off Bus Washington Buy on
• Railway transport
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It is the least popular form of transportation in the US capital. There are several reasons for this. First, it is inconvenient. Secondly, it is expensive. But with all this, modern trains run around the capital. For example, on suburban routes, double-decker trains of excellent quality run. True, the cost of travel in it is extremely high, and it takes longer in terms of time.
In some cases, the use of commuter trains will be convenient. They are mainly suitable for travel to the two states surrounding Washington - Maryland and Virginia. The terminal station for both routes is Union Station. There are very few stops within the city limits, and they are all tied to metro stations. The fact is that the main task of such trains is to provide normal and uninterrupted communication between Washington and nearby cities with suburbs. It is the least popular form of transportation in the US capital. There are several reasons for this.
The price of these trains is 2-3 times higher, so it is not profitable to ride them exclusively around the city, well, except in case of emergency. There are no commuter trains on weekends.
• Airports:
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There are three airports in Washington DC. The main air gateway to the city is Dulles Airport, which is located 25 kilometers from the capital and which receives air liners from Russia. The easiest way to get there is by taking the subway (West Falls Church station) on the orange line. You can take the 5A express bus, which costs $ 7. There are also shuttles departing from the city from the Wiehle-Reston East station. The interval between flights to the airport is 15 minutes. The journey takes about 10 minutes. A one-way ticket costs $5.
The next most important airport is the R. Reagan National Airport. It is spread out, not surprisingly, practically in the middle of the city. It can be reached by metro (blue or yellow lines), the stop is called National Airport. It serves only domestic flights to other cities in the United States and partially to Canada.
Another airport is located near Baltimore and is called the Baltimore and Washington International Airport, from which you can get to the Greenbelt metro station by express bus B30 (fare - $ 6). There is also a regular free shuttle bus service from the airport to BWI Airport train station, from where there is a commuter train service to Washington DC. Travel time will be approximately 25 - 35 minutes. Long-distance trains also go through this station, but using them is extremely unprofitable. A taxi from the airport to the center costs an average of $ 60.
• Taxi
You can order an individual transfer to the airport or another city using the dctaxionline.com service.
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National Mall - Washington Monument | Washington, DC
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