Routes 42 and 43 operate at nearly all hours of the day during the week, with slightly reduced hours on weekends. Route 43 operates between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily operating every other trip alongside the 42. Both routes operate out of Western division.
Routes 42 and 43 begin at Mount Pleasant Street NW and 17th Street NW in Mount Pleasant. They head south-southwest on Mount Pleasant Street NW, then southwest on Columbia Road NW, then south on Connecticut Avenue NW towards Dupont Circle. Route 42 travels around the circle, providing access to the Dupont Circle station on Metro's Red Line at both Q Street and just south of the circle. Route 43 travels through the Connecticut Avenue underpass, bypassing these two stops and a northbound stop at R Street. The routes then continue to Farragut Square, traveling through Potomac Park before terminating at the Kennedy Center.
Both routes began at Mount Pleasant and ran to H Street, turning east there, south on 14th Street NW, and east on F Street NW along the F Street Line. At 5th Street NW, Route 40 turned south, continuing east around the north side of the Capitol and along East Capitol Street to 15th Street NE, while Route 42 turned north and east past Union Station on the East Washington Line, ending at D Street NE and 13th Street NE. Route 40 ran east to Seat Pleasant via East Capitol Street NE, Southern Avenue NE, 63rd Street NE, Eastern Avenue NE, 61st Street NE, Dix Street NE, 63rd Street NE, Southern Avenue NE, and East Capitol Street NE.[2]
The Route 40 and 42 streetcar lines were replaced by buses: Route 42 on December 3, 1961, and 40 on January 28, 1962.[2]
On February 4, 1973, the 40 and 42 were acquired by WMATA when they acquired DC Transit and three bus companies that operated throughout the Washington metropolitan area and merged them into the Metrobus system.[3]
On January 17, 1977, when Dupont Circle station opened, routes 40 and 42 served the Dupont Circle station in the middle of their routes.
On September 24, 1978, route 42 was extended southeast of its original terminus at the intersection of D and 13th Street NE in Kingman Park to instead terminate at the new Stadium–Armory station; route 40 began serving the new station. Routes 40 and 42 also went through another minor rerouting to serve the District of Columbia General Hospital next to Stadium Armory.[4]
A new route 44 was introduced to operate parallel to route 42 between Stadium–Armory station and Mount Pleasant, in order to provide additional service on the Mount Pleasant Line between those two points. Also routes 45 and 46 were introduced and also operated alongside the 40, 42, and 44. Route 45 operated between Mount Pleasant and the Bureau of Engraving and route 46 operated between Mount Pleasant and the Kennedy Center.[4]
On January 4, 1981, roughly two months after the Capitol Heights station opened, route 40 was truncated to only operate between Mount Pleasant and Capitol Heights station, via Metro Center, Washington Union Station, and Stadium–Armory station. The segment of 40's routing between Capitol Heights station and the former terminus in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, was replaced by route F14. Route U8 also began operating on the particular segment of routes 42 and 44 between Seat Pleasant and Capitol Heights station, during the early 1990s once it was introduced. No changes were made to the 42, 44, 45, 46 Metrobus Routes, which operated as part of the Mount Pleasant Line.[5]
Between the 1980s and 1990s, route 45 was discontinued and replaced by routes 40, 42, 44, and 46.
On December 28, 2008, a new route 43 was introduced to operate alongside 42 between Mount Pleasant and Farragut Square, skipping Dupont Circle station via the Connecticut Avenue underpass. Route 43 began operating during the weekday peak-hours in the peak direction to alleviate crowding on the 42.[7]
In 2019, WMATA proposed to add daily service on Route 43, which alternated with Route 42 trips serving Dupont Circle. Route 42 would continue to operate early mornings and late nights daily, and evenings on Sundays only.[8][9]
The changes were recommended in a WMATA technical memorandum of October 2018: "Metrobus Service Evaluation Study: Mount Pleasant Line: 42, 43 and Connecticut Avenue Line: L1, L2."[10] The memo also said that sending more buses under Dupont Circle would avoid congestion and reduce travel time for passengers continuing past Dupont Circle in each direction. THe memo also suggested altering running time to provide a more realistic schedule and to reach at least 80% on-time performance. Recent on-time performance for the line was:
December 2018-June 2019 Average Percent of Buses On-Time
Route
Weekday
Saturday
Sunday
42 Northbound
70.1%
75.9%
73.6%
42 Southbound
76.3%
81.0%
77.9%
43 Northbound
61.0%
-
-
43 Southbound
85.8%
-
-
During the COVID-19 pandemic, route 43 was suspended and route 42 was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule during the weekdays beginning on March 16, 2020.[11] On March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule.[12] Weekend service was later suspended on March 21, 2020.[13]
On August 23, 2020, route 43 was extended to Gallery Place station and Metro Center station via the 42 routing along H Street, I Street, 9th Street, F Street, and 11th Street. Route 43 also added daily service operating every other trip from the 42, travelling underneath Dupont Circle and skipping Dupont Circle station. Service will run between 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.[14]
In February 2021 during the FY2022 budget, WMATA proposed to eliminate the 42 and 43 routing between Farragut Square and Gallery Place station due to alternative services. It however would operate every 12 minutes daily.[15]
On September 5, 2021, Routes 42 and 43 were rerouted to operate to the Kennedy Center via 18th Street, 19th Street, and Virginia Avenue NW to replace Route 80 service. Service to Gallery Place and Metro Center was eliminated.[16]
Related Research Articles
The Pennsylvania Avenue Line, designated Routes 32 and 36, is a daily Metrobus route in Washington, D.C., Operating between the Southern Avenue station or Naylor Road station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro and Potomac Park. Until the 1960s, it was a streetcar line, opened in 1862 by the Washington and Georgetown Railroad as the first line in the city.
The Connecticut Avenue Line, designated Route L2, is a daily bus route in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States. The L2 operates seven days a week.
The Kenilworth Avenue Line, designated Route R12, is a bus route that operates Monday to Saturday that is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Greenbelt station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro and Deanwood station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 30 minutes during peak hours and 60 minutes other times. Trips are roughly 45 minutes.
The Queens Chapel Road Line, designated Route R4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between the Highview Apartment Complex in Hyattsville, Maryland and Brookland–CUA station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 20–35 minutes during peak hours, 70 minutes during midday service and 65–70 minutes on the weekends. R4 trips are roughly 30 minutes.
The Friendship Heights–Southeast Line, designated as Routes 30N or 30S, were daily bus routes operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Friendship Heights station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Naylor Road station or Southern Avenue station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro. Both lines operated every 60 minutes at all times. Trips were roughly 90 minutes long. This line provided service from Friendship Heights, operating through most of NW and SE DC and ending in Southern Prince Georges County via a one bus ride. Extra services are provided by the 32, 34, and 36 in Southeast and 31 and 33 in Northwest. Service was eliminated on September 5, 2021 due to redundancy.
The Chillum Road Line, designated as Route F1 is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Cheverly station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Takoma station of the Red Line. The line operates every 25–38 minutes during peak hours, 60 minutes during weekday off peak hours, and 58–62 minutes on the weekends. Trips roughly take 50–60 minutes.
The Sheriff Road-River Terrace Line, designated as Route U4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Minnesota Avenue station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro & Sheriff Road NE & Lee Street NE or 33rd Street NE & Blaine Street NE. Route U4 operates every 13-15 minutes during peak hours, and 30 minutes at all other times. Route U4 trips roughly take 30 minutes.
The Benning Heights–Alabama Avenue Line, designated Route V7, V8, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Minnesota Avenue station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Congress Heights station (V7) of the Green Line of the Washington Metro or the neighborhood of Benning Heights (V8). The line operates every 25-30 minutes at all times. Route V7 trips are roughly 45 minutes while route V8 trips are roughly 15 minutes.
The Bladensburg Road-Anacostia Line, designated as Route B2, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Anacostia station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro & Mount Rainier Terminal in Mount Rainier. Route B2 operates every 10 - 20 minutes at all times. B2 trips are roughly 56 minutes to complete.
The East Capitol Street–Cardozo Line, designated Route 96, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Tenleytown-AU station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Capitol Heights station of the Blue and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 20–30 minutes at all times. Route 96 trips are roughly 80 minutes long.
The Hospital Center Line, designated Route D8, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Washington Union Station and MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The line operates every 20-30 minutes at all times. Route D8 trips are roughly 45 minutes.
The Capitol Heights–Minnesota Avenue Line, designated Route V2, V4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Capitol Heights station of the Blue and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro and Anacostia station (V2) or Navy Yard–Ballpark station (V4) of the Green Line of the Washington Metro. The line runs every 12–24 minutes during the day and 20–40 minutes at all other times. Trips take roughly 45–50 minutes.
The Benning Road Line, designated Route X1, X3 is a weekday peak hour only bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Minnesota Avenue station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Foggy Bottom–GWU station of the Orange, Blue, and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro (X1) or Duke Ellington Bridge in Adams Morgan (X3). The line operates every 10–31 minutes during weekday peak hours in the peak direction only. X1 trips are roughly 41 minutes while X3 trips are roughly 45 minutes. All service along the X1 and X3 lines is currently suspended.
The Deanwood–Alabama Avenue Line, designated Route W4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Deanwood station of the Orange Line of the Washington Metro and Anacostia station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 12 minutes daily between 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM and 20 minutes other times. Route W4 trips are roughly 60 minutes long.
The Sibley Hospital–Stadium Armory Line, designated Route D6, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Stadium–Armory station of the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines of the Washington Metro and Sibley Hospital in the Palisades neighborhood. The line operates every 15 minutes during the weekday peak hours, 20 minutes during the off-peak hours, and 30-40 minutes during the late nights. Route D6 trips are roughly 60-90 minutes long.
The Glover Park–Franklin Square Line, designated Route D1, is a weekday peak hour bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Glover Park and Franklin Square. The line operates in the weekday peak direction only every 8-20 minutes during the AM weekday peak hours and 30 minutes during the PM peak hours. Route D1 trips are roughly 40 minutes long.
The Glover Park–Dupont Circle Line, designated Route D2, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Glover Park and Dupont Circle station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 20-24 minutes during the day and every 40 minutes during the evening. Route D2 trips are roughly 20 minutes long.
The Crosstown Line, designated Routes H2 and H4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Brookland–CUA station and Tenleytown–AU station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 24 minutes between 7AM and 9PM, and 20 - 40 minutes after 9PM at a combined frequency of 12 minutes during the day and, 20 minutes during the late nights. Trips roughly take 48 minutes to complete.
The Ivy City–Franklin Square Line, designated Route D4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Ivy City and Franklin Square. The line operates every 17-20 minutes during the weekday peak-hours, and 30-35 minutes at all other times. Route D4 trips are roughly 32 minutes.
The Massachusetts Avenue Line, designated Route N2, N4, N6, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Friendship Heights station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Farragut Square in Downtown Washington DC. The line operates every 27 minutes during the weekdays and 40 minutes on weekends. Trips take roughly 45 minutes to complete.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
