The Pennsylvania Avenue Limited Line, designated Route 39 was a limited weekday peak-hour only MetroExtra route that operated between Naylor Road station of the Green Line of the Washington Metro and Potomac Park. The route gave limited stop service to local Metrobus routes 32, 34, and 36.
| 39 | |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania Avenue Limited Line | |
 | |
 Route 39 route at Federal Triangle | |
| Overview | |
| System | Metrobus |
| Operator | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
| Garage | Andrews Federal Center, Shepherd Parkway |
| Status | Eliminated |
| Began service | June 29, 2008 |
| Ended service | September 5, 2021 |
| Route | |
| Locale | Prince George's County, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest |
| Communities served | Foggy Bottom, Federal Triangle, Capitol Hill, Downtown, Barney Circle, Fairlawn, Good Hope, Naylor Gardens, Hillcrest |
| Landmarks served | Potomac Park, Foggy Bottom-GWU station, White House, Federal Triangle, Archives station, National Mall, U.S. Capitol, Capitol South station, Eastern Market station, L’Enfant Square, Hillcrest, Naylor Road station |
| Start | Potomac Park |
| Via | Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Avenue |
| End | Naylor Road station |
| Service | |
| Level | Midday weekdays only |
| Transfers | SmarTrip only |
Route
editThe line operated along the Pennsylvania Avenue Line, mainly the 36 while only serving a few stops of the line. After Pennsylvania Avenue, the line went its separate ways from the 36 and followed the F14 along Southern Avenue. Similar to their local counterpart, Route 39 was supplemented by the now eliminated Wisconsin Avenue Limited Line, operated by route 37.
The line operated out of the Andrews Federal Center division with some trips operating out of Shepherd Parkway.
Stops
edit| Bus stop | Direction | Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | ||
| Virginia Avenue NW / E Street NW Potomac Park |
Eastbound stop, Westbound terminal |
 Metrobus: 11Y, 31, 32, 36, 42, 43
|
| 23rd Street NW / I Street NW Foggy Bottom station |
Bidirectional | Metrobus: 31, 32, 36,  Washington Metro:   
|
| H Street NW / 17th Street NW Farragut Square |
Eastbound | Metrobus: 3Y, 11Y, 16Y, 33, 36, 38B, 80, 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) |
| H Street NW / 18th Street NW Farragut Square |
Westbound | Metrobus: 3Y, 11Y, 16Y, 33, 36, 38B, 80, 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) |
| H Street NW / Madison Place NW McPherson Square station |
Eastbound | Metrobus: 11Y, 32, 33, 36, 80, G8, S2, S9, X2 Washington Metro:
|
| I Street NW / 15th Street NW McPherson Square station |
Westbound | Metrobus: 11Y, 32, 33, 36, 80, G8, S2, S9, X2 Washington Metro:
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue NW / 13th Street NW Federal Triangle station |
Eastbound | Metrobus: 31, 32, 36 Washington Metro:
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue NW / 12th Street NW Federal Triangle station |
Westbound | Metrobus: 31, 32, 36 Washington Metro:
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue NW / 7th Street NW Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter |
Bidirectional | Metrobus: 31, 32, 36, 70, 74, 79, P6 Washington Metro:  
|
| Independence Avenue NW / 6th Street NW | Eastbound | Metrobus: 32, 36
|
| Independence Avenue NW / 4th Street NW | Westbound | Metrobus: 32, 36
|
| Independence Avenue NW / 3rd Street NW | Eastbound | Metrobus: 32, 36
|
| Independence Avenue SE / 1st Street SE Capitol South |
Bidirectional | Metrobus: 32, 36 Washington Metro:
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue SE / 8th Street SE Eastern Market station |
Bidirectional | Metrobus: 32, 36, 90, 92 Washington Metro:
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue SE / L'Enfant Square SE | Bidirectional | Metrobus: 32, 36 B2 M6, V2, V4
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue SE / 30th Street SE | Bidirectional | Metrobus: 36, M6,
|
| Pennsylvania Avenue SE / Branch Avenue SE | Bidirectional | Metrobus: 36, M6,
|
| Prince George's County, Maryland | ||
| Southern Avenue / Suitland Road | Bidirectional | Metrobus: F14, M6,
|
| Branch Avenue / Southern Avenue | Bidirectional | Metrobus: F14
|
| Naylor Road station Bus Bay F |
Westbound stop, Eastbound terminal |
Metrobus: 36 C12, C14, F14, H12 TheBus: 32 Washington Metro:
|
History
editRoute 39 originally operated as the Friendship Heights-Van Ness-UDC Line and operated between Friendship Heights station and Van Ness-UDC station.[1]
The line was reincarnated and began service on June 29, 2008, replacing routes 30, 34, and 39 along with routes 31 and 37. The route only operated up to Foggy Bottom-GWU station.[2]
On December 15, 2019, the route was to travel across the National Mall along 4th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Independence Avenue SW to improve safety and provide more direct service. Routing along 7th Street was discontinued.[3]
In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, WMATA suspended all 39 service on March 16, 2020.[4]
Elimination
editDuring the suspension, WMATA proposed to eliminate Route 39 on their FY2021 budget.[5] WMATA backed out of the proposal in April of said year.[6] However, on September 5, 2021, the route was eliminated.[7] Service is now only provided by local routes 32 and 36 with route 34 eliminated as well.
References
edit- ^ "Metro Sets Shuttle Bus Link For SE Residents". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Metro launches major overhaul of 30s Metrobus line". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Metrobus Service Changes Beginning Sunday, December 15, 2019". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Metro announces additional COVID-19 changes, including reduced service beginning Monday". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Metrobus Service Changes, August 23". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Metro Backs Away From Significant Bus Service Cuts". WAMU 88.5. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Metro Service Is Increasing On Sunday, But Some People's Routines Will Still Be Upended". dcist. Retrieved 30 May 2024.