DC Metro: Map, Fares, Hours and Live Status
An independent guide to all six Metrorail lines and 98 stations - what a trip costs, when the trains run, and how to get where you are going.
Service monitoring
Washington DC Metro status
Service status · updated in real time
Shady Grove ↔ Glenmont
Downtown Largo ↔ Franconia-Springfield
New Carrollton ↔ Vienna/Fairfax-GMU
Downtown Largo ↔ Ashburn / New Carrollton
Branch Ave ↔ Greenbelt
Huntington ↔ Greenbelt
How much does the DC Metro cost?
DC is unusual: the Metro does not charge one flat fare. What you pay depends on how far you travel and what time it is, so the same journey can cost anywhere from $2.25 to $6.75. After 9:30 pm and all weekend, fares are capped at $2.50 however far you go.
The DC Metro map
Six lines, colored red, blue, orange, silver, green and yellow. Three of them – Blue, Orange and Silver – share one track right across downtown, and Green and Yellow share everything from L’Enfant Plaza northward. That is why the middle of the map looks busier than the number of lines suggests.
The six DC Metro lines
RD
OR
BL
GR
YL
SVPopular DC Metro trips
Times and fares below come straight from WMATA’s published station-to-station table.
| Trip | Time | Peak fare |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport → Metro Center Airport to downtown | 17 min | $2.85 |
| Metro Center → Smithsonian Downtown to the National Mall | 3 min | $2.25 |
| Union Station → L'Enfant Plaza Amtrak to the southwest federal district | 12 min | $2.25 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport → Metro Center Dulles to downtown on the Silver Line | 53 min | $6.75 |
| Metro Center → Arlington Cemetery Downtown to Arlington Cemetery | 9 min | $2.25 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown → Navy Yard-Ballpark Chinatown to the ballpark | 7 min | $2.25 |
| Vienna/Fairfax-GMU → Farragut West Classic Virginia commute | 27 min | $6.75 |
| Shady Grove → Union Station End of the Red Line to Amtrak | 42 min | $6.75 |
Times and fares as published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
When does the DC Metro run?
| Day | Trains run |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 5:00 am to midnight |
| Friday | 5:00 am to 2:00 am |
| Saturday | 6:00 am to 2:00 am |
| Sunday | 6:00 am to midnight |
Those are the system-wide opening and closing times. The first and last train at your own station will differ – each station page on this site lists them by direction and by day.
Getting in from the airport
Two of the three Washington airports sit directly on the Metro. Reagan National has its own station on the Blue and Yellow lines, a covered walk from the terminals. Dulles is the western end of the Silver Line. BWI is not on the Metro at all – that one needs a train or a bus.
Frequently asked questions about the DC Metro
It depends on distance and time of day. Fares start at $2.25 and rise to $6.75 for the longest weekday trips. After 9:30 pm on weekdays and all day at weekends, no trip costs more than $2.50. Our fare calculator gives the exact price between any two stations.
Monday to Thursday the last trains run around midnight, Friday and Saturday around 2 am, and Sunday around midnight. The exact last train depends on your station and direction – the closing time is when the system shuts, not when the last train passes your platform. Each station page lists its own last train.
Not any more. You can tap a contactless credit or debit card, or a phone or watch, straight at the faregate and pay the same fare. A physical Smart Trip card costs $2.00 and is still useful if you want to load cash or claim the rider parking rate.
Reagan National Airport is on the Blue and Yellow lines and has its own station beside terminals. Dulles International is the far western end of the Silver Line. BWI Marshall is not served by Metro; it is reached by MARC or Amtrak from Union Station.
Every Metrorail station has at least one elevator and all are designed to be ADA accessible. Elevators do go out of service, and WMATA publishes live elevator and escalator outages – check wmata.com before you travel if a working elevator is essential to your trip.
Luggage is fine and the airport stations are used for exactly that. Bicycles are allowed on trains at all times, though it is courteous to avoid the busiest rush-hour trains and to use the last car where possible.
The Red Line is the most frequent, roughly every 4 to 6 minutes during the day. Green and Yellow run about every 6 minutes, and Blue, Orange and Silver about every 12. Frequencies drop after 9:30 pm. Each line page has the full breakdown by day and time.
No. metrowashington.org is an independent guide with no connection to WMATA. We publish WMATA’s own data and say where each figure comes from, but for live service and the final word on fares you should always check wmata.com.