Capitol South Station - DC Metro
Blue Line, Orange Line and Silver Line - interchange station in Washington, DC.
About Capitol South station
For anyone visiting Congress, Capitol South is the station to use. It sits on First Street SE, a few minutes from the House office buildings, the Library of Congress and the south side of the Capitol grounds, and it is served by the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. Two entrances handle a rush that looks unlike anywhere else in the system: a dense weekday morning surge of congressional staff, interns and lobbyists, followed by a steady daytime flow of visitors heading for the Capitol Visitor Center. There is no station parking, which is unsurprising given the location. In summer the platform can be genuinely crowded with tour groups.
The area around Capitol South
This is Capitol Hill in its institutional form: House office buildings, the Library of Congress, congressional support agencies and the Supreme Court a few blocks north, giving way quickly to the brick rowhouse streets that give the neighborhood its name. East along Pennsylvania Avenue SE the character turns residential and commercial, with Eastern Market at its center. Riders are staffers, visitors and Hill residents in roughly equal measure.
What is near Capitol South station?
The seat of Congress, with the Capitol Visitor Center on the east front handling public tours and security screening.
10 min walkThe most ornate building in Washington, with the Great Hall and Main Reading Room open to visitors.
5 min walkThe marble courthouse facing the Capitol, with a public exhibition hall and courtroom seating when the Court sits.
8 min walkThe nearest congressional office buildings, where most House member and committee offices are located.
3 min walkA conservatory of tropical, desert and orchid collections at the foot of the Capitol grounds, free to enter.
10 min walkThe nineteenth-century public market hall with food vendors and a weekend outdoor market on Seventh Street SE.
11 min walkFirst and last trains at Capitol South
Departure times by direction. Which way you are traveling matters – the last train toward one terminal can be an hour before the last train the other way.
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Downtown Largo | 5:46 am | 12:09 am |
| Mon-Thu | Franconia-Springfield | 5:14 am | 11:44 pm |
| Fri | Downtown Largo | 5:46 am | 2:09 am |
| Fri | Franconia-Springfield | 5:14 am | 1:44 am |
| Sat | Downtown Largo | 6:42 am | 2:07 am |
| Sat | Franconia-Springfield | 6:14 am | 1:42 am |
| Sun | Downtown Largo | 6:46 am | 12:09 am |
| Sun | Franconia-Springfield | 6:14 am | 11:42 pm |
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | New Carrollton | 5:36 am | 12:07 am |
| Mon-Thu | Vienna | 5:19 am | 11:57 pm |
| Fri | New Carrollton | 5:36 am | 2:07 am |
| Fri | Vienna | 5:19 am | 1:57 am |
| Sat | New Carrollton | 6:35 am | 2:02 am |
| Sat | Vienna | 6:19 am | 1:57 am |
| Sat | West Falls Church | 10:15 pm | 10:15 pm |
| Sun | New Carrollton | 6:36 am | 12:07 am |
| Sun | Vienna | 6:19 am | 11:57 pm |
| Sun | West Falls Church | 10:15 pm | 10:15 pm |
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Ashburn | 5:22 am | 11:49 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Downtown Largo | 5:40 am | 12:17 am |
| Mon-Thu | New Carrollton | 5:44 am | 12:02 am |
| Fri | Ashburn | 5:22 am | 1:49 am |
| Fri | Downtown Largo | 5:40 am | 2:17 am |
| Fri | New Carrollton | 5:44 am | 2:02 am |
| Sat | Ashburn | 6:21 am | 1:51 am |
| Sat | Downtown Largo | 6:44 am | 2:16 am |
| Sat | New Carrollton | 6:30 am | 1:57 am |
| Sun | Ashburn | 6:21 am | 11:51 pm |
| Sun | Downtown Largo | 6:44 am | 12:17 am |
| Sun | New Carrollton | 6:32 am | 11:57 pm |
Travel times and fares from Capitol South
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 9 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 12 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 4 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Union Station | 20 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Smithsonian | 6 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 19 min | $2.75 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 62 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 14 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Downtown Largo | 20 min | $5.05 | $2.50 |
| Franconia-Springfield | 42 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Capitol South
Parking at Capitol South
Tips for using Capitol South
- For a Capitol tour, allow extra time – the Visitor Center entrance is on the east front, on the far side of the building from this station.
- House office buildings are the closest destination from here; Senate offices are closer to Union Station on the Red Line.
- Three lines share this platform, so trains are frequent, but check the destination sign since Blue, Orange and Silver split west of downtown.
Capitol South station FAQ
Both entrances put you on First Street SE. From there, walk north past the House office buildings and around to the east front of the Capitol, where the Visitor Center entrance is located. Allow around ten minutes plus time for security screening.
Yes. The Thomas Jefferson Building is about a five minute walk north on First Street SE, and the Madison and Adams buildings are equally close. It is the most convenient station for both visitors and researchers using the Library reading rooms.
The Blue, Orange and Silver lines all serve Capitol South, which makes service here frequent throughout the day. All three run west through L Enfant Plaza and Federal Triangle before separating in Virginia, so check the train destination before boarding.
Capitol South is closer to the House side and the Library of Congress; Union Station is closer to the Senate office buildings and the north side of the Capitol grounds. For the Capitol Visitor Center itself the two are broadly comparable in walking time.