Southern Avenue Station - DC Metro
Green Line - station in Hillcrest Heights, MD.
About Southern Avenue station
Southern Avenue is a commuter station first and foremost. It sits just over the District line in Prince George’s County, with a large surface parking lot and bus bays wrapped around an above-ground Green Line platform. Most of the people using it are driving in from the surrounding Maryland neighborhoods or connecting from a bus, then riding north through Anacostia and across the river toward downtown. There is very little here in the way of destination — no museums, no shopping district, no nightlife — and the honest description is a well-connected park-and-ride serving a residential part of the county. If that is what you need, it works well, with plenty of spaces and a straight run into the center of the city.
The area around Southern Avenue
The station takes its name from Southern Avenue, the road that forms the boundary between the District and Prince George’s County. The surrounding area is residential — single-family homes, garden apartments and small commercial strips along the main roads. Riders here are overwhelmingly local commuters heading into DC for work, plus students and shift workers using the bus connections.
First and last trains at Southern Avenue
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 | Branch Av | 5:40 am | 12:30 am |
| Mon-Thu | Greenbelt | 5:08 am | 11:47 pm |
| Fri | Branch Av | 5:40 am | 2:30 am |
| Fri | Greenbelt | 5:08 am | 1:47 am |
| Sat | Branch Av | 6:39 am | 2:29 am |
| Sat | Greenbelt | 6:08 am | 1:44 am |
| Sun | Branch Av | 6:40 am | 12:30 am |
| Sun | Greenbelt | 6:08 am | 11:43 pm |
Travel times and fares from Southern Avenue
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 21 min | $3.35 | $2.50 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 14 min | $3.30 | $2.50 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 11 min | $2.90 | $2.50 |
| Union Station | 23 min | $3.40 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 18 min | $3.10 | $2.50 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 26 min | $3.80 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 74 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 21 min | $3.60 | $2.50 |
| Branch Ave | 8 min | $2.70 | $2.50 |
| Greenbelt | 39 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Southern Avenue
Southern Avenue is served by the Green Line only.
Parking at Southern Avenue
Tips for using Southern Avenue
- This is a large park-and-ride with just under two thousand spaces, but the lot still fills on weekday mornings — arrive early if you need a spot.
- The bus bays handle a good share of the station’s traffic; if you are connecting, check the bay signage before heading to the platform.
- Green Line trains from here run north through Anacostia and under the river to L’Enfant Plaza, which is the usual transfer point for the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines.
Southern Avenue station FAQ
The station has close to two thousand parking spaces, making it one of the larger park-and-ride facilities on the southern end of the Green Line. Daily parking fees apply on weekdays; check wmata.com for current rates and hours before you travel.
It is in Maryland, just across the District boundary in the Hillcrest Heights area of Prince George’s County. The name comes from Southern Avenue, the street that marks the DC-Maryland line at this point.
Not much beyond the immediate residential streets and a few small commercial strips along the main roads. This is a station built for driving and bus connections rather than for walking to destinations, and it is honest to plan around that.
Ride the Green Line north. It runs through Anacostia and Navy Yard, crosses the river to L’Enfant Plaza, and continues up through Gallery Place and Mount Vernon Square. L’Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place are the main transfer points for other lines.