Waterfront Station - DC Metro
Green Line - station in Washington, DC.
About Waterfront station
Waterfront serves Southwest Washington, a compact quadrant of the city with a distinctive mid-century character and a rapidly changed riverfront. The Green Line station sits on M Street SW among the modernist apartment blocks and townhouse superblocks built in the urban renewal era, and it is the closest Metro stop to Arena Stage, one of the region’s major theater companies. The Wharf development along the Washington Channel, with its restaurants, concert hall and piers, is a walk west from here, though many visitors approach it from L’Enfant Plaza instead. Day to day the station is mostly local — residents, federal workers in the nearby offices, and theatergoers on performance evenings.
The area around Waterfront
Southwest is the smallest quadrant of Washington and the most architecturally unified, largely rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s as modernist apartment slabs and courtyard townhouses. It has a waterfront on the Washington Channel, a strong residential community and, since The Wharf opened, a much busier evening scene. Riders are residents, office workers and people heading to the theater or the water.
What is near Waterfront station?
Major regional theater company in the Mead Center on 6th Street SW, a few minutes from the station.
6 min walkWaterfront district on the Washington Channel with restaurants, piers, a music hall and public promenades.
11 min walkRiverside green space and promenade along the Washington Channel, with views across to East Potomac Park.
9 min walkThe long-running open-air seafood market at the north end of The Wharf, said to be the oldest continuously operating fish market in the country.
12 min walkFirst and last trains at Waterfront
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 | 5:30 am | 12:20 am |
| Mon-Thu | Greenbelt | 5:17 am | 11:56 pm |
| Fri | Branch Av | 5:30 am | 2:20 am |
| Fri | Greenbelt | 5:17 am | 1:56 am |
| Sat | Branch Av | 6:30 am | 2:20 am |
| Sat | Greenbelt | 6:16 am | 1:53 am |
| Sun | Branch Av | 6:30 am | 12:20 am |
| Sun | Greenbelt | 6:16 am | 11:52 pm |
Travel times and fares from Waterfront
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 12 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 5 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 2 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Union Station | 14 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Smithsonian | 9 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 17 min | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 65 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 12 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Branch Ave | 17 min | $4.35 | $2.50 |
| Greenbelt | 30 min | $6.55 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Waterfront
Waterfront is served by the Green Line only.
Parking at Waterfront
Tips for using Waterfront
- For The Wharf, this station and L’Enfant Plaza are both reasonable options — Waterfront is closer to the southern end of the development, L’Enfant Plaza to the northern end and the fish market.
- Arena Stage is the main evening draw here, so expect a small crowd on the platform after curtain.
- Nationals Park is a stop away on the Green Line at Navy Yard rather than a walk from this station.
Waterfront station FAQ
It is one of two sensible options. Waterfront is closer to the southern end of the development, while L’Enfant Plaza is closer to the northern end and the Municipal Fish Market. Either way it is a walk of roughly ten to twelve minutes.
About six minutes on foot, south and west toward 6th Street SW. It is the closest Metro station to the Mead Center and the usual route for audiences arriving by train.
It is possible but not the natural route — the ballpark is east across South Capitol Street. Navy Yard-Ballpark station, one stop east on the same Green Line, is the designated stop and puts you at the gates.
There is no Metro park-and-ride lot. Southwest has metered street parking and some private garages around The Wharf and the office buildings, but this is an inner-city station best reached by train, bus or on foot.