Medical Center Station - DC Metro
Red Line - station in Bethesda, MD.
About Medical Center station
Built to serve two of the largest medical institutions in the country, Medical Center is a working hospital and research station rather than a neighborhood one. The National Institutes of Health campus and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center face each other across Rockville Pike, and the station sits between them. It is one of the deepest stations on the Red Line, which is why high-speed elevators were added alongside the escalators – a genuinely useful detail if you are traveling with luggage, a wheelchair or a patient. Traffic is steady all day rather than sharply peaked, because hospital shifts, appointments and research schedules do not follow office hours. Three entrances distribute riders on both sides of the Pike.
The area around Medical Center
North Bethesda’s medical corridor: enormous institutional campuses, related office and lab buildings, and hotels catering to patients and visiting families. Residential Bethesda begins a short distance away but the immediate blocks are dominated by security gates and medical infrastructure. Users skew toward staff, researchers, patients and their relatives rather than downtown commuters.
What is near Medical Center station?
The federal biomedical research campus; visitors must pass through a security check at the gate, so allow extra time.
4 min walkThe military medical center on the opposite side of Rockville Pike, with its own controlled entry procedures.
4 min walkThe research hospital inside the NIH campus where clinical trial patients are seen; a further walk once past the gate.
12 min walkFirst and last trains at Medical Center
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 | Glenmont | 5:15 am | 11:46 pm |
| Mon-Thu | Shady Grove | 5:26 am | 12:29 am |
| Fri | Glenmont | 5:15 am | 1:46 am |
| Fri | Shady Grove | 5:26 am | 2:29 am |
| Sat | Glenmont | 6:15 am | 1:46 am |
| Sat | Shady Grove | 6:32 am | 2:29 am |
| Sun | Glenmont | 6:15 am | 11:46 pm |
| Sun | Shady Grove | 6:38 am | 12:29 am |
Travel times and fares from Medical Center
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 20 min | $4.55 | $2.50 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 22 min | $4.65 | $2.50 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 30 min | $5.05 | $2.50 |
| Union Station | 26 min | $5.00 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 28 min | $4.85 | $2.50 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 40 min | $6.35 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 78 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 35 min | $5.65 | $2.50 |
| Shady Grove | 16 min | $5.10 | $2.50 |
| Glenmont | 51 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Medical Center
Medical Center is served by the Red Line only.
Parking at Medical Center
Tips for using Medical Center
- Use the elevators rather than the escalators if you have luggage or mobility needs – this is one of the deepest stations on the line.
- Both NIH and Walter Reed require security screening at their gates, so budget more time than the walking distance suggests.
- Allow for the depth of the station when timing a connection; getting from street to platform is not quick here.
Medical Center station FAQ
No – the station is on Rockville Pike, and the NIH campus entrance is a short walk from it. All visitors have to pass through the NIH security gate and screening before entering, so plan on additional time beyond the walk itself.
It is among the deepest on the Red Line, deep enough that high-speed elevators were installed to supplement the long escalator run. If you have heavy bags or limited mobility, take the elevator; the escalator trip is lengthy.
This one. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center sits across Rockville Pike from the station, roughly a four-minute walk to the gate. As with NIH, entry involves a security check, and visitor procedures change from time to time, so confirm current requirements before you travel.
There is no Metro park-and-ride here. Parking in the area belongs to the hospitals and research campuses and is intended for their patients, staff and visitors. Riders coming from further out generally park at another Red Line station and ride in.