Center-Platform Stations

Metro customers who rely on elevators can take advantage of center-platform stations to circumvent out-of-service elevators.

Metro stations have either side or center platforms. Side platforms are separated by the track; moving from one side to the other requires going up to the mezzanine level, crossing over, and coming down on the far side. Center platforms have tracks on the sides of the platform, so crossing from one side to the other can be done without leaving the track level.

Here's an example:

  • A customer in a wheelchair arrives at McPherson Square (a side-platform station) and finds the elevator to the mezzanine level out of service. Unable to reach the mezzanine by elevator, he cannot exit the station, nor can he reach the operating elevator on the opposite side of the tracks.
  • The customer boards the next train and proceeds to Metro Center, which he knows to be a center-platform station. There he crosses the platform, boards a train bound in the opposite direction, and rides one stop to McPherson Square.
  • Leaving the train at the McPherson Square platform, the customer is now on the side with the working elevator, which he uses to reach the mezzanine and proceed to the street level.

If you find an elevator out of service, you can also go to the next station and ask the station manager for shuttle service back to your destination. However, our customers tell us that the strategy outlined in the example above typically gets you on your way significantly faster than waiting for a shuttle to be dispatched.

Finally, avoid being surprised by out-of-service elevators by monitoring our elevator status page, station announcements, and outages displayed on station platform displays and kiosk whiteboards.

This list of stations with center platforms is provided to help customers circumvent out-of-service elevators.

Red Line

                             
Bethesda Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood
Brookland-CUA Rockville
Cleveland Park Shady Grove
Farragut North Silver Spring
Forest Glen Takoma
Fort Totten Tenleytown-AU
Friendship Heights Twinbrook
Glenmont Union Station
Grosvenor-Strathmore Van Ness-UDC
Medical Center Wheaton
NoMa-Gallaudet U (New York Ave) Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan
North Bethesda

Orange Line

                       
Capitol South L'Enfant Plaza
Court House Landover
Deanwood Metro Center
Dunn Loring-Merrifield Minnesota Ave
East Falls Church New Carrollton
Eastern Market Potomac Ave
Federal Center SW Stadium-Armory
Federal Triangle Vienna/Fairfax-GMU
Foggy Bottom-GWU

Silver Line

               
Ashburn Loudoun Gateway
Capitol South L'Enfant Plaza
Court House McLean
East Falls Church
Metro Center
Eastern Market
Potomac Ave
Federal Center SW
Reston Town Center
Federal Triangle
Spring Hill
Foggy Bottom-GWU
Stadium-Armory
Greensboro Tysons
Herndon Washington Dulles International Airport
Innovation Center
Wiehle-Reston East

Blue Line

               
Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Foggy Bottom-GWU
Benning Road Franconia-Springfield
Braddock Road King St-Old Town
Capitol Heights L'Enfant Plaza
Capitol South Metro Center
Downtown Largo Morgan Boulevard
Eastern Market Potomac Ave
Federal Center SW Stadium-Armory
Federal Triangle Van Dorn Street

Yellow Line

   
Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Huntington
Braddock Road King St-Old Town
Gallery Pl-Chinatown Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center

Green Line

               
Anacostia Greenbelt
Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center
Branch Ave Navy Yard-Ballpark
College Park-U of MD Naylor Road
Columbia Heights Shaw-Howard U
Congress Heights Southern Avenue
Fort Totten Suitland
Gallery Pl-Chinatown U Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
Georgia Ave-Petworth Waterfront