King Street–Old Town station

King Street–Old Town Station
Washington Metro rapid transit station
File:King Street Station 2.jpg
Location	1900 King Street Alexandria, VA 22301
Coordinates
Owned by	WMATA
Line(s)	Blue Line Yellow Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Amtrak and VRE at Union Station DASH: AT2, AT5, AT6, AT7, AT8 Metrobus: 28A, 29K, 29N, REX Richmond Highway Express King Street Trolley
Construction
Structure type	Embankment
Parking	30 spaces (parking meters)
Bicycle facilities	34 racks, 20 lockers
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	C13
History
Opened	December 17, 1983 (December 17, 1983)
Previous names	King Street (1983–2011)
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	9170 daily   1.28%
Services
Preceding station   Washington Metro   Following station Van Dorn Street toward Franconia–Springfield Blue Line Braddock Road toward Largo Town Center Yellow Line Greenbelt-Franconia-Springfield weekdays rush hours service Rush Plus Braddock Road toward Greenbelt Eisenhower Avenue toward Huntington Yellow Line Mount Vernon Square-Huntington weekdays rush hours service Braddock Road toward Mount Vernon Square Yellow Line Not on weekdays rush hours Braddock Road toward Fort Totten
Location

King Street–Old Town Station is an island platformed Washington Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. The station opened on December 17, 1983, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for both the Blue and Yellow Lines, this is the southernmost transfer station for the Blue and Yellow lines, as the two lines converge just south of the station. During inclement weather, Crystal City is commonly used as an unofficial transfer point, being the southernmost underground station common to both lines. King Street was originally served only by the Yellow Line, until the Blue Line was extended from National Airport to Van Dorn Street in 1991. The station entrance pylon on the street still reflects this period of Yellow-only service, lacking a blue stripe.

The station is located at King Street and Commonwealth Avenue. Entrances to the station are located on King Street and on the Diagonal Road side of the station. The station is above ground, and utilizes a center platform, which includes tactile paving strips to aid passengers who are blind or visually impaired. Access to the platform is provided by one pair of escalators, one staircase and one elevator. King Street is the second fastest growing station on the Washington Metro (behind Gallery Place). Over the past ten years, its ridership has increased 11%.

History

Originally scheduled to open in summer 1982, its opening was delayed due to both unavailability of new subway cars and the lack of a test track. Construction of the station was complete by summer 1982, and in September 1983 Metro announced the station would open that December as the new cars would be ready for service. The station opened on December 17, 1983. Its opening coincided with the completion of 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of rail between National Airport and Huntington and the opening of the Braddock Road, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington stations.

An expansion to the station added a second entrance and mezzanine across Commonwealth Avenue from the existing mezzanine, with the new entrance located on Cameron Street, across from the nearby Hilton Hotel. The expansion also includes a new canopy over the north end of the platform, designed to match the original canopy. A gap was left between the two canopies to preserve the view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial from Old Town.

The station was named "King Street" from its 1983 opening until November 3, 2011, when the station was given its present name as part of a preparation for service changes planned for 2012.

Transit connections

The station is adjacent to Alexandria Union Station, together with which it serves Old Town Alexandria and as a transit hub for the city as a whole. Both Metrobus and DASH provide service to the station. A free daily trolley service provides direct access to Old Town and the Waterfront, making many stops along King Street. Car sharing is also available. The station is about 12 blocks (one mile or 1.6 kilometers) from the intersection of King and Washington Streets; it is about 17 blocks from the Waterfront.

Station layout

P Platform level	Westbound	← Yellow Line toward Huntington (Eisenhower Avenue) ← Blue Line toward Franconia–Springfield (Van Dorn Street)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Eastbound	→ Yellow Line toward Fort Totten (Braddock Road) → → Blue Line toward Largo Town Center (Braddock Road) →
M	Mezzanine	One-way faregates, ticket machines, station agent
G	Street Level	Exit/ Entrance

Notable places nearby

• George Washington Masonic National Memorial
• United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)
• Regent University, Alexandria Campus

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• WMATA: King Street – Old Town Station
• StationMasters Online: King Street – Old Town Station
• The Schumin Web Transit Center: King Street – Old Town Station
• south entrance from Google Maps Street View
• King Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Commonwealth Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View