Wheaton station (Washington Metro)

Wheaton is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. The station serves the suburb of Wheaton, and is located at the intersection of Georgia Avenue (Maryland Route 97) and Reedie Drive. The station contains 230-foot-long (70 m) escalators, which are the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere.

For the Metra station in Illinois, see Wheaton station (Illinois).
Wheaton
Station platform and a train
General information
Location11171 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD
Coordinates39.0386°N 77.0508°W / 39.0386; -77.0508
Owned byWMATA
Platformstwin tube inter-connected side platforms
Tracks2
Connections Ride On: 7, 8, 9, 31, 34, 37, 38, 48
Metrobus: C2, C4, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, Y2, Y7, Y8
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Depth145 feet (44 m)[1]
Parking977 spaces
Bicycle facilities36 racks, 20 lockers
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeB10
History
OpenedSeptember 22, 1990 (September 22, 1990)
Passengers
20173,499 daily[2]  7.29%
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Forest Glen
toward Shady Grove
 Red Line Glenmont
Terminus

Service at Wheaton began on September 22, 1990, and it was the northeastern end of the Red Line for nearly eight years, until the Glenmont station opened in July 1998.

Notable places nearby

Station layout
The station's escalators are 230 feet (70 m) long, the longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere.

Wheaton station features the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere, each featuring a length of 230 feet (70 m),[3] with a vertical rise of 115 feet (35 m).[4] Wheaton's escalators travel at a speed of 90 feet (27 m) per minute (±5%) and are set at an inclination of 30 degrees.[5] The trip takes approximately 2 minutes and 45 seconds. There are two elevators leading into the station's parking garage at the Reedie Drive entrance, while the entrance at the bus bay is at ground level. Inside the station, there is one elevator leading from the mezzanine to the Shady Grove bound side of the platform.

This station, along with Forest Glen station farther south, has separate tunnels and platforms for each direction, instead of the large, vaulted common room seen at most other underground stations in the Metro system; this design, which is similar to many of the London Underground's tube stations, was used to save money due to the station's depth. This design is also common at mostly all underground stations on the NFTA Metro in Buffalo, NY.

References
  1. Fehr, Stephen C. (September 16, 1990). "Wheaton, Forest Glen To Climb Aboard Metro: New Stations to Extend Red Line 3.2 Miles". The Washington Post. p. D1. ProQuest 307320514. Article preview
  2. "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  3. Metro Facts. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Accessed September 14, 2010.
  4. "Standing on the Left? You Must Be on Vacation", The Washington Post, May 17, 2004
  5. Elevator/Escalator Department, WMATA. Reply to a customer inquiry, Case 580424. Answer forwarded by Helen B. Gregory, Customer Service, WMATA, 9/14, 2010
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