# MetroExtra

MetroExtra is a limited-stop service operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operates on Metrobus lines that need extra service with faster trips. There are six MetroExtra routes with only two of them having daily service.

## History

The service began in 2007 with an express service of the Georgia Avenue-7th Street Line, 79. The route would follow its local counterpart but only serve the most important stops.
In 2008, a study was released along the 16th Street corridor to improve the line by both WMATA and the District Department of Transportation. The corridor averages a weekday ridership of 16,000 making it the third most heavily used line in the Metrobus system, Parts of the proposal were to create a new route S3 which would be shortened routes S1, S2, and S4, and create a limited stop route S9. These 2 routes would then become the most popular MetroExtra routes.
On September 29, 2002, route 16Y began service, the first bus route to provide service in Downtown Washington since 1983. However, it didn't become a MetroExtra route until 2012 (along with route 16F). When route 16X discontinued in 2018, route 16Y became the only MetroExtra to operate in Virginia.
In 2015, WMATA proposed a new MetroExtra route, Q9. The route would provide limited stop service supplementing the Veirs Mill Road Line. The route would operate between Rockville station and Wheaton station and be the first Metro Extra route to operate exclusively in Montgomery County, Maryland.

## Fleet

When MetroExtra service began, services were operated by a dedicated fleet of buses, painted in a blue color scheme with MetroExtra logos.

## Routes

MetroExtra routes follow the same numbering as local Metrobus routes. Although, they typically end with a 9.
* MetroExtra routes in Washington, D.C. have either a two digit number (59, 79) or a letter followed by a 9 (S9, X9)
* MetroExtra routes in Montgomery County, MD have a letter followed by a 9 (K9, S9, Q9)
* MetroExtra routes exist in Prince George's County, MD but are mainly in Montgomery County or Washington, D.C. so no route follows the rule of having a letter followed by two numbers (F12, J12, P12, etc.)
* MetroExtra routes in Northern Virginia have one or two numbers followed by a letter. Although there is only one MetroExtra route in Virginia and the only MetroExtra route to not have a 9. (16Y)
| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Terminals | Streets traveled | Service notes | Divisions | Local counterpart |
| 59 14th Street Line | Takoma station | ↔ | Federal Triangle station | 14th Street | | Bladensburg | 52, 54 |
| 79 Georgia Avenue-7th Street Line | Silver Spring station | ↔ | Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter | Georgia Avenue 7th Street | Daily service | Montgomery | 70 |
| 16Y Columbia Pike Line | Barcroft | ↔ | McPherson Square station | Columbia Pike Arlington Boulevard K Street | | Four Mile Run | 16A, 16C, 16E 16M 3Y |
| K9 New Hampshire Avenue-Maryland Line | Fort Totten station | ↔ | FDA | New Hampshire Avenue | | Montgomery | K6 |
| S9 16th Street Line | Silver Spring station | ↔ | McPherson Square station | 16th Street | Daily service | Montgomery | S2 D31 |
| X9 Benning Road-H Street Line | Capitol Heights station | ↔ | Gallery Place-Chinatown | Minnesota Avenue Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue Benning Road H Street | Midday trips terminate at Minnesota Avenue station | Southern Avenue | X2 V2, V4 |

## Former routes

These routes have existed in the past but were discontinued. However, most local service along these routes remained.
| Route | Terminals | Terminals | Terminals | Streets traveled | Divisions | Local counterpart |
| 16F, 16X Columbia Pike Line | Culmore | ↔ | Federal Triangle station | Columbia Pike | Four Mile Run | 16B, 16S |
| 37 Wisconsin Avenue Line | Friendship Heights station | ↔ | Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter | Wisconsin Avenue Massachusetts Avenue | Montgomery | 31, 33 |
| 39 Pennsylvania Avenue Line | Naylor Road station | ↔ | Potomac Park | Pennsylvania Avenue | Shepherd Parkway | 32, 36 F14 |
| A9 Anacostia-Livingston Line | Livingston | ↔ | McPherson Square station | Martin Luther King Jr Avenue | Shepherd Parkway | A6, A7, A8 |
| G9 Rhode Island Avenue Line | Mount Rainier Terminal | ↔ | McPherson Square station | Rhode Island Avenue | Bladensburg | G8 83, 86 |
| J4 Bethesda-Silver Spring Line | Bethesda station | ↔ | College Park-U of Md | University Boulevard East-West Highway | Montgomery | J1, J2 |
| W9 Anacostia-Fort Drum Line | L'Enfant Plaza station | ↔ | Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building | South Capitol Street | Shepherd Parkway | A4 |