Wheaton station
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.
Wheaton | |||||||||||
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![]() Station platform and a train | |||||||||||
Location | 11171 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 39.0386°N 77.0508°W | ||||||||||
Owned by | WMATA | ||||||||||
Platforms | twin tube inter-connected side platforms | ||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
Connections | ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||
Structure type | Underground | ||||||||||
Depth | 164 feet (50 m) | ||||||||||
Parking | 977 spaces | ||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | 36 racks, 20 lockers | ||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Station code | B10 | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | September 22, 1990 | ||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||
2017 | 3,499 daily[1] ![]() | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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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
- Westfield Wheaton (formerly Wheaton Plaza)
Station layout
![](../I/Wheaton_station_long_escalator_03.jpg.webp)
Wheaton station features the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere, each featuring a length of 230 feet (70 m),[2] with a vertical rise of 115 feet (35 m).[3] It is the second deepest station in the system, behind Forest Glen, which has an elevator-only exit due to its depth. Wheaton's escalators travel at a speed of 90 feet (27 m) per minute (±5%) and are set at an inclination of 30 degrees.[4] The trip takes approximately 2 minutes and 45 seconds.
Another architectural feature of this station is 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. Forest Glen Station is the only other Washington Metro station to have this design.
G | Street level | Exit/entrance, buses, parking; fare control, ticket machines, station agent |
P Platform level |
Westbound | ← ![]() |
Side platform | ||
Side platform | ||
Eastbound | ![]() |
References
- "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- Metro Facts. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Accessed September 14, 2010.
- "Standing on the Left? You Must Be on Vacation", The Washington Post, May 17, 2004
- Elevator/Escalator Department, WMATA. Reply to a customer inquiry, Case 580424. Answer forwarded by Helen B. Gregory, Customer Service, WMATA, 9/14, 2010
External links
Media related to Wheaton (WMATA station) at Wikimedia Commons
- Reedie Drive entrance from Google Maps Street View
- This station is the likely setting of this XKCD cartoon