Stadium–Armory station

Stadium–Armory station is a Washington Metro station in Southeast, Washington, D.C. It is located in the Hill East neighborhood near the border of Barney Circle and Kingman Park. The station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Stadium–Armory serves the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines. The station is named for its proximity to the RFK Stadium campus and the D.C. Armory.

The station is a transfer station, as this is the last station shared by the three lines before the lines diverge going east; east of the station, all three lines rise above ground onto elevated track to cross the Anacostia River. At the diverge point, the Orange Line continues above ground veering northbound towards the Template:Wmata station, and the Blue and Silver Lines continue eastbound entering a tunnel towards Template:Wmata.

Location

File:Stadium–Armory Metro headhouse 2017.jpg

North head house of the station, adjacent to the D.C. Armory

The Stadium–Armory station serves the Hill East, Barney Circle, and Kingman Park neighborhoods. It is adjacent to the RFK Stadium campus. The station also serves the D.C. Jail, and D.C. Armory, which is a popular venue for shows and entertainment and the headquarters of the District of Columbia National Guard. Together with the Potomac Avenue station, Stadium-Armory is one of two Metro stations within walking distance of Congressional Cemetery. Before its closure in 2001, D.C. General Hospital was served by the Stadium–Armory station.

With the redevelopment of the former D.C. General Hospital campus into a new mixed-use waterfront neighborhood called "Hill East", the neighborhood around the Stadium–Armory station will be in transition for the first time in years. After RFK Stadium's last major tenant, D.C. United, relocated to the new soccer-specific stadium Audi Field in Buzzard Point July 2018, the stadium was left abandoned until initial demolition consisting of removing interior furnishings commenced. After sitting abandoned for years, the stadium was finally torn down in 2025, after president Joe Biden signed a bill transferring control of the RFK Stadium campus to the District, with the site being a leading contender for a new NFL stadium to bring the Commanders back to D.C.

History

20th century

The station opened on July 1, 1977.<ref name="July 1, 1977">Template:Citation</ref> Its opening coincided with the completion of Template:Convert<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of rail between National Airport and RFK Stadium.<ref name="June 24, 1977">Template:Citation</ref> Orange Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on November 20, 1978.<ref name="November 18, 1978">Template:Citation</ref> The station is the last underground station for eastbound Orange, Blue and Silver lines combined.

In 1979, the D.C. Armory requested that the station name be changed to "Starplex" for the Stadium Armory Complex, but that request was ignored by the Metro Board.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stadium–Armory would also serve as the eastern terminus of the Blue Line from its opening through the opening of its extension to Template:Wmata on November 22, 1980.<ref name="November 23, 1980">Template:Citation</ref>

21st century

The station was supposed to be the Silver Line's eastern terminus, but in December 2012, due to safety concerns regarding a pocket track between this station and Template:Wmata and Benning Road, Metro officials decided to extend the line into nearby Prince George's County, Maryland to Largo, which is the eastern terminus of the Blue Line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Silver Line service at Stadium-Armory began on July 26, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Between May 28 and September 5, 2022, all Orange Line trains were terminating at Stadium–Armory station due to the Platform Improvement Project which closed stations north of Stadium–Armory station. On weekends, all Blue and Silver Line trains were terminating Stadium–Armory while Orange Line trains were cutback to Ballston–MU due to aerial structure repairs along the D route.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Transformer fire

On September 21, 2015, a transformer caught fire near the station, causing severe delays. The reduced power as a result of the loss of the transformer caused WMATA to implement strategies to combat congestion in the system.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This included having Orange and Silver line trains skip the Stadium–Armory station during rush hours, but service had been restored as of November.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Station layout

Stadium-Armory is an island platform station with two tracks. Track D1 is for eastbound trains to New Carrollton or Largo and track D2 is for westbound trains to Vienna, Franconia–Springfield, or Ashburn. An indicator sign at the north end of the station flashes to inform passengers of the arriving train's destination, showing Orange for New Carrollton, and Blue and/or Silver for Largo. This feature is only used at final transfer stations; another example being Template:Wmata. North of the station, the tracks emerge onto an elevated structure continuing east across the Anacostia river. After an elevated pocket track, the D&G Junction splits the Orange Line with the Blue and Silver lines as they each continue east into Maryland.

The station has two entrances along 19th Street SE; the north entrance at Independence Avenue and the south entrance between C & Burke Streets SE. Elevator access is at the south entrance.

Notable places nearby

• D.C. Armory
• RFK Stadium campus
• D.C. Jail
• Eastern High School
• Kingman and Heritage Islands Park
• Congressional Cemetery
• Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

External links

• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Stadium–Armory Station
• C Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Independence Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View