Wheaton station

Wheaton
Washington Metro rapid transit station
Station platform and a train
Location	11171 Georgia Avenue Wheaton, MD 20902
Coordinates	39°02′19″N 77°03′03″W / 39.0386°N 77.0508°WCoordinates: 39°02′19″N 77°03′03″W / 39.0386°N 77.0508°W
Owned by	WMATA
Line(s)	Red Line
Platforms	2 inter-connected side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Ride On: 7, 8, 9, 31, 34, 37, 38 Metrobus: C2, C4, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, Y2, Y7, Y8
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	140 feet (43 m)
Parking	977 spaces
Bicycle facilities	36 racks, 20 lockers
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	B10
History
Opened	September 22, 1990
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	4,231 daily [1]  0.09%
Services
Preceding station   Washington Metro   Following station Forest Glen toward Shady Grove Red Line Glenmont Terminus

The station's escalators are 230 feet long, the longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere.

Wheaton is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland (USA) 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. This 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, though some commuters shorten the time by walking.

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 is the only other Washington Metro station to have this design.

Service at Wheaton began on September 22, 1990. 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) - shopping mall

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/ Entrance
M	Mezzanine	One-way faregates, ticket machines, station agent
P Platform level	Westbound	← Red Line toward Shady Grove (Forest Glen)
	Side platform, doors will open on the left
	Side platform, doors will open on the left
	Eastbound	→ Red Line toward Glenmont (Terminus) →

References

1. "2015 Historical Metrorail Ridership" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
2. Metro Facts. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Accessed September 14, 2010.
3. The Washington Post. "Standing on the Left? You Must Be on Vacation", 5/17, 2004, Washington, D.C.: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31605-2004May16.html
4. 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

• WMATA: Wheaton
• Reedie Drive entrance from Google Maps Street View
• This station is the likely setting of this XKCD cartoon