Branch Avenue station

Branch Avenue station is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in Suitland, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on January 13, 2001, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station presently serves as the southeastern terminus for the Green Line, with the Branch Avenue Rail Yard lying just beyond this station. The station is located near the intersection of Auth Road and Old Soper Road.

This is also the station closest to Andrews Air Force Base.

History

Plans for a station as the southeastern terminus of the Green Line initially appeared in the original 1968 route map.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, by 1978 the Prince George's County Council, after initially supporting the Branch Avenue alignment, changed their support to moving the terminus to a location adjacent to the Rosecroft Raceway.<ref name="feaver">Template:Cite news</ref> Metro followed suit and pursued the Rosecroft alignment instead of Branch Avenue in 1980.<ref name="feaver" /> By May a group of citizens filed suit against Metro stating that the route was improperly changed and failed to conform to the plan adopted by county voters in 1968.<ref name="burgess">Template:Cite news</ref> In February 1981, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in stating the routing to Rosecroft could not be undertaken until it went through public review.<ref name="burgess" /> After further appeal, in March 1982 the judge ruled that none of the proposed Green Line along the Rosecroft alignment could start construction until it went through the entire planning process again.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After deciding to not file an appeal, in December 1984 Metro voted to change the southeastern terminus back to Branch Avenue thus allowing for construction to commence on the Green Line towards Prince George's County.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Groundbreaking for the final segment of the Green Line occurred on September 23, 1995.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The station opened on January 13, 2001.<ref name="layton">Template:Cite news</ref> Its opening coincided with the completion of approximately Template:Convert of rail southeast of Anacostia and the opening of the Congress Heights, Naylor Road, Southern Avenue and Suitland.<ref name="layton" /> This represented the completion of the system as originally planned.

Station layout

Branch Avenue station has an island platform in an open cut between Auth Way and Capital Gateway Drive. Parking lots are located both east and west of the station platform. Constructed adjacent to the station is a Template:Convert rail yard with the capacity to store 116 cars.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline

• The Schumin Web Transit Center: Branch Ave Station
• Station from Auth Way from Google Maps Street View