Washington Metro Signaling and Operation - Station Identification

Station Identification

The system’s rail lines run on ten lettered routes. Within these routes, each station is also identified by a letter and number system based on the route letter and the station number in ascending order from the system’s geographic center. This is known as the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) number. The RTU number identifies the station and nearby track controlled by the station’s wayside control room to Metro’s Central Control. Metro Center, Gallery Place, L'Enfant Plaza, and Fort Totten have two RTU numbers - one for each level.

Metro’s lettered routes are as follows:

• A Route: Metro Center to Shady Grove (Red)
• B Route: Metro Center to Glenmont (Red)
• C Route: Metro Center to Huntington via Arlington Cemetery (Blue)
• D Route: Metro Center to New Carrollton (Orange)
• E Route: Gallery Place to Greenbelt (Green)
• F Route: Gallery Place to Branch Avenue (Green)
• G Route: D&G Junction east of Stadium-Armory to Largo Town Center (Blue)
• J Route: C&J Junction south of King Street – Old Town to Franconia-Springfield (Blue)
• K Route: C&K Junction south of Rosslyn to Vienna (Orange)
• L Route: F&L Junction south of L'Enfant Plaza to C&L Junction north of Pentagon via Fenwick Bridge (Yellow)
• N Route (planned): K&N Junction east of West Falls Church to Route 772 (Silver)

There are no H, I, or M Routes. The originally-intended H Route ultimately became the present J Route, and "I" was never used as a route letter. The M Route would likely be assigned to a future route to Lincolnia, branching off from the C Route south of Pentagon station.