Washington DC/WMATA

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is the primary public transit agency serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. WMATA operates multiple transit services including Metrorail, Metrobus, Metroway, and MetroAccess across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Welcome!

This page serves as a resource for OpenStreetMap contributors working on WMATA transit data. WMATA operates one of the largest transit systems in the United States, with extensive rail and bus networks that require ongoing mapping efforts.

If you're interested in contributing to transit mapping in the DC area, consider joining the MappingDC community or connecting with local mappers through the #local-dc channel on the OSMUS Slack.

Services

Metrorail and Metrobus stations and lines should be mapped using standard Public transport tagging conventions.

Metrorail

Since opening in 1976, the Metrorail network has grown to include six lines, 98 stations, and 129 miles of track. It is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States by average daily ridership. The system serves the Washington metropolitan area with heavy rail rapid transit service.

Metrobus

Main article: Washington DC/Better Bus Network

Metrobus operates 1,505 buses across 1,500 square miles in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The network includes 269 bus routes serving 11,129 stops with 2,554 bus shelters. The system provides more than 400,000 trips on a typical weekday.

Route Numbering System

WMATA implemented a major network redesign called the Better Bus Network, which took effect on June 29, 2025. This redesign prioritizes frequency over coverage and includes:

Simplified route structure with letter-number coding
Removal of approximately 500 underused bus stops
New route categories based on service areas:
- D routes: Downtown DC
- C routes: Crosstown lines
- P routes: Prince George's County
- M routes: Montgomery County
- A routes: Alexandria and Arlington
- F routes: Fairfax and Falls Church

Express routes are designated with an "X" suffix (e.g., D1X, A1X).

Mapping Guidance

The JOSM program is the most powerful and recommended OSM editor, especially when dealing with public transport route relations.

Bus

Routes

When mapping WMATA bus routes, follow these guidelines:

Use Public transport version 2 (PTV2) tagging
Create master route relations with separate directional and variant route relations
Include proper ref=* values matching WMATA route numbers
Add from=* and to=* tags for route endpoints
Add interval=*, opening_hours=*, and interval:conditional=* for the routes where possible
Use NSI tags for Metrobus

Stops

Map bus stops using highway=bus_stop and public_transport=platform
Include ref:wmata=* for WMATA stop reference numbers
Use NSI tags for Metrobus stops
Note accessibility features and other amenities (benches, shelters, trash cans, info boards, lights, etc.) where applicable

Rail

Metrorail infrastructure is fairly well-mapped already so make sure you know what you're doing before jumping in

Use railway=subway for Metrorail tracks
Map stations as railway=station with subway=yes
Include platform mapping with railway=platform
Map station entrances and accessibility features

Resources

Official WMATA Resources

Quality Control

PTNA report for WMATA - very detailed report of issues with WMATA relations, updated once per day
Quality control with Osmose - QA tool with some public transport checks
Public transport/Quality Assurance - generic repository for QA tools