Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

For the passenger carrier regulatory agency for the Washington, D.C., region, see Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Headquarters at L'Enfant Plaza[1]
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 20, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-02-20)
Preceding agency
Typeinterstate compact agency
JurisdictionWashington, D.C., and parts of Maryland and Northern Virginia, U.S.
Headquarters300 7th Street SW, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Agency executive
  • Randy Clarke[2]
Key document
Websitewmata.com

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA /wəˈmɑːtə/ wə-MAH-tə),[3] commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit service under the Metrorail name, fixed-route bus service under the Metrobus brand, and paratransit service under the MetroAccess brand. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 239,741,800, or about 975,800 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.[4]

The agency participates in regional transportation planning and the execution of transit infrastructure projects. Recent projects include an infill station serving Potomac Yard and an extension of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport.

WMATA was created in the late 1960s by the United States Congress as an interstate compact between Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The authority's board of directors consists of two voting representatives each from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the U.S. federal government. Each jurisdiction also appoints two alternate representatives. WMATA has no independent taxation authority and depends on its member jurisdictions for capital investments and operating funding.

WMATA has its own police force, the Metro Transit Police Department.

  1. ^ "Metro announces location for new headquarters building as major office consolidation plan advances". WMATA. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Metro hires new general manager amid pandemic, safety challenges". The Washington Post. May 10, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  3. ^ MetroForward (April 11, 2013). "WMATA Station Of The Future Concept". Archived from the original on November 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP REPORT Q1 2023" (PDF). apta.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 12, 2023.