Metrorail provides safe, clean, reliable transit service for more than 700,000 customers a day throughout the Washington, DC area. The system is the second busiest in the United States, serving 91 stations in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
The Metrorail system has six color-coded rail lines: Red, Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow, and Green. The layout of the system makes it possible to travel between any two stations with no more than a single transfer.
If you're driving, look for the large Metro signs to direct you to stations.
Look for tall brown columns with a large "M" identifying the station entrances. Colored stripes around the column show which lines serve the station.
To determine the fare between two stations, use the Fare Finder on the right side of this page. For fares on trips that involve trains and buses, use our Trip Planner. SmarTrip® card users get the lowest fares. See the SmarTrip® box on the right to learn more.
Read station signs to learn which train platform to use for your destination.
Stand behind the bumpy tiles along the platform's edge.
Watch for flashing lights along the platform's edge, which signal a train's arrival. Station signs will also alert you to a train's arrival.
Check the destination of the train, which is posted above the side windows.
Stand clear of the train car doors and let riders get off before you board.
Step over the small gap between the platform and the train.
Listen for the chimes that signal the car doors are closing. If the train is full, step back and wait for the next train. Unlike elevator doors, train doors do not reopen automatically.
Use the same farecard you used to enter the system when you exit the system.
See a list of Metro rules and manners for riding smart on Metrorail.
5 am Weekdays
7 am Weekends
12 am Sun-Thur
3 am Fri-Sat
The SmarTrip® card is a permanent, rechargeable farecard that is safe and easy to use. Buy SmarTrip® cards online, at any Metrorail station, or at many convenient locations.
New to Metro?
Learn more about SmarTrip®.
Purchase a SmarTrip® card.
Watch the SmarTrip® video (English)
Watch the SmarTrip® video (Other Languages)
Returning Customers
Log in to your SmarTrip® account.
Create a SmarTrip® account.
Learn more about Auto Reload