Federal Triangle is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in

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. The station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

(WMATA). Providing service for the

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, and

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Lines, the station's entrance is beneath the

William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building The William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building is a complex of several historic buildings located in the Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C., across 12th Street, NW from the Old Post Office. The complex now houses the headquarters of the Enviro ...

History

The station opened on July 1, 1977. Its opening coincided with the completion of of rail between

National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...

and RFK Stadium and the opening of the

Arlington Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, Capitol South, Crystal City, Eastern Market, Farragut West, Federal Center SW, Foggy Bottom–GWU,

L'Enfant Plaza L'Enfant Plaza is a complex of four commercial buildings grouped around a large plaza in the Southwest section of Washington, D.C., United States. Immediately below the plaza and the buildings is the "La Promenade" shopping mall."The L'Enfant c ...

McPherson Square McPherson Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C. It is bound by K Street Northwest to the north, Vermont Avenue NW on the East, I Street NW on the south, and 15th Street NW on the West; it is one block northeast of Lafayette Park. I ...

, Pentagon,

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, Potomac Avenue, Rosslyn, Smithsonian, and Stadium–Armory stations. Orange Line service to the station began upon the line's opening on November 20, 1978. Silver Line service at Federal Triangle began on July 26, 2014. On January 13, 1982, an eastbound Metro train on the Orange Line derailed just east of the station resulting in three fatalities, the first fatalities in the system's history. From March 26, 2020 until June 28, 2020, this station was closed due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Between January 15 to January 21, 2021, this station was closed because of security concerns due to the 2021 Inauguration.

Location

The station serves an area of Washington crowded with federal buildings, on 12th Street between

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, that connects the White House and the United States Capitol and then crosses the city to Maryland. In Maryland it is also Maryland Route 4 (MD 4 ...

NW and

Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened bet ...

NW, including the triangular area formed by 15th Street, Constitution, and Pennsylvania known as Federal Triangle, from which the station takes its name. The triangle includes such federal buildings as the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building, the Herbert C. Hoover Building ( Department of Commerce), and the buildings of the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Station layout

Federal Triangle utilizes the simple island platform layout. There are two tracks: track D1 is used for trains bound for New Carrollton and Largo Town Center, and track D2 is used for trains going to Vienna, Wiehle–Weston East and Franconia–Springfield. As with all stations on the Metro, there are platform edge lights to warn passengers of incoming trains. In 2008, WMATA installed red-colored LED lights at Federal Triangle and centrally-located stations after a successful pilot at Gallery Place-Chinatown. There is a coffered barrel-vault ceiling at Federal Triangle, as is typical of other Washington Metro stations built at that time. There is only one entrance to the platform level, located slightly south of the center of the platform. Escalators from this mezzanine level lead to the plaza of the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building. A flat square on the ceiling of the station denotes a possible second entrance to the station; this has yet to be used. Similar walls can be found at stations such as Archives–Navy Memorial–Penn Quarter.

In popular culture

The station was featured in the 2007 film

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Notable places nearby

* Several federal government buildings in and near the Federal Triangle **

(

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

headquarters *** Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium ** Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building (

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

headquarters) ** Herbert C. Hoover Building ( Department of Commerce headquarters) ***

National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. The National Aquarium, Washington, D.C., was an aquarium in Washington D.C. It was located in the Herbert C. Hoover Building (owned by the General Services Administration), which is bounded by 14th Street NW on the east, 15th Street NW on the wes ...

*** White House Visitor Center ** Environmental Protection Agency ** J. Edgar Hoover Building (

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

headquarters) ** Old Post Office (Waldorf=Astoria Hotel) ** Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center *

Freedom Plaza Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depict ...

* National World War I Memorial * National Mall ** Several

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

museums on the Mall, including the National Museum of American History and

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

References

External links

* The Schumin Web Transit Center
Federal Triangle Station

12th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Washington Metro stations navbox Stations on the Blue Line (Washington Metro) Federal Triangle Stations on the Orange Line (Washington Metro) Stations on the Silver Line (Washington Metro) Washington Metro stations in Washington, D.C. Railway stations in the United States opened in 1977 1977 establishments in Washington, D.C. Railway stations located underground in Washington, D.C. Washington Metro stations located underground