The New Hampshire Avenue–Maryland Line, designated Route K6, is a daily bus route operated by the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...

between

Fort Totten station Fort Totten station is a Washington Metro station in northeastern Washington, D.C. It is one of the four major transfer points on the Metrorail system. It acts as a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. It is the last station on th ...

on the

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

and Green Lines of the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

and White Oak Shopping Center. The line operates every 12 minutes during most times. Route K6 trips take 28 minutes according to the schedule.

Background

Route K6 operates daily between Fort Totten station and White Oak Shopping Center via

New Hampshire Avenue New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

providing service to residents between the two points. Route K6 currently operates out of Bladensburg division. The line originally operated out of Montgomery division until 2019.

K6 stops

History

K6 originally began operating as part of the

Capital Transit Company Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962. The first streetcars in Washington, D.C., were Horsecar, horse-drawn and carried people short distances on flat terrain. After brief experiment ...

"New Hampshire Avenue" Bus Line in 1964, between White Oak Shopping Center in

White Oak, Maryland White Oak is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020. White Oak was known for its Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquart ...

, and Metro Center in Downtown Washington D.C. mostly operating along Columbia Pike,

, the White Oak FDA/FRC Building, and North Capitol Street NW. K6 eventually became a WMATA Metrobus route on February 4, 1973, when WMATA bought all four failing private bus companies that operated throughout the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area and merged them all together to form its own Metrobus System. On February 19, 1978, after

opened, K6 was truncated to only operate between the White Oak Shopping Center and Fort Totten station. The remaining segment of K6's original routing between Fort Totten and Metro Center was replaced by WMATA's brand new route K4, which was designed to operate between Fort Totten and Metro Center. On December 29, 2013, route K6 discontinued all service to the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

and instead remained straight along New Hampshire Avenue. Service would be replaced by route K9 which was extended from Northwest Park. When the

Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center The Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center is a bus transit center and future Purple Line light rail station in Langley Park, Maryland. Located at the intersection of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, it is the largest bus-only ...

opened on December 22, 2016, the K6 was rerouted, along with several other Metrobus, Ride On buses, Shuttle UM and TheBus routes, to serve the newly opened Transit Center. Route K6 would serve Bus Bay A (Northbound) and Bus Bay G (Southbound) alongside route K9. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic, the T18 operated on its Saturday supplemental schedule beginning on March 16, 2020. It however began operating on its Sunday service on March 18, 2020. Weekend service was also reduced to operate every 30 munutes. Its regular service was restored on August 23, 2020. On September 5, 2021, service was also increased to operate every 12 minutes daily between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. On June 25, 2023, northbound K6 trips was rerouted to Stuart Lane and Lockwood Drive to terminate in White Oak, service along Old Columbia Pike and inside of White Oak Shopping Center was discontinued. As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign beginning on June 29, 2025, Route K6 was extended to White Oak Medical Center via Columbia Pike and Broadirch Drive and renamed into the M60.

Incidents

* On December 30, 2013, around 3:30 p.m., a K6 driver was killed when her bus began rolling without anybody on board and pinned the driver to a wall at White Oak Shopping Center. Preliminary investigation indicated that the driver attempted to engage the brake by reaching through the driver's window before becoming pinned to the bus. The driver suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead several hours later. * On April 14, 2020, a car crashed into the back of a K6 bus around 10 p.m. leaving the three people inside the car pinned and severely injured.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Hampshire Avenue-Maryland Line K6