Columbia Pike–National Landing Line

The Columbia Pike–National Landing Line, designated as Route 16M, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Skyline City and Crystal City station of the Yellow and Blue lines of the Washington Metro. This line is part of the Pike Ride service, which runs through Columbia Pike. This line provides service through the neighborhoods of Fairfax County and Arlington County to Crystal City. Unlike the Columbia Pike Line, the Columbia Pike–National Landing Line does not serve Columbia Pike past the Arlington County line.

16M
Columbia Pike–National Landing Line
Route 16M arriving at Skyline City
Overview
System	Metrobus
Operator	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Garage	Four Mile Run
Livery	Local
Status	In Service
Began service	June 25, 2023^[1]
Predecessors	16G, 16H
Route
Locale	Fairfax County Arlington County
Communities served	Skyline City, Columbia Forest, Arlington Mill, Barcroft, Arlington Heights, Penrose, Pentagon City, Crystal City
Landmarks served	United States Air Force Memorial, Pentagon City station, Crystal City station
Start	Skyline City
Via	Columbia Pike
End	Crystal City station
Other routes	16A, 16C, 16E and 16Y
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	12 Minutes (7AM - 9PM) 15 minutes (After 9PM)
Operates	5:30 AM – 11:34 PM (Daily)
Ridership	939,871 (FY 2023)^[2]
Transfers	SmarTrip only
Timetable	Columbia Pike–National Landing Line
Route map ← 16E  {{{system_nav}}}  16L →

Route description and service

The 16M operates daily from Four Mile Run Division. Route 16M operates between Skyline City and Crystal City station, providing local stops through Columbia Pike. The 16M also runs through other neighborhoods in Columbia Pike, such as Barcroft, Arlington Heights, and Penrose, including a portion of Leesburg Pike to expand service to the marketplace of Skyline City. The name of National Landing comes from joining parts of the Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods, alongside the location of the Amazon HQ2 headquarters.^[3][4][5]

History

See also: Columbia Pike Line

Route 16M is part of the Pike Ride route since the first day of service, and is the first new line, after its formation in 2003, to be introduced to the Pike Ride corridor.^[6] This line was previously known as the Columbia Pike–Pentagon City Line, the predecessor of the line.^[1]

Route 16H previously operated between Crystal City station and Skyline City in 2010, until Metroway, WMATA's bus rapid transit, extended to Pentagon City on March 27, 2016. Since then, route 16H stopped serving Crystal City, and truncated back to Pentagon City since then.^[7][8] During this service, route 16H was known as Columbia Heights West–Pentagon City Line. The first day of Columbia Pike service to Crystal City began on September 25, 2005, when route 16H was rerouted and extended within the original terminals between Barcroft (S. Four Mile Run Drive) and Pentagon City Station.^[9] Over the years, Route 16H was proposed in options in 2011, with the discontinuation of service between Pentagon City station and Crystal City station, before the Metroway Bus Rapid Transit service began.^[10]

Proposals of bus consolidations began for WMATAs 2021 Fiscal Year budget, when WMATA proposed to combined routes 16G and 16H into a single route. Route 16G was originally proposed to be replaced by 16H, and Arlington Transit routes 41, 45 and 75 as part of Arlington County countywide transit development plan.^[11] However WMATA later backed out the merger of the 16G and the 16H on April 2, 2020, keeping both routes as separate routes due to budget reasons.^[12][13]

The second proposal of bus consolidation came in during WMATAs 2024 Fiscal Year budget, when WMATA proposed to consolidate 16G and 16H, however it would be extended to Crystal City and be renamed into Route 16M. These changes will restore the 16H route that was discontinued back in March 2016.^[14] Following the announcement of the 16M, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by Arlington County, was held at the Arlington Mill Community Center as a start of the 16M bus service.^[15]

References

1. "Metrobus Changes Begin Sunday, June 25, 2023 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
2. "Metrobus FY2023 Annual Line Performance Report" (PDF). wmata.com. April 27, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
3. Strupp, Julie. "Forget Crystal City, Amazon is coming to 'National Landing'". ggwash.org. Retrieved November 13, 2018. National Landing will be the newly defined interconnected and walkable neighborhood that encompasses Crystal City, the eastern portion of Pentagon City and the northern portion of Potomac Yard.
4. Vincent, Brandi (November 13, 2018). "Amazon introduces 'National Landing' headquarters to confused Washington-area residents". Retrieved November 13, 2018. National Landing was not an invention of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but was instead dreamed up by local economic development officials, who created it as part of their attempt to lure the e-commerce giant.
5. Korff, Jay (November 13, 2018). "Duo delivers Amazon's HQ2 and 'National Landing' moniker to Crystal City". Retrieved November 14, 2018. To create a cohesive brand that Amazon would buy, Landrum and Winn renamed this space "National Landing" since the Nation's Capital and Reagan National Airport are so close.
6. . Archived from the original on July 9, 2009.
7. "Metro enhances bus service in Virginia".
8. "Metro News Release – WMATA". www.wmata.com.
9. . September 26, 2004. Archived from the original on November 8, 2005. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
10. "VIRGINIA PROPOSED BUS SERVICE CHANGES FISCAL YEAR 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 22 May 2020.
11. "VIRGINIA Proposed Metrobus Service Changes" (PDF). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
12. "Approval of the FY2021 Budget and FY2021-2026 CIP" (PDF). www.wmata.com. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
13. Barthel, Margaret. "Metro Backs Away From Significant Bus Service Cuts". WAMU. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
14. "Fiscal Year 2024 Budget: Proposed Fare and Service Changes | WMATA". wmata.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
15. "MEDIA ALERT: Ribbon Cutting for Metrobus Route 16M". www.arlingtonva.us. Retrieved 22 June 2023.