The
Washington Metro, commonly called
Metro and branded
Metrorail, is the
rapid transit system serving the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in the United States. It is administered by the
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which also operates
Metrobus service under the Metro name. Besides the District, Metro serves several jurisdictions in
Maryland and
Virginia. In Maryland, Metro provides service to
Montgomery and
Prince George's counties; in Virginia, to
Fairfax and
Arlington counties and the independent city of
Alexandria. The system is currently being expanded into
Loudoun County, Virginia. The Metro service area is largely coextensive with the inner ring of the Washington metropolitan area. Opened in 1976, the network now includes six lines, 91 stations, and of route.