Rhode Island Avenue station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhode Island Avenue Brentwood
Station platform with the United States Capitol seen from a distance.
Location	919 Rhode Island Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°55′15″N 76°59′46″W / 38.920741°N 76.995984°W / 38.920741; -76.995984
Owned by	WMATA
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Metrobus: 83, 86, B8, B9, D8, G9, H8, H9, P6, S41, T14, T18 Metropolitan Branch Trail
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Parking	221 spaces
Bicycle facilities	12 racks
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	B04
History
Opened	March 27, 1976; 49 years ago (March 27, 1976)
Previous names	Rhode Island Avenue (1976–2004)
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	5,345 daily  3.73%
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station NoMa–Gallaudet U toward Shady Grove Red Line Brookland–CUA toward Glenmont

The Rhode Island Avenue Metro station, also known as Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood, is a busy subway stop in Washington, D.C.. It is part of the Red Line of the Washington Metro system. This station is located in the Brentwood neighborhood in the Northeast part of the city. You can find it on an elevated platform that crosses over Rhode Island Avenue NE, which is also U.S. Route 1.

Station History: How It Began

Rhode Island Avenue station in 1976, shortly after it opened.

The land where the station stands used to be part of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery. This was a cemetery for African-American people. When workers built the Metro station in 1976, they found that some bodies had not been moved. They discovered at least five coffins and many bones.

To remember the cemetery, a special plaque was placed on a column near one of the station's entrances. Later, in 1979, when a parking lot at the site was being fixed up, more bones and pieces of cloth and coffins were found.

Opening and Name Change

The Rhode Island Avenue station opened on March 27, 1976. It was one of the very first stations in the Washington Metro system. For a while, it was the last stop on the eastern side of the Red Line. However, on February 6, 1978, the Silver Spring station opened and became the new end of the line.

When the station first opened, its name was simply "Rhode Island Avenue". But on November 20, 2004, its name officially changed to "Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood". This new name recognized the Brentwood neighborhood where the station is located. The name change was first shown on Metro maps and bus schedules. The station signs and pylons were updated with the new name in July and August of 2005.

Platform Repairs and Future Plans

In the summer of 2018, from July 21 to September 3, the station had to close. This was for important repairs to the platform. The platform had settled over time, and the concrete was decaying. This damage was caused by salty de-icer used during winter.

In May 2018, Metro announced plans to fix platforms at twenty stations. The platforms at Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station are scheduled to be rebuilt starting in September 2020. This will help keep the station safe and working well for many years.

Station Layout: Getting Around

The main entrance to the Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station is just south of Rhode Island Avenue. You can find it on Washington Street N.E. The station has an island platform, which means there's one platform with tracks on both sides. This platform is actually the highest elevated Metro station platform in the entire system!

P Platform level	Westbound	← toward Grosvenor–Strathmore or Shady Grove (NoMa–Gallaudet U)
	Island platform
	Eastbound	→ toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (Brookland–CUA) →
G	Street level	Exit/entrance, buses, parking, fare control, ticket machines, station agent

Notable Places Nearby

• WMATA's Brentwood Rail Yard (where Metro trains are stored and maintained)
• USPS Washington Main Office (a large post office)
• Edgewood Terrace Apartment Complex
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Building (a very large and famous church)

See also

In Spanish: Avenida Rhode Island–Brentwood (Metro de Washington) para niños