Mount Pleasant Line

42, 43
Mount Pleasant Line
Route 42 on Connecticut Avenue near Dupont Circle
Overview
System	Metrobus
Operator	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Garage	Northern, Bladensburg
Began service	December 3, 1961
Predecessors	Mt. Pleasant Streetcar
Route
Locale	Northwest Washington
Communities served	Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Downtown
Landmarks served	Dupont Circle, Farragut Square, McPherson Square[1]
Start	Mount Pleasant[1]
Via	Columbia Road NW Connecticut Avenue NW[1]
End	Metro Center (42) Farragut Square (43 AM) McPherson Square (43 PM)[1]
Service
Operates	4:20 AM – 3:19 AM[1]
Fare	$1.75
Cash	Exact change required
Transfers	SmarTrip only
Timetable	Mount Pleasant Line
Route map ← 39  {{{system_nav}}}  52 →

The Mount Pleasant Line, served by Routes 42 and 43, is a Metrobus bus route in Washington, D.C., United States. Until the 1960s, it was a streetcar line.

Route 42 currently runs at all times, beginning at Mount Pleasant Street and 17th Street NW in Mount Pleasant, and heads south on Mount Pleasant Street NW, Columbia Road MW, and Connecticut Avenue NW to Farragut Square, where the Route 43 ends. The remaining trips turn east on H Street NW (eastbound) and I Street NW (westbound) to 9th Street NW at Metro Center.^[1]

Route 43 follows the same route as the 42, but it only runs in the morning rush from Mt. Pleasant to Farragut Square and in the evening rush from McPherson Square to Mt. Pleasant. Route 43 also passes underneath Dupont Circle, reducing trip time.

History

In the final days of streetcars operated by the D.C. Transit Company, Routes 40 and 42 served the Mount Pleasant Line. Both began at Mount Pleasant and ran to H Street, turning east there, south on 14th Street NW, and east on F Street NW along the F Street Line. At Fifth Street NW, Route 40 turned south, continuing east around the north side of the Capitol and along East Capitol Street to 15th Street NE, while Route 42 turned north and east past Union Station on the East Washington Line, ending at D Street NE and 13th Street NE. Streetcars were replaced by buses on December 3, 1961 (Route 42) and January 28, 1962 (Route 40).

After Metro was built, the line was split at Stadium-Armory station. Route 40, which had been extended east to Seat Pleasant, Maryland, was eliminated west of Stadium-Armory, while Route 42 remained the same, running between Mount Pleasant and Stadium-Armory. The portion of Route 40 on East Capitol Street west of Stadium Armory was replaced by an extension of Route 96. Route 96 has since absorbed Route 40, and Route 42 has been truncated to Gallery Place, with the removed portion replaced by a rerouted Route D6.

References