The Bethesda Historical Society is celebrating Bethesda Metro Station’s 40th anniversary on Sunday, August 25th.
“Join us noon – 2:00 p.m. on the Bethesda Metro Station Plaza for Bethesda history exhibits and more!” The event will feature “music, exhibits, and fun activities” with special remarks beginning at 12:15. It is one of the busiest suburban Metro stations, serving on average 9,142 passengers each weekday in 2017, according to a previous WMATA press release.
The station opened on August 25, 1984. Its opening coincided with the completion of 6.8 miles (10.9 km) of rail northwest of the Van Ness–UDC station and the opening of the Friendship Heights, Grosvenor, Medical Center and Tenleytown stations. The escalator spans 212 feet, 18 feet shorter than the longest single span escalator in the Western Hemisphere, located at the Wheaton Metro Station.