WMATA HQ to L’Enfant Plaza Station via Escalator (Lower Level)

From: WMATA Headquarters - 300 7th Street, SW

To: L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station Lower Level

  • If heading back on the Orange/Blue/Silver from the WMATA HQ
  • Uses the escalator at D and 7th St

Directions Back To WMATA HQ

Escalator Path

1. Exit the WMATA HQ building and walk through the entrance bollards toward the intersection of D and 7th. Cross D St when it is safe to do so. Once across the street, turn to the left.

A picture of the intersection at D and 7th Streets. There are bollards in the foreground, and in the background, a person about to cross the street using a crosswalk that goes up and to the left.

2. Proceed down D St towards the middle of the block where the escalator entrance to the station is. It is approximately 225 ft to the entrance for the escalators.

A picture of a sidewalk down 7th Street. The WMATA Headquarters building is on the left, and the street is on the right. There is landscaping and some construction cones to the right before the street.

3. Turn to the right and head forward to a set of stairs. Once up the stairs, the escalators are in the center of a large open space, with the entrance towards the back. The escalators also have a walled barrier with a railing on top on three sides (towards the street and on the left and right of the escalator bay).

A picture of a staircase and a escalator bay under a building. There are stairs running across the picture from left to right inbetween the foreground and background, along with a potted plant in the center of the image. There is a coloumn behind the potted plant. In the background there is an open space covered by the rest of the building that is at the top of the image.

4. Proceed past the escalator bay and make a wide U-Turn. If on the right side of the escalator bay, turn to the left go to the last of the three escalators; if on the left side of the escalator bay, turn to the right and go to the first of the three escalators.

A picture of an escalator entrance. In the foreground there is an escalator and in the background slightly to the left of center for the image there is a large video board that is green. Between the video board and the top of the escalator there is a wall that surrounds the escalator bay. There are also three pillars present holding up the ceiling around the wall.

5. Ride the escalator down. Once at the bottom of the escalator, walk forward and find a railing on the right-hand side of the path. The path will curve to the left and lead to the faregates.

A picture of a pathway in a metro station. In the foreground to the right there is a trash can. In the background there is a wall with fare vending machines slightly to the right of center as well as to the left. In the far right background there is the ending of a railing.

6. Pass through the faregates after the path. The ADA faregate is the closest faregate to the station manager’s kiosk on the left.

A picture of a metro station pathway. In the background on the left there is a railing protruding from a wall. In the center of the background there is a station manager's kiosk with faregates on both the left and the right side. In the upper right corner of the picture there is a display screen for the time to the next train.

7. There are two sets of escalators that will take you to the lower level where the Orange/Blue/Silver line trains are. Both are located in the center of the platform immediately past the faregates. Proceed forward and take the escalator that you prefer.

A picture of a set of escalators in a metro station. In front of the escalators there is one yellow wet floor cone. The escalators have a half wall running around the three other sides. In the background there are six wayfinding structures.

8. Once at the lower level, trains that are continuing to Franconia-Springfield, Vienna, and Ashburn are going to be on your right (you will be towards the end of the train) and trains that are continuing to New Carrollton and Downtown Largo are going to be on your left (you will be towards the front of the train).

Directions Back To WMATA HQ