New Carrollton–Fort Totten Line

Route F6 operates weekdays only between New Carrollton station and Fort Totten station mostly along Sargent Road, Good Luck Road, Finns Lane, Campus Drive, Ager Road, and University Boulevard without having to take the train. It connects the New Carrollton, Riverdale, College Park, University Park, Hyattsville, Green Meadows, Chillum, Queens Chapel, and North Michigan Park communities to various Metrorail stations and parts of Northeast DC.

Route F6 currently operates out of Landover division.

Route F6 had a prior incarnation operating as part of the former Capital Transit Company's Sargent Road Line between 12th & Quincy Street NE in Brookland, D.C. and Green Meadows, MD (some trips; however, would be shortened to operate only up to Gallatin Street NE & South Dakota Avenue NE in North Michigan Park, D.C.). F6 later on became a DC Transit Route during the 1950s and ended up being discontinued in the late 1960s and being replaced by Metrobus Routes F5 amnd F7.

Route F4 had a prior incarnation operating as part of the former Capital Transit Company Michigan Avenue Line between Eastern Avenue NE & Michigan Avenue NE (Avondale) and 9th Street NW & Constitution Avenue NW (Archives). Just like the F6, the F4 eventually became a DC Transit Route during the 1950s, before ultimately becoming a WMATA Metrobus Route on February 4, 1973, when the Metrobus System was formed.

The Prince George's–Silver Spring Line was created as a brand new line on February 19, 1978, shortly after Silver Spring station opened, to replace the former segment of the J2 and J4's routing between Silver Spring and Beltway Plaza Mall, that were discontinued when the J2 and J4 were truncated to only operate up to the Silver Spring station.

The East-West Highway Line was originally operated by Routes J2 and J4, orignally operating between Montgomery Mall and Beltway Plaza (J2), and between Chevy Chase Circle and Beltway Plaza (J4).

On February 19, 1978{{Cite web |last=Likowski |first=Barbara |date=February 23, 1978 |title=F6 Metrobus Route Questioned |url=https://www.greenbeltnewsreview.com/issues/GNR19780223.pdf}} shortly after Silver Spring opened, Routes J2 and J4 were truncated to only operate between Friendship Heights (J4)/Montgomery Mall (J2) and Silver Spring station. The East-West Highway Line was split into two routes. Routes J2, J4, and a brand new J3 were renamed into the Bethesda–Silver Spring Line operating on its current route between Friendship Heights and Montgomery Mall and Silver Spring, while the portion between Silver Spring and Prince George's Plaza was renamed into the Prince George's-Silver Spring Line, operated by new Routes F4 and F6.

Routes F4 and F6 operated between Silver Spring and New Carrollton (F4) and Greenbelt (F6). Both routes operated parallel with each other between Silver Spring and East-West Highway & Ager Road in Green Meadows, then split from each other. Route F4 would operate along the former J2's routing along East-West Highway, then would operate to New Carrollton Mall via Belcrest Road, Queensbury Road, 48th Avenue (towards New Carrollton)/Lafayette Avenue (towards the Silver Spring Metro Station), and Riverdale Road. Route F6 would operate along the former J4's routing Ager Road, Hamilton Street, Queens Chapel Road, Belcrest Road, University of Maryland, Baltimore Avenue, Greenbelt Road, and Beltway Plaza. After serving Beltway Plaza, Route F6 would operate to Greenbelt Center via Greenbelt Road, Lakecrest Drive, Lakeside Drive, Westway, Ridge Road, Gardenway, Crescent Road, and Southway. During rush hours, the F6 would operate to Goddard Space Flight Center via Southway and Greenbelt Road.

On December 11, 1993, the F6 was rerouted to operate between New Carrollton and Prince George's Plaza station, via Ellin Road, Harkins Road, Finns Lane, Riverdale Road, Auburn Avenue, Good Luck Road, Kenilworth Avenue, River Road, College Park–University of Maryland station, River Road, Kenilworth Avenue, East-West Highway, Prince George's Plaza, Belcrest Road, Queens Chapel Road, Ager Road, West Hyattsville station, Ager Road, and East-West Highway. Service to Beltway Plaza and Greenbelt Center was replaced by extended route C2.{{Cite news|last=Pierre|first=Robert E.|date=1993-12-09|title=METRO SHUFFLING ITS BUS SCHEDULE|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1993/12/09/metro-shuffling-its-bus-schedule/29c11358-4cae-44aa-91f7-d1b863257131/|access-date=2021-04-10|issn=0190-8286}}

Around the 1990s, Route F6 would discontinue service to Silver Spring station and terminate at Prince George's Plaza.

Around 1996, after Paint Branch Parkway was finished being completed route F6 was rerouted to operate between the Prince George's Plaza and College Park station, via its original routing via Belcrest Road, Adelphi Road, and Campus Drive, then via Paint Branch Parkway and River Road. Once this change took place, F6's routing on Kenilworth Avenue between River Road and Prince George's Plaza was discontinued.

On September 12, 1999, route F6 was re-extended to Silver Spring station via West Hyattsville station. The route operated along Queens Chapel Road, Hamilton Street and Ager Road to serve West Hyattsville, then follow route F4's routing to Silver Spring along East-West Highway, Ethan Allen Avenue, and Philadelphia Avenue.{{cite web|url=http://wmata.com/MET_NEWS/MDservice_changes.htm|title=Maryland and Virginia Metrobus Service Changes Effective September 20, 1999|website=|access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991115080240/http://wmata.com/MET_NEWS/MDservice_changes.htm |archive-date=November 15, 1999 |url-status=dead}}

On May 15, 2003, the former Metrobus bus bays in front of the former G.C. Murphy store inside Prince George's Plaza, were demolished to build a new Target store. Routes F4 and F6 stopped directing entering into and looping inside the Prince George's Plaza.{{cite web|url=http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2003/200320/hyattsville/news/158762-1.html|title=Metrobus service suspended at Prince Georges Plaza|website=www.gazette.net|access-date=January 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329001034/http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2003/200320/hyattsville/news/158762-1.html |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

On September 28, 2008, due to the Silver Spring station Bus Bay and Kiss & Ride Lot were closed off due to the construction of the brand new Silver Spring Transit Center, routes F4 and F6 Metrobus Stop at Silver Spring was temporarily relocated from Bay N to the jughandle at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road, across Silver Spring station until September 2015 when the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center was finished being constructed and officially opened.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/pressreleasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2266|title=Bus stops to be relocated during construction of Silver Spring Transit Center|date=September 25, 2008|website=Metro News Release}}

Between 2010 and 2011, WMATA proposed to split the F4 and F6 routing into two routes. While the F4 remained the same, the F6 was proposed to be rerouted to serve Fort Totten, keeping its routing between the New Carrollton station & the intersection of East-West Highway & Riggs Road the same, except route F6 would be rerouted to operate on the Route R3 routing between the intersection of Riggs Road & East-West Highway & Fort Totten along East-West Highway, Riggs Road, Sargent Road.{{cite web|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/public-hearings/upload/bus_md.pdf|title=MARYLAND PROPOSED BUS SERVICE CHANGES : FISCAL YEAR 2011|website=Wmata.com\accessdate=27 January 2019}} This was proposed to reduce redundancy with F4 between Silver Spring station and the East-West Highway and Riggs Road intersection. The proposal was brought up again in 2012 with the same similarities.{{cite web |title=B11-03: Proposed Adjustments to Metrobus Service; October 11-13, 2011 |url=https://www.wmata.com/about/public-hearings/B11-03-Proposed-Adjustments-to-Metrobus-Service-October-11.cfm |accessdate=19 May 2020}}{{cite web |title=Notice of Public Hearing Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Proposed Adjustments to Metrobus Service Docket B11-03 |url=https://www.wmata.com/about/public-hearings/upload/B11-03_docket_final.pdf |accessdate=19 May 2020}}

On June 17, 2012, F6 was rerouted to operate between the New Carrollton and Fort Totten stations, instead of operating between the New Carrollton and Silver Spring stations. While the segment of F6's routing between New Carrollton and the intersection of East-West Highway and Riggs Road would remain the same, route F6 was rerouted to replace the segment of the R3 routing between the intersection of East–West Highway and Riggs Road and Fort Totten station, by turning onto Riggs Road, and then operating via Sargent Road/Sargent Road NE, Gallatin Street NE, South Dakota Avenue NE, and Galloway Street NE. Route F4 added extra trips to supplement route F6 riders between Silver Spring and Riggs Road.{{cite press release|url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/pressreleasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5233|title=Metro invests in 'better bus' service in DC, Maryland, Virginia|publisher=WMATA|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214065918/https://www.wmata.com/about/news/pressreleasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5233|archive-date=December 14, 2018|url-status=dead}} Route F6 would be renamed to the New Carrollton–Fort Totten Line as a result of the changes.

Beginning on September 1, 2019, for nine months, the College Park Metrobus loop was temporarily closed for construction of the Purple line at College Park station having all stops located along River Road. As a result, route F6's bus stops were moved onto River Road to serve the station. There were no detours that affected route F6.{{cite web |title=Temporary Stop Relocation: MDOT MTA Purple Line Construction at College Park Station Bus Loop, September 1 |url=https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/mdot-mta-purple-line-construction-college-park-sept-1.cfm |accessdate=25 May 2020}}

All route F6 service was suspended due to WMATA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning on March 16, 2020.{{cite web |title=Metro announces additional COVID-19 changes, including reduced service beginning Monday {{!}} WMATA |url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Metro-announces-additional-COVID-19-changes.cfm |website=www.wmata.com |access-date=31 January 2021}} Route F6 was fully restored on August 23, 2020.{{cite web |title=Metrobus Service Changes beginning August 23 {{!}} WMATA |url=https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/proposed-august-2020-metrobus-service-changes.cfm |website=www.wmata.com |access-date=31 January 2021}}

On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed to reduce the frequency of buses to every 60 minutes on the F6 due to low federal funding..{{cite web |title=Proposed Service Adjustments by Jurisdiction |url=https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/budget/upload/proposed-service-adjustments-by-jurisdiction.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2yAnFIhNZRyVMm07dbgmkZO9jhR5aZWUeuhd1dWN2Y3RrXVvi0LHrqTLY |access-date=27 September 2020}} It was also proposed to eliminate all service if WMATA does not get federal funding.{{cite web |title=FY22 Proposed Metrobus Service Changes Maryland |url=https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/budget/upload/Proposed-MD-Bus-Changes.pdf |access-date=6 April 2021}} However full service on the F6 was restored on September 5, 2021.{{cite web |title=Improved frequency and changes to Metrobus service begin Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021 {{!}} WMATA |url=https://www.wmata.com/service/status/details/metrobus-service-changes-september-2021.cfm |website=www.wmata.com |access-date=24 August 2021}}

As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign Network approval, the F6 will be renamed into the P35.{{cite web |title=Metro Board of Directors approves Better Bus Network Redesign, new bus routes to start next summer |url=https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Metro-Board-of-Directors-approves-Better-Bus-Network-Redesign-new-bus-routes-to-start-next-summer.cfm |website=WMATA |access-date=23 January 2025 |language=en}} The route follows a similar routing to the F6, however, it now no longer serves College Park-UMD station and instead continues along Kenilworth Avenue before turning onto Riverdale Road. It then operates via Riverdale Road and Queensbury Road before serving Hyattsville Crossing. It then operates along East-West Highway before resuming the former F6 route on Riggs Road. Service to College Park was replaced by new Routes P31 and P32, while service to West Hyattsville was replaced by Route P32.{{cite web |title=Maryland Better Bus Routes |url=https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/Better-Bus/upload/Resource_2025-Route-Profiles_Maryland.pdf}}

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F6

Category:Orange Line (Washington Metro)

Category:1978 establishments in Washington, D.C.

Category:2012 disestablishments in Washington, D.C.

Category:Transportation in Prince George's County, Maryland