Queens Chapel Road Line

The Queens Chapel Road Line, designated Route R4, is a daily bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between the Highview Apartment Complex in Hyattsville, Maryland and Brookland–CUA station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 20–35 minutes during peak hours, 70 minutes during midday service and 65–70 minutes on the weekends. R4 trips are roughly 30 minutes.

R4
Queens Chapel Road Line
Route R4 at Prince George’s Plaza
Overview
SystemMetrobus
OperatorWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
GarageBladensburg
LiveryLocal
StatusIn Service
Began service1978
Ended serviceR6, R7: December 11, 1993
PredecessorsG7, G9, R2, R6, R7
Route
LocalePrince George's County, Northeast
Communities servedBrookland, University Heights, Michigan Park, Avondale, Mount Rainier, Hyattsville
Landmarks servedHighview, Prince George's Plaza station, West Hyattsville station, Brookland–CUA station
StartHighview Apartments
ViaQueens Chapel Road, Michigan Avenue NE
EndBrookland–CUA station
Service
LevelDaily
FrequencyPeak Hour: 20-35 minutes
Midday: 70 minutes
Weekend frequency60-70 minutes
Operates5:00 AM – 10:56 PM
TransfersSmarTrip only
TimetableQueens Chapel Road Line
← R2  {{{system_nav}}}  R12 →

Background

Route R4 operates daily between Brookland–CUA station and Highview, via Bunker Hill Road NE (towards Highview), 10th Street NE (towards the Brookland-CUA station), Perry Street NE (towards the Brookland-CUA station, Michigan Avenue NE, Queens Chapel Road, Ager Road, the West Hyattsville station, Ager Road, Hamilton Street, Queens Chapel Road, Belcrest Road, the Prince George's Plaza station, East - West Highway (towards Highview), Belcrest Road, Toledo Terrace, Northwest Drive, Dean Drive, and Highview Terrace.

During light or moderate snowfall detours, route R4 would terminate at Prince George's Plaza station with no service operating to Highview.[1] The route would be suspended if heavy snowfall occurs.

Route R4 currently operates out of the Bladensburg Metrobus Division.

Route R4 stops

History
The R4 running to Brookland-CUA Station in 2014

DC Transit Routes G5 and G7, originally operated on the Queens Chapel Road corridor, between Highview and Bureau of Engraving (G5)/Potomac Park (G7) in Downtown Washington D.C. In addition to these two routes, the G9 DC Transit Route also operated on the Queens Chapel Road corridor between the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center and Potomac Park in Downtown Washington D.C., as well. All three routes would only operate during weekday rush hour/peak period commuter times only.[3] All three DC Transit Routes routes began service in 1958 and would later end up becoming WMATA Metrobus Routes on February 4, 1973, when WMATA bought out all four bus companies that operated throughout the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area and merged them all together to form its own, "Metrobus" System.

The G5, G7, and G9 routes kept operating all the way up until they ended up being discontinued February 19, 1978 and replaced by the R2, R4, R6, & R7 Metrobus Routes, shortly after the Brookland - CUA Metro Station opened on February 6, 1978.[4]

R2, R4, R6, & R7 originally operated as part of the former DC Transit, "Rosslyn Line", alongside routes R1, R5, R8, & R9, between Rosslyn (R2), Crystal City (R4), and various other points in Virginia, and Potomac Park in Downtown Washington D.C., prior to February 4, 1973, before becoming WMATA Metrobus Routes. At some point between this time and the year of 1975, R2 was rerouted to operate between the Kennedy Center in Downtown Washington D.C. and Calverton, Maryland, and no longer operate anywhere in Virginia anymore. Routes R1 & R5 were discontinued during this time as well (although they would later be "reincarnated" on December 11, 1993, to operate as part of the "Riggs Road Line"), while Routes R4, R6, R7, R8, and R9 stopped operating in Virginia, as of February 19, 1978. Routes R4, R6, & R7 were shifted to operate as part of the "Queens Chapel Road Line" alongside Route R2, while Routes R8 & R9 were shifted to operate as part of the "Riggs Road Line".

February 19, 1978 Route Changes

R2 would be the main, all day route on the "Queens Chapel Road Line" that would operate seven days a week, while Routes R4, R6, & R7 mainly operated during weekday rush hour/peak period times only.

Route R2 was truncated to only operate between the Brookland–CUA station and Calverton, via Bunker Hill Road NE, 10th Street NE, Perry Street NE (towards the Brookland - CUA station), Michigan Avenue NE, Queens Chapel Road, Belcrest Road, the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center, Toledo Road, Adelphi Road, Campus Drive/the University of Maryland College Park Campus, Baltimore Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, Powder Mill Road, Cherry Hill Road, Broadbirch Drive, Calverton Boulevard. Beltsville Drive, and Beltsville Road, during the times Metrorail service was available. Route H6 would then operate on the segment of R2's former routing between the Brookland-CUA station and Kennedy Center, during the times Metrorail service was available. However; R2 would still continue to make trips all the way between the Kennedy Center and Calverton, but only during non-Metrorail hours.

Route R4 was rerouted to operate between the Brookland–CUA station and Hyattsville, via the exact same routing as Route R2 between the Brookland-CUA station and intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Hamilton Street in Hyattsville, and then operate via G4's former loop in Hyattsville, via Hamilton Street, 38th Avenue, Jefferson Street, 42nd Avenue, Farrugut Street, Baltimore Avenue, Gallatin Street, and Hamilton Street.

Route R6 was rerouted to operate between the Brookland–CUA station & Lewisdale, via the exact same routing as Route R2 between the Brookland-CUA station and intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Ager Road in Hyattsville, MD, and then divert off Queens Chapel Road onto the intersection of Ager Road, and then operate via the former, "Ager Road - Rhode Island Avenue Line" Route E6's former Lewisdale Loop, via 23rd Avenue, Lewisdale Drive, Fordham Street, and 23rd Avenue.

Route R7, was rerouted to operate between the Brookland-CUA station and Highview. R7 would operate on the exact same routing as Route R2, between the Brookland-CUA station and Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center, and then operate via G5 & G7's former routing via Belcrest Road, Northwest Drive, Dean Drive, and Highview Terrace.

September 24, 1978 Route Changes

As Metrorail service began to be available on Saturdays, R2 reduced the number of non-Metrorail trips that it would make beyond the Brookland-CUA station, all the way up to Kennedy Center, while H6 began increasing its service between the Brookland - CUA station & Kennedy Center, in order to compensate for the reduction of R2 service between those two points.

August, 1980 Route Changes

Once Metrorail expanded its level of service even more, to the point where it would begin operating much more frequently, seven days a week, as new Sunday Metrorail service was added, Route R2 was truncated to only operate between the Brookland-CUA station & Calverton, while H6 would completely replace the segment of its routing between the Brookland-CUA station & Kennedy Center altogether.

December, 1993 Route Changes

On December 11, 1993, when the West Hyattsville and Prince George's Plaza stations opened, the R6 Metrobus Route was discontinued and both the R2 and R7 Metrobus Route were rerouted/shifted to operate as part of the "Riggs Road Line" between the Fort Totten station and Calverton, alongside the "reincarnated" R1 and R5 Metrobus Routes, in order to replace the former R8 & R9 Metrobus Routes, that had been discontinued. As a result, R4 was left to operate by itself as a standalone Metrobus route, taking over the "Queens Chapel Road" Line completely. However; during this time, R4 was rerouted to operated between the Brookland-CUA station and Highview, instead of operating between the Brookland-CUA station & Hyattsville. R4 would basically operate on its usual routing between the Brookland-CUA station and intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Ager Road in Hyattsville, MD, then divert off Queens Chapel Road, onto the intersection of Ager Road in order to serve the newly opened West Hyattsville station, before returning to the intersection of Queens Chapel Road, via Ager Road and Hamilton Street, and then operating via the exact same routing as R7, between the intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Hamilton Street in Hyattsville, MD and Highview, via Queens Chapel Road, Belcrest Road, the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center, Belcrest Road, Toledo Terrace, Northwest Drive, Dean Drive, and Highview Terrace, only with the exception that it would divert off Belcrest Road to serve the newly opened Prince George's Plaza station in between. R4 basically replaced the former segment of R2, R6, & R7's routing between the Brookland-CUA station and intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Ager Road in Hyattsville, MD, R2 & R7's routing between the intersection of Queens Chapel Road & Hamilton Street in Hyattsville, MD and the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center, and R7's former routing between the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center and Highview. On the other hand, the segment of R6's Lewisdale loop routing, via 23rd Avenue, Lewisdale Drive, Fordham Street, and 23rd Avenue, was replaced by the brand new R3 Metrobus Route. On the other hand, the former segment of R2's former routing on Toledo Road and Adelphi Road was completely replaced by the F8 Metrobus Route, while the former segment of R2's routing on Campus Drive/the University of Maryland College Park Campus, was completely replaced by both the C2 & F6 Metrobus Routes, while the segment of R2's former routing on Baltimore Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, and Powder Mill Road between Campus Drive/the University of Maryland College Park and intersection of Beltsville Drive in Calverton, MD, was replaced by the 86 Metrobus Route, which was extended north of its College Park terminus, at the intersection of College Avenue & Dartmouth Avenue, to Calverton, via Baltimore Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, Powder Mill Road, and Beltsville Drive. On the other hand, the segment of R4's former routing in Hyattsville between the intersection of Hamilton Street & Queens Chapel Road and Jefferson Street & 42nd Avenue, via Hamilton Street, 38th Avenue, and Jefferson Street was completely taken over by the F8 Metrobus Route. On the other hand, the rest of R4's former Hyattsville loop, via 42nd Avenue, Farrugut Street, Baltimore Avenue, and Gallatin Street, was eventually replaced by Prince George's County The Bus Route 13 when it was first created as a brand new Prince George's County The Bus Route around 1996.

May 15, 2003 Route Changes

Due to the fact that the vacant G.C. Murphy Department Store site in front of the original WMATA Metrobus Stop/Terminal inside the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center, as well as the WMATA Metrobus Stop/Terminal inside the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center were demolished to make room for the construction of a brand new Target Pharmacy Store, which would eventually open in October, 2004, R4 was permanently rerouted to no longer directly enter and loop inside the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center but rather instead serve it from adjacently located Metrobus Stops on Belcrest Road itself.[5]

May/June, 2007 Route Changes

Around May/June, 2007, the original east side entrance/exit roadway at the Prince George's Plaza station by the intersection of Belcrest Road, which allowed all WMATA Metrobus Routes to enter/exit the Prince George's Plaza station to/from Belcrest Road in both the northbound and southbound directions, was closed off, in order to make room for the brand new Mosaic at Metro Luxury Apartments Parking Garage and entrance roadway to be constructed. As a result, the east side entrance/exit roadway of the Prince George's Plaza station by Belcrest Road, was relocated to a slightly more northerly point where the former outdoor, open space Kiss & Ride Lot in front of the Prince George's Plaza station used to be located, prior to being closed off/demolished during the summer of 2006, once the new east side entrance/exit roadway and brand new roundabout were finished being constructed. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the new east side entrance/exit roadway was made much more narrow and featured a roundabout and blocked median, all motor vehicles were prohibited from exiting the east side of the Prince George's Plaza station by making a left turn onto Belcrest Road in the northbound direction, even though they still would be able to enter the east side of the Prince George's Plaza station from either direction of Belcrest Road. All motor vehicles would either be forced to exit the east side of the Prince George's Plaza station by making a right turn onto Belcrest Road in the southbound direction, or would simply be forced to exit the west side entrance/exit roadway of the Prince George's Plaza station, by making a right turn onto the intersection of East - West Highway and then a left turn onto the intersection of Belcrest Road, in order to get back onto the intersection of Belcrest Road in the northbound direction. As a result, only R4 trips towards Highview were affected by this change. R4 trips towards the Brookland - CUA station, on the other hand, were not at all, in any way, affected by these changes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Route R4 was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule beginning on March 16, 2020.[6] However, on March 18, 2020, the route was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule and weekend service later suspended on March 21, 2020.[7] A modified schedule and all weekend service resumed on August 23, 2020.[8]

References
  1. "Moderate Snow Routes | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  2. "CUA Shuttle Bus Schedule" (PDF). CUA Department of Public Safety. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  3. Pierre, Robert. "METRO SHUFFLING ITS BUS SCHEDULE". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. "R4 – Queens Chapel Road Line". Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  5. "Metrobus service suspended at Prince Georges Plaza". www.gazette.net. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  6. "Metro announces additional COVID-19 changes, including reduced service beginning Monday | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. "METRO SERVICE LEVELS & HOURS FURTHER REDUCED TO SUPPORT ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY, STARTING WEDNESDAY | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  8. "Metrobus Service Changes beginning August 23 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
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