Six Metrorail lines shape which visits, tours, and check-ins are realistic across this region - here's the map that actually matters for families.
A lot of senior-care coordination in this metro happens long-distance - an adult child in Chicago or Denver managing a parent's care in Bethesda or Alexandria, arranging visits, moving furniture, meeting with a facility administrator, all without a rental car reservation lined up months in advance. WMATA's Metrorail system quietly shapes which visits are realistic on a Tuesday afternoon and which ones require renting a car at Reagan National first.
Transit access affects more than convenience. A facility a five-minute walk from a Red Line station means a sibling flying in for a weekend, a case manager without a car, or a hospice nurse making a same-day visit all have a realistic way to get there. A facility a 25-minute rideshare from the nearest station changes the math for all three.
WMATA's Metrorail runs six lines: Red, Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow, and Green. (A seventh line, Purple, is under construction and does not carry passengers yet - don't plan around it.) Metro Center is the main transfer point for Red, Orange, Blue, and Silver; Gallery Place-Chinatown, one block away, connects Red, Yellow, and Green; L'Enfant Plaza ties together Orange, Blue, Silver, Green, and Yellow. As of December 2025, every other Yellow Line train runs through to Greenbelt rather than turning back at Mt Vernon Sq, sharing track with the Green Line for that stretch.
| Line | What it serves in this guide |
|---|---|
| Red Line | Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, Wheaton, and DC's upper Northwest corridor |
| Orange Line | Arlington's Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, Fairfax, Falls Church |
| Silver Line | McLean, Tysons, Reston |
| Blue Line | Alexandria, Springfield, Arlington's Crystal City/Pentagon corridor |
| Yellow Line | Alexandria, and the DC core connection north toward Prince George's County |
| Green Line | College Park, Hyattsville, and DC's Petworth/Navy Yard corridor |
If you'd rather start from a city or neighborhood than a line, these station-cluster guides group nearby cities together the way the actual Metro map does:
A free DC-metro advisor can help you weigh transit access alongside cost, care level, and availability.
Or call (571) 497-4418