Which Metro stations are the most balanced?
Ever wondered if any Metro stations come close to having the same number of exits and entries during rush hour? Thanks Metro’s newly-public ridership data, we can tell exactly how balanced each station is.
Mornings
During the AM peak period, the most balanced station is Bethesda. Almost exactly the same number of people enter the station as exit. Pentagon, Brookland, King Street, and Mount Vernon Square round out the top five.
On Monday, we looked at stations based on how many riders boarded and exited in the AM peak. Union Station and Pentagon are the only stations that appear on both top 10 lists. This indicates that they are fairly balanced, with people riding to and from them at similar levels. Pentagon is the 2nd most balanced station, and Union Station is number 9.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bethesda | 3,278 | 3,269 | 1.003 |
2 | Pentagon | 6,479 | 6,954 | 1.07 |
3 | Brookland | 2,075 | 1,914 | 1.08 |
4 | King Street | 2,986 | 2,712 | 1.10 |
5 | Mt Vernon Square | 1,157 | 1,323 | 1.14 |
6 | Crystal City | 4,105 | 4,912 | 1.20 |
7 | Tenleytown | 1,849 | 2,218 | 1.20 |
8 | Ballston | 4,441 | 3,656 | 1.21 |
9 | Union Station | 9,712 | 12,030 | 1.24 |
10 | Waterfront | 1,334 | 1,015 | 1.31 |
Why is balance important? Balance can be an indicator that land use around the station is fairly well mixed.
At Bethesda, for example, many people live near the station, and walk there to get on trains headed downtown (or to other destinations). At the same time, many other commuters are headed to one of the many workplaces around the Bethesda stop.
The measure of balance isn’t perfect, though. The #2 most balanced station is Pentagon, which is just about as far from being a livable community as a place can get. Many riders are headed to jobs at the Pentagon. But they’re balanced out by a large number of riders changing from bus to rail at the massive bus hub there.
What about the other end of the spectrum? Here are the 10 least-balanced stations.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
77 | Vienna | 9,614 | 768 | 12.5 |
78 | Branch Avenue | 4,828 | 380 | 12.7 |
79 | Huntington | 6,298 | 486 | 13.0 |
80 | Judiciary Square | 486 | 6,515 | 13.4 |
81 | Farragut North | 1,232 | 16,754 | 13.6 |
82 | Archives | 391 | 5,596 | 14.3 |
83 | Arlington Cemetery | 20 | 303 | 14.9 |
84 | Glenmont | 4,280 | 236 | 18.1 |
85 | Smithsonian | 323 | 5,938 | 18.4 |
86 | Federal Triangle | 210 | 6,617 | 31.5 |
Federal Triangle is by far the least balanced. For every 1 person entering the station during the AM peak, 31.5 people are exiting. That’s almost twice as lopsided as the 84th and 85th ranked stations, Glenmont and Smithsonian.
Also of note, in the bottom 10 we can find several of the top stations for AM peak boardings and alightings. Vienna (entry #2), is the 10th-least balanced station; Huntington (entry #7) is the 8th least-balanced station. Farragut North, by far the busiest station for exits in the AM peak, is the 6th least-balanced station.
While these stations may have many passengers boarding or exiting in the morning rush, they’re far from balanced.
Blue is the proportion of entries. Orange is the proportion of exits.
Overall, the average balance factor for the AM Peak is 5.8. That’s the most imbalanced of any of the periods. The station with the balance factor closest to the average is Benning Road, with a balance of 5.8.
PM Peak
On average, the PM Peak period is more balanced than the AM Peak. The average balance factor for the afternoon rush hour is 3.1. The station closest to the average is West Hyattsville, with a balance factor of 3.2.
The imbalances during this period aren’t as strong as they are during the morning. This is probably due to some riders from the suburbs coming into the city to attend entertainment venues or sporting events balancing out commuters.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brookland | 2,210 | 2,236 | 1.01 |
2 | National Airport | 1,842 | 1,781 | 1.03 |
3 | Tenleytown | 2,653 | 2,564 | 1.03 |
4 | Shaw | 1,468 | 1,409 | 1.04 |
5 | Bethesda | 3,723 | 3,914 | 1.05 |
6 | Pentagon | 6,513 | 6,082 | 1.07 |
7 | Dupont Circle | 6,760 | 6,282 | 1.08 |
8 | Navy Yard | 3,945 | 4,269 | 1.08 |
9 | Union Station | 12,564 | 11,588 | 1.08 |
10 | Ballston | 3,996 | 4,481 | 1.12 |
While the order moves around a bit, 6 of the top 10 morning peak stations also appear on the top 10 most-balanced PM peak stations. The stations in both top 10s are: Bethesda, Pentagon, Brookland, Tenleytown, Ballston, and Union Station.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
77 | Shady Grove | 1,457 | 8,320 | 5.7 |
78 | Vienna | 1,466 | 8,481 | 5.8 |
79 | Huntington | 883 | 5,427 | 6.1 |
80 | Glenmont | 563 | 3,659 | 6.5 |
81 | Landover | 204 | 1,369 | 6.7 |
82 | Judiciary Square | 5,778 | 786 | 7.3 |
83 | Branch Avenue | 580 | 4,379 | 7.5 |
84 | Morgan Blvd | 196 | 1,558 | 7.9 |
85 | Federal Center SW | 4,229 | 511 | 8.3 |
86 | Federal Triangle | 6,667 | 784 | 8.5 |
Similarly, 6 stations from the bottom 10 AM peak stations are on the afternoon peak bottom 10. In both periods, Federal Triangle is the 86th most-balanced station, the bottom rank. However, it’s a good deal more balanced in the PM peak than it was during the morning rush.
The other 5 stations appearing in both bottom 10 lists are: Vienna, Branch Avenue, Huntington, Judiciary Square, and Glenmont.
Midday
The midday period is not as polarized as the peak periods. In fact, the midday period is the most balanced period, with an average balance factor of 1.2. The closest station to the average balance factor is Morgan Boulevard, with a factor of 1.2.
The least-balanced station, Smithsonian, has twice as many exits as entries during this period. That’s a far cry from the 31-fold difference at Federal Triangle during the morning peak.
This makes a good deal of sense, too. With the peak periods, people tend to be making complementary trips in the opposite peak. But in the midday period, many of those trips happen in both directions during the same period.
For example, someone running to lunch might take the train from Farragut North to Union Station and back, with the return trip balancing the first. A commuter on the other hand, might go from Vienna to McPherson Square in the morning, wouldn’t return until the PM peak.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | King Street | 1,798 | 1,818 | 1.01 |
2 | Tenleytown | 1,581 | 1,614 | 1.02 |
3 | Federal Center SW | 1,191 | 1,160 | 1.03 |
4 | Arlington Cemetery | 938 | 974 | 1.04 |
5 | Eastern Market | 1,349 | 1,299 | 1.04 |
6 | Clarendon | 790 | 744 | 1.06 |
7 | Friendship Heights | 2,214 | 2,076 | 1.07 |
8 | Pentagon City | 3,532 | 3,782 | 1.07 |
9 | Judiciary Square | 2,043 | 2,189 | 1.07 |
10 | Dupont Circle | 3,776 | 4,055 | 1.07 |
The least balanced midday stations aren’t that imbalanced.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
77 | Farragut North | 4,308 | 5,867 | 1.36 |
78 | Archives | 1,652 | 2,281 | 1.38 |
79 | West Hyattsville | 878 | 634 | 1.38 |
80 | Gallery Place | 4,420 | 6,152 | 1.39 |
81 | Dunn Loring | 961 | 687 | 1.40 |
82 | Metro Center | 5,004 | 7,085 | 1.42 |
83 | Takoma | 1,324 | 922 | 1.44 |
84 | Twinbrook | 955 | 657 | 1.45 |
85 | Grosvenor | 939 | 596 | 1.58 |
86 | Smithsonian | 2,516 | 5,136 | 2.04 |
Evenings
Evenings are not as balanced as middays, but they are more balanced than either peak period.
The average balance factor for the evening period is 2.8. Capitol South, with a balance factor of 2.8, is the closest to the average balance factor.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pentagon City | 2,519 | 2,513 | 1.003 |
2 | Tenleytown | 1,019 | 1,044 | 1.02 |
3 | Waterfront | 685 | 708 | 1.03 |
4 | U Street | 1,707 | 1,779 | 1.04 |
5 | Mt Vernon Square | 646 | 674 | 1.04 |
6 | Bethesda | 1,513 | 1,624 | 1.07 |
7 | Friendship Heights | 1,263 | 1,434 | 1.14 |
8 | Eastern Market | 942 | 1,087 | 1.15 |
9 | King Street | 1,119 | 1,319 | 1.18 |
10 | Clarendon | 833 | 1,003 | 1.20 |
The least balanced evening stations range from a balance factor of 4.8 to 8.9. However, Arlington Cemetery station is at the bottom at least partially due to the station’s early closure, and the fact that the Cemetery, the only thing within walking distance of the station, closes early, too.
Rank | Station | Entries | Exits | Balance |
---|---|---|---|---|
77 | Judiciary Square | 814 | 170 | 4.8 |
78 | Metro Center | 5,897 | 1,211 | 4.9 |
79 | Huntington | 315 | 1,573 | 5.0 |
80 | Glenmont | 230 | 1,209 | 5.3 |
81 | Archives | 1,434 | 264 | 5.4 |
82 | Farragut West | 3,875 | 707 | 5.5 |
83 | Shady Grove | 428 | 2,350 | 5.5 |
84 | Farragut North | 4,523 | 775 | 5.8 |
85 | Federal Triangle | 1,135 | 128 | 8.8 |
86 | Arlington Cemetery | 159 | 18 | 8.9 |
What are your thoughts about the station balance numbers?