“Crossing Paths @ Kingman Lake”
On January 2, 2026, DC Streetcar (United Streetcar Model 100) #201 prepares to head toward Union Station at the extreme eastern end of the H Street–Benning Road Line at Kingman Lake in Washington, DC, as a WMATA Orange Line train passes overhead. Although the line’s eastern passenger terminal is located at Oklahoma Avenue, streetcars continue a short distance beyond the station to Kingman Lake to access a turning track before beginning the return trip west. The line was originally intended to continue further east along Benning Road and connect with the WMATA Blue Line, which also crosses overhead at this same location, but those plans were never realized. Evidence of the proposed expansion can still be seen in the form of track spurs that abruptly end in the median of Benning Road, visible in this photo.
With service reductions beginning on January 4 as part of the system’s planned shutdown, January 2 marked the final weekday of full regular service on the line. The DC Streetcar, which began operating in 2016 along the 2.2-mile corridor between Union Station and Oklahoma Avenue, is scheduled to cease operations entirely on March 31, 2026, bringing an end to nearly a decade of streetcar service along the H Street corridor.