For years, the wheels of DC’s transit network have turned, with only scattered focus. Other cities had comprehensive websites by transit enthusiasts about their local systems – many smaller than Washington. Why couldn’t we have such a thing? Why did we have to dig in libraries and personal archives for information about our region’s transit network? Why can’t we collect all the information we could find in one place, preserving the historic record that might otherwise vanish?
The only reason seems to be that no one has taken the initiative to create such a thing – so, in 2004, a group of DC area transit enthusiasts set out to fill that void. The product of that quest is what you see today, a website called the D.C. Area Transit Zone (DCATZ).
This website focuses on the transit network in the cities and counties that form the “transit zone” defined in the Interstate Compact that formed the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the quasi-public agency created to coordinate and operate transit in the area. In addition to the regional Metrobus/Metrorail system, this website also contains a wealth of information about the local bus and commuter rail services operated in the area.
The DC Area Transit Zone celebrates the past, present, and future of transit in the Washington area.