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Creating the North American Landscape
The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro
As Metro stretches to Tysons Corner and beyond, this paperback edition features a new preface from the author. Drivers in the nation's capital face a host of high-speed traffic circles, presidential motorcades, jaywalking tourists, and bewildering signs that send unsuspecting motorists from the Lincoln Memorial into suburban Virginia in less than two minutes. And parking? Don't bet on it unless you're in the fast lane of the Capital Beltway during rush hour. Little wonder, then, that so many residents and visitors rely on the Washington Metro, the 106-mile rapid transit system that serves the District of Columbia and its inner suburbs. In the first comprehensive history of the Metro, Zachary M. Schrag tells the story of the Great Society Subway from its earliest rumblings to the present day, from Arlington to College Park, Eisenhower to Marion Barry. Unlike the pre–World War II rail systems of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, the Metro was built at a time when most American families already owned cars, and when most American cities had dedicated themselves to freeways, not subways. Why did the nation's capital take a different path? What were the consequences of that decision? Using extensive archival research as well as oral history, Schrag argues that the Metro can be understood only in the political context from which it was the Great Society liberalism of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. The Metro emerged from a period when Americans believed in public investments suited to the grandeur and dignity of the world's richest nation. The Metro was built not merely to move commuters, but in the words of Lyndon Johnson, to create "a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community." Schrag scrutinizes the project from its earliest days, including general planning, routes, station architecture, funding decisions, land-use impacts, and the behavior of Metro riders. The story of the Great Society Subway sheds light on the development of metropolitan Washington, postwar urban policy, and the promises and limits of rail transit in American cities.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 6, 2016
Should be required reading for everyone in DC. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think, and it maybe--just maybe--restored a little of my hope in Metro's future. After all, the system has already made it through an unimaginable amount of crap and interference. What's one more decade of political strife and lack of funds?
I moved to DC in 2004, when the Green Line was finally finished and the final Red and Blue Line stops mere months from opening. The metro map (save for the Silver Line and various rush-plus nonsense) has been fairly static for my residency, and so it's easy for me to think of the Metro as an edifice that has always existed, fully formed, and forget that only a few years before I came to town, vast stretches of what I take for granted simply didn't exist. Likewise I know that as a pedestrian I feel more comfortable in DC than in any other American city, but I don't often stop to think that that's not merely an accident of geography but a result of decades of anti-highway campaigns by citizens across the city. So it was fascinating to follow the twists and turns of how DC's built environment was built, instead of just accepting it (as I usually do) as fait accompli.
I moved to DC in 2004, when the Green Line was finally finished and the final Red and Blue Line stops mere months from opening. The metro map (save for the Silver Line and various rush-plus nonsense) has been fairly static for my residency, and so it's easy for me to think of the Metro as an edifice that has always existed, fully formed, and forget that only a few years before I came to town, vast stretches of what I take for granted simply didn't exist. Likewise I know that as a pedestrian I feel more comfortable in DC than in any other American city, but I don't often stop to think that that's not merely an accident of geography but a result of decades of anti-highway campaigns by citizens across the city. So it was fascinating to follow the twists and turns of how DC's built environment was built, instead of just accepting it (as I usually do) as fait accompli.
January 6, 2018
Got into grad school for transportation planning in DC a year after finishing this book--nearly to the day. Coincidence?
....yeah, probably.
....yeah, probably.
May 2, 2023
METRO IS SO SLAY CUNT MAMA REALNESS
July 21, 2012
Schrag has written a great history of the planning and construction the Washington Metro, and adroitly describes the political processes that both threatened and facilitated Metro. Being the nation's capital meant that Metro got pulled into political currents, some having to do with home rule, some with the fragmented jurisdictions of the DMV, some regarding specific-to-DC quirks (such as the arts commission), and some regarding Congressional control over the District. Moreover, Metro in DC was seen as symbolic for the nation as a whole. These peculiarities both helped and hindered Metro, depending on the circumstances. Schrag pays great attention to the idea that mass transit is more than simply a way to move people and questions whether we give infrastructure the same (appropriate) credit today.
The Great Society Subway addresses myths and lingering questions (why there's no subway in Georgetown, why the Green Line was finished so late, even why the Red Line is buried so deep and the escalator at Dupont is so long) and digs into the local politics of the 1960s and 1970s.
The book is a wonderful story of how Metro, and its original network, came to be. What would be useful is more on the recent history of Metro, as Schrag veers more into anecdotes and small bits, and gives far less detail regarding the status of Metro's service today, changes since the 1970s and decisions to expand from the initial network. More detail on other forms of transit in the area would be interesting in order to understand how Metro fits into the whole. And there is more to be written about how Metro changed the city--one can only write so much, and Schrag touches on the changes to central Washington while focusing mostly on the subway itself. However, for anyone wishing to know why the subway is what it is, and how political institutions played an important role in its development, there is probably not a better source available.
The Great Society Subway addresses myths and lingering questions (why there's no subway in Georgetown, why the Green Line was finished so late, even why the Red Line is buried so deep and the escalator at Dupont is so long) and digs into the local politics of the 1960s and 1970s.
The book is a wonderful story of how Metro, and its original network, came to be. What would be useful is more on the recent history of Metro, as Schrag veers more into anecdotes and small bits, and gives far less detail regarding the status of Metro's service today, changes since the 1970s and decisions to expand from the initial network. More detail on other forms of transit in the area would be interesting in order to understand how Metro fits into the whole. And there is more to be written about how Metro changed the city--one can only write so much, and Schrag touches on the changes to central Washington while focusing mostly on the subway itself. However, for anyone wishing to know why the subway is what it is, and how political institutions played an important role in its development, there is probably not a better source available.
March 25, 2024
For anyone who lives in D.C., this is a must read. Schrag details the planning, construction, finance, and ultimate impact of the Metro, D.C.’s regional rail system. Through that, we see how unique of an achievement Metro is: As the last big subway system to be created in U.S. — and the only one to do so after the age of the automobile — Metro is truly a success story.
Created as a way to lure people out of cars, clear congestion, and ultimately transport commuters to and from the city, Metro is unique in its dual purpose: Ultimately serving both as a commuter rail and an urban subway.
But more than anything, Schrag details Metro as the Great Society Subway — a massive public investment in transit that takes into account braod social goals of the era and the idea that “public investment should serve all classes and all races, rather than functioning as a last resort,” as so often happened when plowing neighborhoods to make room for highways.
The story of Metro being built is one that balances idealism, pragmatism, direction, and democracy, all in pursuit of these goals.
“Metro’s lesson is that the function of a transportation system is not merely to move bodies but to move bodies in a way that shapes a city,” Schrag writes. Metro is the answer to the question, What kind of city do you want?
And the way that we built Metro — through community input and democracy — is something to be proud of, a “monument to confidence in the public realm [that] has been championed by people who believe that public things need not be mean, utilitarian, or even quantifiably cost-effective... its advocates have argued that public things should be grand, just, and enduring.”
By believing in the power of government and the direct social benefits of rail over roads, the early planners of Metro bucked a concerning trend that shaped so much of post-war America (in large part thanks to the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which pretty much gave highways to cities for free), prioritizing equity and communities over Big Car and the air pollution that comes with it.
And perhaps most importantly, even though it looks like a textbook at its surface, The Great Society Subway tells a fascinating story of community players coming together to embark and complete this massive public project.
We get fascinating tidbits of information (which I have since used to create a Metro trivia file) on the shape and design of Metro, why it chose its stops, how it came to be, what lines were prioritized, and the role of the federal government working alongside states and regional planning groups to make it what it is today.
Metro does not run the most efficient routes, nor is it even the most economical from an engineering or fiscal or even design perspective, but rather it was shaped by political will and compromise, the levers of democracy — for better or for worse — creating a transportation system that would cost billions of dollars, last for centuries, and have an undeniable impact on the DMV.
That it did it at the peak of the automobile craze is a testament to the tireless and enduring pursuit of the few who believed that there was a better, more just way to invest in transportation — and that that investment can shape a community and its livelihoods for years to come.
Created as a way to lure people out of cars, clear congestion, and ultimately transport commuters to and from the city, Metro is unique in its dual purpose: Ultimately serving both as a commuter rail and an urban subway.
But more than anything, Schrag details Metro as the Great Society Subway — a massive public investment in transit that takes into account braod social goals of the era and the idea that “public investment should serve all classes and all races, rather than functioning as a last resort,” as so often happened when plowing neighborhoods to make room for highways.
The story of Metro being built is one that balances idealism, pragmatism, direction, and democracy, all in pursuit of these goals.
“Metro’s lesson is that the function of a transportation system is not merely to move bodies but to move bodies in a way that shapes a city,” Schrag writes. Metro is the answer to the question, What kind of city do you want?
And the way that we built Metro — through community input and democracy — is something to be proud of, a “monument to confidence in the public realm [that] has been championed by people who believe that public things need not be mean, utilitarian, or even quantifiably cost-effective... its advocates have argued that public things should be grand, just, and enduring.”
By believing in the power of government and the direct social benefits of rail over roads, the early planners of Metro bucked a concerning trend that shaped so much of post-war America (in large part thanks to the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which pretty much gave highways to cities for free), prioritizing equity and communities over Big Car and the air pollution that comes with it.
And perhaps most importantly, even though it looks like a textbook at its surface, The Great Society Subway tells a fascinating story of community players coming together to embark and complete this massive public project.
We get fascinating tidbits of information (which I have since used to create a Metro trivia file) on the shape and design of Metro, why it chose its stops, how it came to be, what lines were prioritized, and the role of the federal government working alongside states and regional planning groups to make it what it is today.
Metro does not run the most efficient routes, nor is it even the most economical from an engineering or fiscal or even design perspective, but rather it was shaped by political will and compromise, the levers of democracy — for better or for worse — creating a transportation system that would cost billions of dollars, last for centuries, and have an undeniable impact on the DMV.
That it did it at the peak of the automobile craze is a testament to the tireless and enduring pursuit of the few who believed that there was a better, more just way to invest in transportation — and that that investment can shape a community and its livelihoods for years to come.
December 19, 2007
This was a fascinating, in-depth account of the Washington Metro. Following the process from its very beginnings as a plan contrary to freeway development, the book finishes up near present-day with the opening of the final 5 Green Line stations and the extension of the Blue Line to Largo, MD.
I would recommend parts of the book to anyone, but it will be best enjoyed by DC Metro riders. Some of the most interesting sections were the anecdotes explaining names of stations, locations of the lines, and the design of the Metro. Riding the trains while/after reading this book has become an experience, as you see the legacy of WMATA's early history, for better or worse.
The early bits are a bit of a slog, as keeping track of several commissions and agencies can get somewhat tedious. However, it was well worth plowing through--if anything, it gave me a new appreciation for the difficulties of bring a project to fruition under bureaucracy. The author also has a knack for giving some background on the people involved, turning them into quirky characters instead of mere pencil-pushers and architects.
The storyline effectively illustrates the tension amongst the different jurisdictions (MD, VA, DC, and the Feds). The Metro had to display some convex combination of cost-effectiveness, equality in service, and aesthetic quality suitable for the nation's capital. Each political entity had its own ideal mixture, which led to gridlock at times.
The book is an exercise in political economy, and reminds us that our leaders are constantly forced to make tradeoffs in any planning process. It also delineates DC's unique political position; as something of a federal city, it has less say over its fate than most, but also has a sometimes-willing patron on the Hill.
I would recommend parts of the book to anyone, but it will be best enjoyed by DC Metro riders. Some of the most interesting sections were the anecdotes explaining names of stations, locations of the lines, and the design of the Metro. Riding the trains while/after reading this book has become an experience, as you see the legacy of WMATA's early history, for better or worse.
The early bits are a bit of a slog, as keeping track of several commissions and agencies can get somewhat tedious. However, it was well worth plowing through--if anything, it gave me a new appreciation for the difficulties of bring a project to fruition under bureaucracy. The author also has a knack for giving some background on the people involved, turning them into quirky characters instead of mere pencil-pushers and architects.
The storyline effectively illustrates the tension amongst the different jurisdictions (MD, VA, DC, and the Feds). The Metro had to display some convex combination of cost-effectiveness, equality in service, and aesthetic quality suitable for the nation's capital. Each political entity had its own ideal mixture, which led to gridlock at times.
The book is an exercise in political economy, and reminds us that our leaders are constantly forced to make tradeoffs in any planning process. It also delineates DC's unique political position; as something of a federal city, it has less say over its fate than most, but also has a sometimes-willing patron on the Hill.
November 22, 2018
A very detailed look at the creation of the metro from the politics to the design of the stations. I’ve been riding metro for the past twelve plus years and I’m never surprised about what I see there. The author makes the point that the metro invokes a sense of pride for the riders and a sense of ownership and I would agree with those sentiments.
I would suggest that the author write a new chapter about the last twelve years. I would be interested to see what he includes.
Doors opening, right side........
I would suggest that the author write a new chapter about the last twelve years. I would be interested to see what he includes.
Doors opening, right side........
March 14, 2018
So much more than a book on the Metro, it’s a social and political history of the region post-WWII.
November 27, 2016
While reading this book I didn't enjoy the style of prose, however all the information I learned has wormed its way into more of my conversations than I ever would have predicted. I am very glad to have read it.
July 17, 2022
Comprehensive - slightly too comprehensive - account of how Washington in the 70s of all places and times managed to end up with one of the most beautiful public works projects in the world.
October 13, 2024
The most comprehensive book on the history of the DC Metro system. I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you’re a transit nerd like me!
February 12, 2025
Schrag clearly had an ambitious goal for this book; write an academic, objective history of a piece of infrastructure to which he feels a deep personal connection. I think he succeeded. I learned so much about the system's origins, its long history of funding worries, and the politics needed to bring it to life and keep it running. Most of the book is this sort of serious, stern history that dives deeply into the decisions of individual planners and politicians, or meeting minutes of specific committees. This is of course useful information, especially since Schrag wrote what is still the most comprehensive history of Metro. And these chapters did have a few fun facts or whimsical anecdotes (I enjoyed finding out that my wife shares a birthday with Metrobus, and learning that Metro Center got its name in 20 seconds). But the last chapter is where Schrag's love of Metro shines through. This chapter tells us how Metro provides a public space where our diverse region meets and mixes, how Metro ties together what would otherwise be a hodgepodge of different micro-centers, how Metro makes the region legible as a coherent whole while also providing tremendous meaning to specific places. In short, this chapter reminds us that Metro is greater than the sum of its parts, and more than worth fighting for.
November 27, 2011
I enjoyed it quite a bit -- perhaps because I am in DC regularly and always on Metro. It explained some things I had been wondering about -- why the two disconnected Farragut stations, why the lack of express tracks, etc. (The answers are "the park service wouldn't allow a station entrance in the square" and "money.")
The book is part history, part social analysis. If you ride the metro, the history will mean more to you, but the social analysis will be articulating things you already know.
The illustrations in the Kindle edition are low-res, making the captions hard or impossible to read. Fortunately, maps of the DC metro are easy to come by, and if you know the system, most of the illustrations aren't really essential.
The book is part history, part social analysis. If you ride the metro, the history will mean more to you, but the social analysis will be articulating things you already know.
The illustrations in the Kindle edition are low-res, making the captions hard or impossible to read. Fortunately, maps of the DC metro are easy to come by, and if you know the system, most of the illustrations aren't really essential.
August 9, 2016
This is a very detailed look at the building of the Washington, D.C. Metro system. The most interesting part was the effect the system has had on the areas around each Metro station. This book was of special interest to me as I visit the area twice a year and always ride the metro. Further, I was with one of the contractors employed on the system in the 1970's. Lot of memories in those tunnels.
January 15, 2008
Astonishingly, nerdily, this is a great read. Schrag gets *deeply into* the process of building Metro, the DC subway system. He's over-interested and neurotic about the details, and I loved every second of it.
December 14, 2008
As a Washingtonian mass transit nerd, this book was great.
January 4, 2013
One of my favorites, great history up to the mid-2000's of DC's Metro and all the quirks that put it together.
August 24, 2017
Interesting look at the history of the DC metro through a variety of lenses. The book explores the history of the metro including the metro's design, the competing philosophies behind transportation in the district (primarily rail versus auto-centric), the political fighting over funding, differences in strategies between the city and the various suburbs, architecture (neo-classical to conform with the rest of the city or something more modern), and debate over the general purpose of the metro (to serve residents or tourists). The author does a good job highlighting the key figures in the fight and the various municipal and federal players involved in the decision making. Along the way the author details various specific disputes over things like station locations, small budgetary fights, the push for freeways, design matters, naming the stations and the system itself, the map, and even whether elevators would be provided for those who need them. The author also draws a parallel between the push for the Metro system and a larger idealistic view of the world. It was fascinating to see all of the considerations to be accounted for in developing this system.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
This is a beautiful book that shows how Metro was embedded in the political and economic trends of the 30 years that took to design and build it. And how it finally fulfilled to a certain extension the aspirations of the "Great Society" philosophy behind it. The book is full of curious stories for subway aficionados and daily users. One very strong point is the explanation of the architectural principles behind the stations, which are a very unique feature of the system. There is one point in common with the history of the London Underground (as explained in The Subterranean Railway). Builders started the enterprises hoping that it would be profit generating and would pay by themselves. These hopes were soon dashed, and in many cases revenues do not even cover operational expenses. But Metro has social externalities that are much more important than pure accounting principles, and the book makes a strong case that its constructions benefited the metropolitan region of DC enormously.
September 13, 2020
One of the best books written on the development of a regional transportation grid, The Great Society subway focuses on the decades long battle between advocates of car-centric urban development vs mass transit-centric urban development. The book is especially good on the details of the social visions underpinning each of these approaches, and superb on the bureaucratic machinations that led to particular developments both of the Washington DC subway system, how this remade the city center, as well as the development around each of the stations in the suburbs. It is curiously uninterested however in the ideological debates and financial motivations that created the divisions between different visions and models of urban infrastructure development. In the end he loves the metro in the city he grew up in for the way it extended what Lefebvre famously referred to as “Le droit de Cité” — the right of access to the city and its amenities — even if it didn’t always make sense from a strict cost-benefit perspective.
March 15, 2021
Great book on the history of the DC Metro. It is a bit dated (published in 2006), which means the Silver Line doesn't yet exist at all as well as the planned Purple Line light rail in Maryland.
Still, this is a very interesting read and there are numerous pictures to illustrate the plans and concepts. You'll learn how the train ended up going to where it does, answering some key questions locals always have ("why no Metro in Georgetown?"), and how the design of the system and stations were influenced and decided.
There is one chapter where a lot of committees, organizations, acronyms, and individuals get introduced, which gets a bit tedious, but I recommend powering through; once you get to "WMATA" (the current agency), it simplifies quite a bit.
Still, this is a very interesting read and there are numerous pictures to illustrate the plans and concepts. You'll learn how the train ended up going to where it does, answering some key questions locals always have ("why no Metro in Georgetown?"), and how the design of the system and stations were influenced and decided.
There is one chapter where a lot of committees, organizations, acronyms, and individuals get introduced, which gets a bit tedious, but I recommend powering through; once you get to "WMATA" (the current agency), it simplifies quite a bit.
October 3, 2019
I heard about this book listening to NPR and thought it might be interesting and confirm or deny common DC factoids. I was surprised to realize it was both published in 2006–so missing the entire silver line and latest planning—and that it was quite the tome at 300 pages. I expected more of a digestible bulleting of history but this is a thorough and complete account of all players, design choices, legislative and financial disputes and construction considerations. For those wanting a truly in depth look at metros history, this is a good choice. I ended up skimming a few sections as I didn’t have the appetite for the whole thing.
September 2, 2024
A must read for any fan of transit or hater of highways; a somewhat dense, but thereby quite thorough account of many aspects of the construction of the Metro. This thereby explores fascets like "the way the fight between transit and freeways in DC in the 60s reflected wider movement against freeways and the impacts of e.g. Jane Jacobs", or "how the architecture of Metro stations came to be", or "the many revisions of the layout of the subway lines and how the ultimate plan was devised to satisfy all necessary stakeholders, requiring even modifications at construction time". This is probably one of the greatest books I have ever read.
March 31, 2020
Great book and deep dive into the DC Metro system. Lots of interesting facts and information. The book can be a bit technical at times but perfect for anyone interested in mass transit, public policy and procedure, and planning. The DC Metro was one of the last, full-scale subway systems built in the US and Schrag does a fantastic job documenting the complexities involved in building an urban/suburban rail system in three states, 5+ counties, and a federal district.
July 3, 2024
This was a very thorough history that showed deep research and enthusiasm for the subject.
I enjoyed seeing how decisions made at the start of the process shaped development for decades afterwards.
It was sometimes hard to keep track of names, I could have used a dramatis personae. Overall it could have done a better job tying everything together. The chapters felt episodic.
I enjoyed seeing how decisions made at the start of the process shaped development for decades afterwards.
It was sometimes hard to keep track of names, I could have used a dramatis personae. Overall it could have done a better job tying everything together. The chapters felt episodic.
January 19, 2025
Fantastic chronicle of the history and impact of the DC metro! As a transit nerd and DMV native, the pages just about turned themselves. Really liked Schrag’s idea that the story of DC is incomplete without telling the story of the metro. It’s academic but never boring. It’s clear Schrag is familiar with and loves the system and it shines through. Excited for the sequel about the silver line!
January 6, 2026
Level-headed retelling of the birth, survival, and evolution of Washington’s regional transit system. As always, the battles won and lost by proponents and opponents of the system from the 1960’s on parallel conversations about nature of serving the public good and federal, state, and local cooperation and investment today.
October 21, 2018
I am among the most pro-transit, anti-highway sorts you'll ever encounter. I found this book by turns informative, fascinating, and maddeningly partisan.
March 28, 2022
A really good read that contextualizes Metro as a product of its time, including the compromises between parties, impact of national and local politics, and the freeway fight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews