Planned for wheelchair riders
Blue and Yellow Lines under the Pentagon Transit Center. Five elevators and a large bus area. The wrong elevator can put you on the wrong side of the security perimeter from the memorials.
Written for riders who need to pick the right exit before the route to the memorials.
Station C07
The choice that matters
Routes to the memorials · or the Transit Center
Same station, but a very different route outside for a wheelchair or stroller.
Disability & mobility
Pentagon is mainly a transfer and bus hub. That also makes it easy to get lost: platforms, mezzanines, and street exits are not all served by the same elevator. Choose between the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial before you leave the station.
Ridge
The longer uphill route outside. Metro only gets you out of the station. Hills, heat, and plaza paving come after that. Check which exit still leads that way.
Plan your visit for Air Force Memorial
Best for the Air Force Memorial
Memorial
A shorter trip outside, south of the building, but still along the security perimeter and sidewalks after the elevator. It’s not the same exit as for shopping at Pentagon City.
Visitor information for National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
Best for the Pentagon Memorial
At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working. It also matters which exit each one reaches.
If the Pentagon elevators are out, Pentagon City or Arlington Cemetery may still get you to a memorial. Compare the minutes outside and security, not just the line colors. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) elevator-outage shuttle: 202-962-1825 · TTY 202-638-3780.
On the ground
Three steps: the elevator, the exit, the memorial.
01
Choose your route to the memorial while you can still change it. If you take the wrong elevator through the Transit Center, getting back with a wheelchair can take the whole afternoon.
02
After you leave the station, you still have to get around the Pentagon’s perimeter. The route to the memorials starts after that.
03
A ridge and a plaza after the elevator. Plan for water and shade, and decide whether today is realistic before you go down into the station.
Why this stop feels different
Pentagon makes transfers easy. Its elevators do not always make it easy to reach the exit you need.
The station was designed to move rail and bus riders through one secure hub. That is why it feels like a large basement: several levels, long corridors, and street exits that are not all served by the same elevator.
Visitor maps still put one “Pentagon” pin on the memorials. That is only right if you leave through the matching exit. Before you board, decide on that exit, then check which elevators still reach it.
On the street
Pentagon station
Pentagon Transit Center · Arlington, Virginia
United States
Transit Center exits · to the memorials
Blue · Yellow
Nearby: Air Force Memorial, Pentagon Memorial. Not the Pentagon City mall. When elevators are out: compare the trip outside from Arlington Cemetery or Pentagon City honestly.
Open Pentagon on the live mapLive elevator status at PentagonAfter the elevator
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace from the exit — not live routing.
At the venue
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
Source: 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
Source: Air Force District of Washington
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
Check which of the five elevators are working, and which exit each one serves.
Choose the Air Force Memorial on the ridge or the Pentagon Memorial before you board.
The shopping area is at a different station. Going to the wrong one adds to your time outside.
Rules for the outdoor plazas are on each memorial’s page. Metro elevator status is on our map.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.