The U.S. Capitol has its own subway system.

  • Newly opened Senate subway, 1960
Newly opened Senate subway, 1960
Credit: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsca-83157)
Author Michael Nordine

April 1, 2026

Love it?

Being a member of Congress comes with many perks, one of which may be especially appealing to public transit enthusiasts: the U.S. Capitol’s private subway system. With three lines — two on the Senate (north) side and one on the House (south) side — it has been ferrying senators and representatives around since 1909. The cars are quite small, resembling an amusement park tram more than a major metropolitan subway system. They stop at six stations within the Capitol complex, none more than a few hundred feet apart: Hart, Maintenance Spur, Dirksen, Russell, U.S. Capitol, and Rayburn.

Originally linking the Russell Senate Office Building to the Capitol, the system was expanded in 1960 to include an operator-controlled monorail from the Dirksen Senate Office Building and then again in 1965, when the Rayburn House Office Building was likewise connected to the Capitol. The monorail was replaced by an automatic train in 1993. The system isn’t open to the public, though it isn’t entirely uncommon for civilians to ride it while being escorted by their member of Congress or an official guide. 

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Congress almost left Washington, D.C., after the War of 1812.

Along with many other structures in Washington, D.C., the Capitol was set ablaze by the British on August 24, 1814, in a major escalation of the War of 1812. Benjamin Latrobe, who served as architect of the Capitol at the time, described the damaged building as “a most magnificent ruin.” As a result, Congress considered relocating not only to a different building but to a different city altogether — most likely Philadelphia, which had served as the nation’s capital from 1790 to 1800. The legislature instead convened at Blodgett’s Hotel until December of 1815, when it moved to the Brick Capitol (now the site of the Supreme Court) until the Capitol building was reopened in 1819. 

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