Metro renovates 169 restrooms in rail stations. Many people are surprised they even exist

A "bathroom out of service" appears at a Metro station, just days after the transit agency said all of its stations have renovated restrooms. (WTOP/Bill McFarland)

It took some time but after 14 years, Metro said it has completely renovated all 169 Metrorail bathrooms in the D.C. area. But the reaction on riders’ minds was a resounding, “Metro has restrooms?”

Social media users expressed surprise the transit agency had station restrooms available for the public in the first place.

What restrooms? I’ve ridden metro for 11 years, visited dozens of stations, and have never seen one, or even a single sign pointing one out!

— Rhonda; Online Diary; Thinspo; Attitude is Key! (@rhondaleeindc) March 11, 2024

And those who did know shared their experience trying to use a Metrorail station restroom.

I have literally never seen the inside of a metro bathroom. Whenever I’ve asked, they were “out of service.” I fully stopped asking because I just assume they’re staff-only.

— insta/brb.goingtoaconcert (he/him) (@StevenGlassman) March 11, 2024

Metro said newer stations, such as McLean, Tysons, Wiehle-Reston, Potomac Yard and others built recently, have restrooms that are marked and easily accessed by those in need, but many older stations were not built with public restrooms in mind.

Some stations have bathrooms outside, such as Wiehle-Reston East, while others have bathrooms in the back, such as the one in Downtown Largo.

If you are looking for a port in a storm, Metro said you can ask a station manager to let you use the bathroom “as long as there isn’t maintenance or an emergency.”