Landover Road Line

The Landover Road Line was introduced in 2023 as route L12 during the simplification of the A12 line. The first proposal for a new Route L12 happened in 2012 when WMATA proposed to split the A12 into two routes with the A12 running between Addison Road station and New Carrollton station via Brightseat Road and Ardwick Industrial Park and discontinuing service to Capital Plaza and Landover station primarily running along Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. A new Route L12 will operate the A12 routing between Capital Plaza and Largo Town Center (now Downtown Largo) station via Landover station and Woodmore Town Center, primarily running on Landover Road via Palmer Park and Hawthorne Street, running along the old A12 routing. Stops between Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and Brightseat Road will be replaced by a rerouted route F14 which will discontinue service along a portion of Brightseat Road being replaced by Route A12.^[2]

The reason for the changes was that WMATA wanted to have one route running primarily along Martin Luther King Jr. Highway (A12) and another route running primarily on Landover Road (L12).^[2] However, public feedback was opposed to the route change, which led WMATA to shelve the plans.

Later, during WMATA's 2024 Fiscal Year Budget in March 2023, WMATA brought back the A12 and L12 proposal from 2014, which was almost identical to the original proposal.^[3] However, one difference was that route F14 would not be rerouted along Landover Road and instead remain on Brightest Road. Subsequently, the FY2024 budget was approved in April 2023, which included a new Route L12.^[4][5]

In June 2023, WMATA announced that the new L12 would begin service on June 25, 2023. The line would be named under the Landover Road Line and will operate every 20 minutes between Downtown Largo station and Capital Plaza via Lottsford Road, Woodmore Towne Centre, Landover Road, Greenleaf Road, Matthew Henson Avenue, Barlowe Road, Fire House Road, Hawthorne Street, Pinebrook Avenue, Landover Station, Hospital Drive, and Annapolis Road, replacing the A12 which was rerouted to serve New Carrollton station beginning along the intersection of Glenarden Parkway & Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.^[6]

In 2022, WMATA launched its Better Bus Redesign project, which aimed to redesign the entire Metrobus Network and is the first full redesign of the agency's bus network in its history.

In April 2023, WMATA launched its Draft Visionary Network. Despite the L12 not being implemented yet, WMATA still included L12 proposals under the A12 in the drafts.^[7]

In the proposal, WMATA was to split the A12 into two separate routes. The portion between Addison Road station and the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Highway & Greenleaf Road remained the same, but the A12 remained straight on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and would operate to New Carrollton station via Ardwick Ardmore Road, Pennsy Road, Corporate Drive, and Garden City Drive. The line was also extended from Addison Road station to Suitland station via the P12 routing along Addison Road, Walker Mill Road, County Road, and Silver Hill Road. The line was named Route MD147.^[8]

The A12 portion along Landover Road was modified into different routes. The portion between Prince George's Hospital and the intersection of Landover Road & Brightseat Road was changed to operate between Prince George's Hospital and Downtown Largo station via Hospital Drive, Landover Road, Pennsy Drive, Landover station, Pinebrook Avenue, Hawthrone Avenue, Fire House Road, Landover Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, Greenleaf Road, Barlowe Road, Landover Road, St. Josephs Drive, Ruby Lockhart Boulevard, Woodmore Town Center, Lottsford Road, Largo Drive West, and Harry S Truman Drive. The line was named Route MD256. This route would later become the L12 in June 2023, with the route also serving Capital Plaza.

The A12 portion between Landover station and Capital Plaza via Pennsy Drive, Landover Road, Hospital Drive, Prince George's Hospital, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, and Annapolis Road was extended to operate to College Park–University of Maryland station via Annapolis Road, Veterans Parkway, Riverdale Road, Auburn Avenue, Good Luck Road, and Paint Branch Parkway. The line was named Route MD255.

Service along the Glenarden loop via Brightseat Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, and Ardwick Ardmore Road was taken over by the proposed Route MD257, MD357, and MD363.

Before WMATA's Revised Draft Visionary Network, WMATA implemented the L12 between Capital Plaza and Downtown Largo station via Landover Road. This change was essentially the proposed MD256 routing with the extension to Capital Plaza. As a result, the proposed MD255 was dropped from the proposals, and the MD256 was renamed to Route P41, with service operating along the current Route MD256 and L12 routing, but service to Prince George's Hospital was not included in the proposal.^[9] All changes were then proposed during WMATA's 2025 Proposed Network.^[10][11][12]

On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved its Better Bus Redesign Network.^[13]

Beginning on June 29, 2025, Route L12 was renamed into the P41, keeping the same route with the exception that it no longer serves the former Prince George's Hospital Complex.^[14]

• L12 Landover Road Line – wmata.com