Hospital Center Line

Route D8 operated daily between Washington Union Station and MedStar Washington Hospital Center connecting the hospital centers and Metrorail stations. The line also connected small neighborhoods to Metrorail stations. Route D8 operated out of Bladensburg division. In the Hospital Complex, only northbound buses from Union Station stopped at Washington Hospital Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Buses would travel once through Washington Hospital Center. Passengers that were wishing to go southbound from Washington Hospital Center would have to get on a northbound bus, which would turn into a southbound bus to Union Station at the 1st Street terminal, and proceed directly on 1st Street to Michigan Avenue. ==History==

Route D8 originally operated between Friendship Heights and Distaff Hall (Army Distaff Foundation Inc) until the 1970s. Route D8 was created as a new route on June 4, 1977 to operate between Washington Hospital Center and Sibley Hospital alongside route D6, via the Hospital Complex, Trinity University, Glenwood Cemetery, the Edgewood Terrace Apartments, the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center, the Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station, Washington Union Station, Judiciary Square, Metro Center, and Dupont Circle stations. When Dupont Circle station opened on January 15, 1977, both routes D6 and D8 did begin serving Dupont Circle in the middle of their routes. No changes were made in their route. Route D8 was also split to only operate between Washington Hospital Center Washington Union Station. The segment of D8's routing west of Union Station was replaced by routes D1, D3, and D6. At the same time, the D8 replaced the segment of D6's former routing between Union Station and Washington Hospital Center, via Rhode Island Avenue–Brentwood station. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the route was reduced to operate on its Saturday supplemental schedule during the weekdays beginning on March 16, 2020. On March 18, 2020, the line was further reduced to operate on its Sunday schedule. Weekend service was later suspended on March 21, 2020. Additional service and weekend service was restored on August 23, 2020. In February 2021, WMATA propose to eliminate the D8 if they not get any federal funding. As part of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign beginning on June 29, 2025, the D8 was merged with the D4 and was renamed into the D36. The route follows the former D8 routing between MedStar Washington Hospital Center and K Street NE, but was rerouted to serve Franklin Square along the D4 routing. Service to Washington Union Station was replaced by the C71, which was a combination of the D4 and E2, except it turns onto North Capitol Street from K Street NE and serves Washington Union Station. ==References==