The routes then continue to Farragut Square, traveling through Potomac Park before terminating at the Kennedy Center.

Route 40 and 42 began operation in 1872 as the Mount Pleasant Streetcar Line, a horsecar service.

[citation needed] The horse-drawn cars were replaced between 1896 and 1900 by electric streetcars operated by the Metropolitan Railroad.

Routes 40 and 42 also went through another minor rerouting to serve the District of Columbia General Hospital next to Stadium Armory.

In March, 1995, routes 40, 44, and 46 were discontinued and 42 was truncated to only operate between Mount Pleasant and Metro Center.

[6] On December 28, 2008, a new route 43 was introduced to operate alongside 42 between Mount Pleasant and Farragut Square, skipping Dupont Circle station via the Connecticut Avenue underpass.

Route 43 began operating during the weekday peak-hours in the peak direction to alleviate crowding on the 42.

Route 42 would continue to operate early mornings and late nights daily, and evenings on Sundays only.

THe memo also suggested altering running time to provide a more realistic schedule and to reach at least 80% on-time performance.

[14] In February 2021 during the FY2022 budget, WMATA proposed to eliminate the 42 and 43 routing between Farragut Square and Gallery Place station due to alternative services.