[8] In 1959, the study's final report included two rapid transit lines that anticipated downtown Washington subways.

[12] In March 1968, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board approved its 98-mile (158 km) Adopted Regional System (ARS), which included the Yellow Line from Franconia and Backlick Road (in Springfield) to Greenbelt.

[15] Obtaining approval of the District of Columbia and Prince Georges' County of the exact alignment of the Yellow Line north of U Street delayed construction.

Originally, the ARS called for the line to be placed in the median strip of the planned North Central Freeway,.

[15] Still, after that road was canceled, the route of the replacement subway tunnel became controversial, resulting in years of expensive delays.

[16] Service on the Yellow Line began on April 30, 1983, adding Archives to the system and linking the two already-built stations of Pentagon and Gallery Place with a bridge across the Potomac River.

[22][23] As a result, all Yellow and Blue line services terminated at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the closure.

[24] From March 26, 2020, until June 28, 2020, trains were bypassing Eisenhower Avenue, Archives, Mount Vernon Square, and College Park–University of Maryland stations due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

[28] Between May 29 and September 6, 2021, all Yellow Line trains terminated at Mount Vernon Square due to the platform improvement project, which closed stations north of Fort Totten.

[31] The Yellow Line reopened on May 7, 2023, with its northeastern terminus cut back from Greenbelt to Mount Vernon Square.

[33] The Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with WMATA, the National Park Service and The City of Alexandria government, completed an environmental impact statement for the project in June 2016.

[35] In 2006, Metro board member Jim Graham and Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams proposed re-extending Yellow Line service to Fort Totten or even to Greenbelt.

[36][37] On June 26, 2008, due to the success of the 18-month trial, the Yellow Line was permanently extended to operate up to the Fort Totten Metro Station at all other times other than during weekday rush hour/peak commuter periods.

After crossing a bridge over Four Mile Run, the line enters Arlington County on an elevated structure above the National Airport parking lots.

[40] At the end of the bridge, the Yellow Line re-enters a tunnel near the Jefferson Memorial and crosses under the Washington Channel.

A second improvement project involves building a pedestrian tunnel to interconnect the Gallery Place station with Metro Center.