Northern Virginia Transit News

More than ever, Northern Virginia is committed to transportation innovations. The region is investing in high-quality transit projects that will serve its citizens and businesses and build a strong economy.

The story doesn’t begin and end with the Silver Line. Since July, the region has opened a state-of-the-art multi-modal transit facility, broken ground on two new commuter rail stations, and launched one of North American’s Bus Rapid Transit systems. More changes to Northern Virginia are to come, including plans to incorporate a new transit service in the I-66 corridor, which will extend the reach of transit across the region by maximizing the use of roadways and tapping new sources of funding.

Virginia is redoubling its commitment to transit across the state by making strategic investments, providing state assistance for capital projects, and making its first ever infrastructure bank loan for the planned Potomac Yard Metro station in Alexandria.

It’s an exciting time for transit in Northern Virginia.

Silver Line

The first phase of the Silver Line extension brings the Washington D.C. Metrorail system into the western part of Northern Virginia. The project includes five new stations beginning at the existing East Falls Church stop, passing through Fairfax County’s Tysons Corner and terminating in Reston at Wiehle Avenue. It is the largest expansion of Metro by route mileage since the inception of the system in 1976. Already, the future-proofing transit line is changing the fabric of Fairfax County, with Tysons Corner being retrofitted into a walkable, urban environment, and spurring millions of dollars in economic development in Northern Virginia. The extension has seen thousands of new riders a day. Phase II will bring Metrorail to Dulles Airport and service to communities in Loudoun County

Multi-Modal Transit Facility

A new multi-modal transit facility at the Wiehle Avenue station has the following amenities: the first secured bike parking facility in Fairfax County, to encourage bicyclists to connect to transit; the only on-site car parking garage at the five new stations; and a large bus terminal with connections from Fairfax County Connector, Loudoun County Transit, Omni, and Dulles Flyer bus systems. The bus routes for the Fairfax County Connector have been dramatically altered to improve access to the Silver Line. All of the other amenities in the new facility are designed to allow people using any mode – cars, buses, and pedestrians – to access the Silver Line easily. Above ground, the facility anchors new transit-oriented development and features a public-private partnership that financed the underground parking facility.

Bus Rapid Transit

With Metroway’s opening last August, the metropolitan region celebrated the arrival of the metropolitan region’s first Bus Rapid Transit service. Located on Route 1 in Alexandria and Arlington, Metroway’s  bold, blue buses travel in their own dedicated lane, or transitway. Incorporating the best components of rail and bus, the Metroway BRT provides premium-feeling public transit at a fraction of the cost of rail. The Metroway provides frequent service to Braddock Road, Crystal City, and Potomac Yard, connecting commuters with shopping, restaurants, businesses, and D.C.’s Metrorail system. Since its opening in August of last year, Metroway ridership has been brisk, outperforming traditional bus routes on the same stretch of Route 1. The next phase of Metroway will open later this spring. In the meantime, State and local officials are moving forward on preliminary design work that will bring BRT and later Metrorail to the eastern part of Fairfax and Prince William County.

New Commuter Rail Stations

Last summer, Virginia Rail Express Northern Virginia broken ground on two new VRE stations. The Spotsylvania VRE Station is the first extension of the VRE’s Fredericksburg Line since its opening in the mid 1990’s. The second Potomac Shores VRE station in South Woodbridge is a $15 million station projected to open in 2017. This station overlooks the Potomac River from atop a hilly bluff facing a riverfront boardwalk, and will bring new economic growth to Prince William County.

I-66 Multi-Modal Corridor Project

Outside the Beltway, the I-66 express lanes will see a system of bus-based transit that will rapidly travel down the interstate utilizing its express lanes. This project uses an innovative approach that matches the existing infrastructure and environment to supply maximum throughput along the corridor and provides a strong connection to transit. Inside the Beltway, VDOT proposes express lanes that combine with consistent high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) requirements along the whole corridor to maximize throughput and ease congestion. Virginia also proposes to use toll revenues to fund multimodal improvements in the corridor.

Potomac Yards Metro Station, The First Transit Infrastructure Bank Loan

The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved its first loan for a transit project from the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (VTIB). A fifty million dollar loan to the City of Alexandria will help move forward an urgently-needed new Metrorail station in the Potomac Yard area. The station will be built on the Yellow and Blue Line. The new Metro station is projected to result in billions of dollars in private sector investment, support up to 26,000 new jobs, and move 13,000 new residents.