A cornerstone of Northern Virginia’s successful bid for Amazon’s second headquarters was the emphasis on existing public transportation as well as a promise of additional transit investment. National Landing, which encompasses parts of Crystal City in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria, is served by commuter and heavy rail, bus rapid transit, local and commuter buses and bike share.

Transportation and mobility were among Amazon’s key criteria for a new headquarters and Northern Virginia checked the boxes: direct access to mass transit, an international airport no more than 45 minutes away, and major highways or arteries within a few miles.

Transportation officials in Northern Virginia expect that most of Amazon’s employees will utilize public transit, walk, bike, or carpool on their commutes each day. The reason is two-fold. In Seattle, Amazon employees’ transit costs are fully covered by company-subsidized passes. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, a review of available transportation services and facilities indicates that regional and local transit systems have significant unused capacity, even during peak travel periods.

The framework for a future world-class transit network is in place and pledged improvements will bring the region closer to that goal. Virginia, Arlington and Alexandria together will spend more than $760 million, much of it on existing projects, to support the influx of 25,000 jobs to National Landing. The projects include an additional entrance to the Crystal City Metro station and a second entrance to the planned Potomac Yard station on Metro’s Yellow and Blue lines between the Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan National Airport stations. A pedestrian bridge from the airport to Crystal City and the expansion of Metroway, the region’s only bus rapid transit system, are among other improvements.