Bus or Shuttle from Reston to DC? (Lake Anne area or nearby) (Alexandria: apartment, house) - Northern Virginia - Virginia (VA) - City-Data Forum

goinvt2dc · 09-28-2010, 08:36 PM

So I'm just staying with friends before I get an apartment near DC, but I was wondering about shuttles or buses from Reston.

Is there anything that goes directly from Reston to DC?

hilsmom · 09-29-2010, 08:21 AM

check the website for Fairfax Connector. There used to be Express Routes from the Weihle Park and Ride to at least Pentagon - not sure if any went direct to DC? But you can definitely catch busses from Reston that will drop you at West Falls Church Metro, which then goes straight into town.

JfromReston · 09-29-2010, 08:40 AM

Here is the link to the bus from Lake Anne to West Falls Curch Metro
Route 552: Reston North - North Shore*- Fairfax County, Virginia

goinvt2dc · 10-03-2010, 08:26 PM

Good information, thanks.

dugly2ugly · 10-04-2010, 08:53 AM

What is the parking situation like at the park and ride and are those commute times [mostly] accurate?

My wife and I are looking to buy a place and have been hesitant to look that far west for fear of commute time, but the schedules don't look that bad (15 mins on the bus, another 25 or so on the train). I work downtown and she's in Tyson's.

Currently, I drive to work from the Landmark area of Alexandria and it's become a 1hr drive to go 10 miles.

If I were to get to the parking lot at 7:45-8am or so, will there still be spots? What's the traffic like around the lot at the time; will it take 20 mins just to get into the lot from a few miles away on side roads? Finally, are the buses allowed to drive on the shoulders of 267 so they can get to the metro station that fast?

Thanks for any info. I'm hopeful that this might be a viable alternative that will open up a lot of options in our house hunting.

South Jersey Styx · 10-04-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilsmom

There used to be Express Routes from the Weihle Park and Ride to at least Pentagon - not sure if any went direct to DC? But you can definitely catch busses from Reston that will drop you at West Falls Church Metro, which then goes straight into town.

I believe you're correct; there is a bus from Wiehle Ave P&R driect to the Pentagon but not to DC.

OP, you catch several buses from Wiehle Ave P&R to West Falls Church metro. The buses with routes throughout Reston pass through Wiehle Ave P&R before getting onto the toll road to WFC metro so you have several choices esp during rush hr. Check the schedule and be sure to ask the driver before boarding if you're not sure!

Caladium · 10-04-2010, 01:05 PM

There's a vanpool from Reston to L'Enfant Plaza. See the thread that just got bumped.

JfromReston · 10-04-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dugly2ugly

What is the parking situation like at the park and ride and are those commute times [mostly] accurate?

My wife and I are looking to buy a place and have been hesitant to look that far west for fear of commute time, but the schedules don't look that bad (15 mins on the bus, another 25 or so on the train). I work downtown and she's in Tyson's.

Currently, I drive to work from the Landmark area of Alexandria and it's become a 1hr drive to go 10 miles.

If I were to get to the parking lot at 7:45-8am or so, will there still be spots? What's the traffic like around the lot at the time; will it take 20 mins just to get into the lot from a few miles away on side roads? Finally, are the buses allowed to drive on the shoulders of 267 so they can get to the metro station that fast?

Thanks for any info. I'm hopeful that this might be a viable alternative that will open up a lot of options in our house hunting.

The bus schedule is pretty accurate. The buses drive in the dulles access road and then on the shoulder to West Falls Church. You should be able to make the to DC trip in an little more than an hour depending on where in Reston and where in DC you are going.

Currently, the Park & Ride fills up each morning about the time you are planning to arrive. There is an axillary lot across Sunset Hills that has plenty of parking at that time of the day and when it does fill up it is and hour or so later. HOWEVER, construction is comming to Wiehle. They have just announced that 200 (of the 820) spots in the lot will be taken over by construction at the end of November 2010 and the entire lot will be shut down by March 2011. They are building a new parking structure for 2,300 cars in expectation of the Metro arrival. Commuting to DC from Reston is going to get worse before it gets better.

Caladium · 10-04-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JfromReston

HOWEVER, construction is comming to Wiehle. They have just announced that 200 (of the 820) spots in the lot will be taken over by construction at the end of November 2010 and the entire lot will be shut down by March 2011. They are building a new parking structure for 2,300 cars in expectation of the Metro arrival. Commuting to DC from Reston is going to get worse before it gets better.

Good point!

dugly2ugly · 10-04-2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JfromReston

HOWEVER, construction is comming to Wiehle. They have just announced that 200 (of the 820) spots in the lot will be taken over by construction at the end of November 2010 and the entire lot will be shut down by March 2011. They are building a new parking structure for 2,300 cars in expectation of the Metro arrival. Commuting to DC from Reston is going to get worse before it gets better.

Hmm. That could be rough. How about the Herndon park and ride? Is parking OK there and are there plans to shut that down in preparation for the metro?