Dulles Metro Station (Arlington, Reston, Herndon: rental car, rental, to move)

[jcnycarch]

Originally Posted by ICS67

"Above ground" and "world class" are not mutually exclusive. For proof of that, take a look at the following photo of the PATH (mass transit ) terminal designed by Santiago Calatrava for the rebuilding of Ground Zero in New York:

By the way, this station is UNDERGROUND. This is the entry pavilion by Calatrava.

[jcnycarch]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Unless you're going to call the Chairwoman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors misinformed/a liar, I beg to differ.

http://sharonbulova.com/bulova-bylin..._download/file

'The entire walk is within an underground, climate controlled walkway.'

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/chairma...-sidewalks.jpg

'The distance between the proposed underground station (MWAA’s preference) and the aerial station includes 250 feet of unassisted (without moving sidewalks) walking.'

(There'd probably be 100-200 feet of unassisted walking even with an underground station as well.)

'Not only is the underground station within an easy walking distance from the aerial station, it’s actually farther away from the destination of most of the future Silver line Dulles rail riders. A majority of Metro riders arriving at the airport station will use it to get to work on the airport campus in buildings that are closer to the North Garage and farther from the terminal.'

Does anyone know if Fairfax County, in making the proposal for this above ground station, has done feasibility studies to know if it will actually work? The last I heard was that the above ground station needed a shuttle bus, which usually means its a bit further away.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by Lucky★

What happens if Loudoun pulls out?

No baby Loudouns? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Lucky★

What happens if Loudoun pulls out?

1) Silver Line will probably end at Dulles.
2) Loudoun County will spend $100,000s funneling people to the IAD station from all parts of the county by expanding bus service.
2a) Loudoun County possibly builds an interchange or two along 7/50/Loudoun County Parkway that's on the to-do list.
3) Eugene Delgaudio will celebrate and find some other government service to complain about.

Now if Fairfax pulled out, that'd be a problem.

I guess they'd either scrap Phase II (everything west of Wiehle entirely) or just build the line to Dulles with no stops in Herndon or Reston Town Center.

I think the Town of Herndon is also contributing some money with the special taxing district, but I don't know as much about that.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by jcnycarch

Does anyone know if Fairfax County, in making the proposal for this above ground station, has done feasibility studies to know if it will actually work? The last I heard was that the above ground station needed a shuttle bus, which usually means its a bit further away.

A shuttle bus from where to where? My understanding is the above ground station is a direct walk to the terminal, albeit a longer walk than the underground station.

[justtitans]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what sense does it make to have this huge project to build a metro station to the airport if we're still going to have to take a shuttle to get there anyway. It seems like underground makes a lot more sense. If we were just going to rely on shuttle to get there, we might as well have not even had the Metro extended out there. What would be different if you're still taking a shuttle/bus route to get there?

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

A shuttle bus from where to where? My understanding is the above ground station is a direct walk to the terminal, albeit a longer walk than the underground station.

The aboveground station would be next to Daily Garage 1 (see picture). Right now, to get the main terminal from Daily Garage 1, you can either walk through the tunnel (which, BTW, has always had one or more of the moving sidewalks turned off or being repaired every time I've used it) or you can take a shuttle bus. There are always going to be people who choose to use the shuttle instead of walking, for physical mobility reasons or sheer logistics (if you're dragging two carry-ons with carseats strapped onto them, each loaded with a 30 lb.+ toddler, any time spent not actually pulling them through the airport is worth the bus hassle).

[diablo234]

^^^ Agreed.

If funding for the line is that tight then they should just have the line terminate at the airport and not go further into Loudon County.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by diablo234

^^^ Agreed.

If funding for the line is that tight then they should just have the line terminate at the airport and not go further into Loudon County.

thats silly. The real reason for the line, like almost ALL rail transit lines on G-ds green earth, is to move COMMUTERS. That it adds service to the airport is a bonus. To give up the extension into LoudoUn to have a slightly more convenient station at Dulles cannot possible make sense IMO (though of course Id be willing to look at ridership numbers - my a priori is that its not a good idea though)

[NoVA_Lurker]

Originally Posted by anonymous703

My first instinct is that the airport station should be as close as possible to the terminal, ala DCA. But I don't know enough about the funding, nor do I fully comprehend the true distances involved. I saw an article (or blog, I forget which) in the Post a week or so ago that said funding for the underground station could possibly quadruple the tolls on the DTR. If that were true, I would cease driving the DTR.

But I honestly don't know how much I would ever use the Silver Line to IAD. I live in Reston, and can take a cab from my apartment door to the terminal for < $20. If I'm gone for more than three days, it's cheaper for me to take a cab round trip than it is to pay for economy parking.

Since I am a fan of transit, I might consider taking the Silver Line. But I'd have to get from my apartment to either the Wiehle Ave or RTC station. If they actually build the station in the median of DTR, I'd have to what, take a cab or shuttle to the station? I'm not walking it with bags -- it's probably going to be 1/2 mile from my apartment. If I have to call a cab anyway, it's so much more convenient for him to take me and all of my crap to the front door of the airport.

The true benefit of the Silver Line for me will be getting into DC for weekend events. My office is near IAD; I would take metro to work if there was a shuttle or something to my office.

I agree with most of this...except I know exactly how far the distance is. As a semi-frequent traveler, I've walked through that tunnel many times. When you enter the airport area, the parking garage is to the right. There is a huge surface parking area in the middle, and the terminal to the left. Basically, the tunnel goes from the garage on the right, under the big parking lot and connects to the terminal on the lower level. Once you get to the terminal, you have to go up an escalator, then up the ramp to baggage claim level, then up another escalator to the ticketing level to check in. It's not a huge deal, but it is a pretty good hike, especially with luggage, and even moreso when returning from a trip totally exhausted and having to lug everything out to the car (metro?).

We also live in the Reston/Herndon area, and a cab is about the same price as parking for a normal weekend - these days, we almost always take a cab because it's so much easier to be dropped off right at the ticketing area and be able to pick up a cab near baggage claim when we return. I'm willing to pay for some conveniences.

I can easily say that if the metro does not go all the way to the terminal, I will rarely consider it as an option. The logistics of getting to the train would probably decrease the likelihood that we'd use metro for airport transportation anyhow, but I'd be unlikely to even think about it if it only goes as far as the garage. (We have a baby now, too, which makes the idea of using metro to the airport even less likely.)

Also, if the above is true regarding an increase in tolls on the DTR, am I the only one who thinks it's strange that the people who are traveling on the DTR to the airport (in the express lanes) are the only ones who DON'T pay tolls? If the tolls are to pay for airport related improvements, why don't the folks going to the airport have to contribute, too?!

Edited to add: This is only my opinion as a traveler, not necessarily what I think is best for the overall metro development, commuters, or taking into account the financial aspect. I haven't done enough research to speak intelligently or with a strong opinion on what would be the best solution with all stakeholders and constraints taken into consideration.