Reston to Pentagon Commute (Arlington, Alexandria: rental, home, transfer to)

[TolpinC5]

My family will be relocating in June to the North Virginia. I will be stationed at the Pentagon for three years. We've been looking for a rental home in the Burke & Springfield area. We have found a possible rental that meets our needs in the Reston area. It seems not too may people live in Reston and commute to the Pentagon. Why is that the case? The longest commute I've had until this point in my life is 15 mins. I realize there are many variables to the commute. I know the overall time will depend on the time I leave in the morning/night, mode of travel number transfers. However, I can't seem to get a straight answer. I've heard as little as 20 minutes and as long as 2 hrs. Assuming I leave at 7 AM or 4 PM, what would be a reasonable commute time for a drive, bus or train? Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

[PK12]

What is your monthly rental budget, and what type of housing do you seek? Any kids?

[TolpinC5]

Rental Budget $3500. Looking for a 4 bedroom with lots of storage space. Preferably single family home with an unfinished basement. 2 elementary school aged children.

[airjay75]

I can't comment much on the commute from Reston having no experience with commuting from there. I do know the following Fairfax Connector currently serves Reston to the Pentagon: Route 595: Pentagon Express*- Fairfax County, Virginia. I don't know whether that particular bus route will continue once the Silver Line opens. There may be other bus routes as well from Reston to the Pentagon.

One reason you're probably getting different commute times is that some people will give you door to door times while others will only tell you the amount of time they are on a train or bus - door to door times are often a good deal longer, especially once you start adding up transfers. For example, when I take Metro to work, my train ride is about 30 or 35 minutes. My door to door commute time is about an hour. I think sometimes people like to make their commute sound better than it really is and will say something like, oh my commute is great, just a quick 30 minute train ride into the city.

[PK12]

Reston to Pentagon will not be an easy commute by any means.

Burke/Springfield and anywhere around the I95-I395 is typically recommended for a reasonable commute to the Pentagon.

In order to keep your commute literally within 15 minutes, you must live close to the Pentagon, that would be Pentagon City/Crystal City, other parts of South Arlington and N Arlington, and a few parts of Alexandria.

In Arlington, $3500 can get you a really nice 2 BR 2 Bathroom - 4 BR SFH not so much.

[TolpinC5]

I'm being realistic. Good schools and a happy family are my first priorities. So I understand that I may need to have an appreciable commute time to get that. Regarding the commute, how would Vienna compare to Reston and Burke/Springfield?

[JfromReston]

Good news! There is an express bus from Reston to the Pentagon that will continue to run after the Reston Metro opens in a few months. The bus takes 40 minutes from Reston to the Pentagon.

Current Route/times
Route 595: Pentagon Express*- Fairfax County, Virginia

Future service once Sliver Line begins operations
Route 599: Pentagon - Crystal City Express*- Fairfax County, Virginia

[airjay75]

I think your best bet really is going to be Springfield or Burke, at least in terms of the commute by public transit. I take a Pentagon Express Bus every day (and then transfer to Metro and take it into DC). If I worked at the Pentagon, my door to door commute time would be 40-45 minutes. I would look at areas that are close to the Saratoga Park and Ride or the Gambrill Park and Ride, those lots are served by Fairfax Connector Bus routes 394 and 395 (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/pdf/395.pdf).

[TolpinC5]

JfromReston - I have heard about the 595 and 597. They pickup at near Wehle Ave. However, I've heard that they will go away when the Silver-line opens. OR If they don't go away they will be consolidated to one bus the serves both Crystal City and the Pentagon. I suspect the Silver Line with a transfer at Roslyn to the Blue Line will be a longer commute than the bus. How reliable is your source? Do you do use the 595 or 597? How crowded are they? I think part of my concern revolves around the idea of using mass transit. Other than rare occasions, this is something I have not done before. How reliable are the busses?

[JfromReston]

I only occasionally use the 595/597 buses. I usually work in DC, but we have an office in Crystal City too. There was discussions that the express buses would go away, but the out burst of support was enough to sway the Fairfax Connector into keeping them. The compromise is that the two routes will be combined once the Silver line opens. Currently the buses are mostly filled, but I've never been on a bus where someone had to stand. The buses are very reliable and have access to the Dulles Access Road and then the HOV only I-66. This means that if there is an accident on the Dulles Toll Road the bus will not get caught in the backed up traffic.