Close to 20,000 daily trips are starting or ending at the Silver Line’s Wiehle-Reston East station, making the end-of-the-line spot the busiest of the five new stations, Metro says.
The Silver Line is “off to a solid start, with nearly 220,000 trips taken to or from the five new stations during the first week of service (noon Saturday, July 26 through noon Sunday, August 3),” said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.
Prior to the opening of the Silver Line — Metro’s first new rail line since 1991 — the agency said its goal was to have 25,000 daily boardings after the line had been operating a year. Traffic is two-thirds of the way there already, says Stessel — on average, 15,942 passengers boarded a Silver Line train at one of the five new stations each weekday last week.
Metro says between 8,000 and 9,000 of the boardings at Silver Line stations were existing Metrorail customers who switched from the Orange Line to one of the five new stations. Approximately 6,000 boardings represents new ridership.
Weekday ridership totals (entries/exits) for the five new stations — McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East :
Total Weekday Trips to/from the Five New Silver Line Stations
Monday: 30,846
Tuesday: 33,287
Wednesday: 32, 939
Thursday: 34,364
Friday: 33,118
Weekday Entry/Exit Breakdown by Station
Greensboro
Monday: 1,614
Tuesday: 1,678
Wednesday: 1,773
Thursday: 1,865
Friday: 1,605
McLean
Monday: 2,668
Tuesday: 3,045
Wednesday: 3,012
Thursday: 3,222
Friday: 2,870
Spring Hill
Monday: 2,681
Tuesday: 2,879
Wednesday: 2,862
Thursday: 2,858
Friday: 2,718
Tysons Corner
Monday: 6,658
Tuesday: 6,959
Wednesday: 6,811
Thursday: 6,803
Friday: 7,699
Wiehle-Reston East
Monday: 17,225
Tuesday: 18,726
Wednesday: 18,481
Thursday: 19,616
Friday: 18,226
How has your Silver Line experience been so far? Tell us in the comments.
The red ribbon has been cut and Phase I of Metro’s long-awaited Silver Line is now open.
Residents can now look forward to the completion of Phase II, which will take them all the way to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County. The expected completion date is in 2018.
Here are some things to know about the next next 11-mile phase, which is expected to cost $2.9 billion.
1. There will be six stops.
Silver Line Phase II will stop at Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Dulles International Airport, and Routes 606 and 772 in Loudoun County.
The Reston Parkway station, located on the Dulles Toll Road, will be a few blocks from Reston Town Center. However, future planned development for the area between the station and the existing toll road will practically bring the gateway to the town center to meet the station.
2. Phase II money problems are not completely solved.
When Metro’s Silver Line project received approval for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans in May, it seemed as though Phase II’s money woes were solved and tolls would remain steady for the next five years. While Phase I received $900 million in federal funding, Phase 2 did not, which put the project in a precarious position the last several years.
The project has been approved for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans, but the U.S. Department of Transportation recently notified all states that restrictions will be placed on their federal highway funds starting Aug. 1 because the Highway Trust Fund, which funds the TIFIA loans, is bordering on bankruptcy.
3. Preliminary design work is underway.
Capital Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South, are building Phase II. However, a year ago, the contractors predicting starting construction work in Spring 2014. That has not happened. Like Phase I, there will probably only be an “estimated” completion date for quite a while.
4. You will still need your walking shoes at Dulles.
There was a big battle three years ago about whether to make the airport stop an expensive underground tunnel or a more cost-effective above-ground station across the parking lot from the main terminal. The above-ground station won. Passengers will have to pass through a pedestrian tunnel with a moving sidewalk to get to the terminal. In the meantime, the Silver Line Express will carry airport-goers to Wiehle-Reston East to Dulles (and vice versa) for $5 trip.
5. You will be able to access the Reston Parkway station from both sides of the Dulles Toll Road. Here is what else is planned for Reston Parkway: Pedestrian bridge crossing; bus drop-off and Kiss-and-Ride at both entrances; 28 bicycle racks, 6 lockers on North side and 10 racks and five lockers on South side.
Photo by Jennifer Heffner, Vita Images
With the first rush hour in the books, Metro officials can now get a clearer picture of how daily traffic will be at the five new stations, as well as the Silver Line’s impact on existing stations.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, Wiehle-Reston East — which will be the end of the Silver Line until 2018 — was the 12th-busiest entry point to the system, says the transit agency. Metro says 4,727 riders boarded trains at Wiehle-Reston East, putting it on par with Columbia Heights and busier than Rosslyn or Ballston.
Reston is the only Silver Line station with parking, and riders made good use of the 3,300 available garage spots, as well as 300 free spots in the county-owned former Park and Ride lot on Sunset Hills Road. Wiehle-Reston East is also the new bus drop off for Fairfax and Loudoun connector buses that used to travel to Orange Line stations.
“We are off to a really good start at Wiehle,” said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.
Stessel said there were no big surprises from the morning commute. Most commuters said their commute went smoothly once they understood new info such as where to park or where to pick up their connector bus. Read some of their stories in this Reston Now story.
“We spent a lot of time preparing for today,” said Stessel.
Metro says there were 9,715 total trips from or to a new Silver Line station Monday morning.
Here is the breakdown:
- Greensboro: 185 entries, 332 exits
- McLean: 568 entries, 442 exits
- Spring Hill: 559 entries, 432 exits
- Tysons Corner: 507 entries, 1,063 exits
Meanwhile, the drop in Orange Line riders was noticeable. Most Silver Line riders formerly took feeder buses or drove to Orange Line stations at Vienna and East and West Falls Church.
Metro said morning rush hour boardings were down 66 percent at West Falls Church.
“The last four stations of the Orange Line saw morning rush hour drop from 23,000 boardings two weeks ago to 15,000 today,” Stessel said. “Those boardings have shifted to the Silver Line.”
However, the total number of overall Metro riders did not grow much on Monday. Stessel said 240,000 rode the train in the morning, which is was within a few hundred of last Monday’s numbers.
Photo: Metro passengers at Wiehle-Reston East turnstiles Monday morning/Credit: Ken Plum
After years of anticipation, months of delays and a weekend full of grand opening festivities, commuters boarded Metro Silver Line trains in Reston Monday headed to the same jobs in a new way.
Gone were the excited children and curious transportation nerds of Saturday and Sunday. In their place were Ashburn, Reston and Herndon residents, among others, hurrying to where they needed to be on a Monday morning.
The first commuting day seemed to go without incident. The intersection at Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road was not clogged with cars. Trains ran mostly on schedule. Buses, by commuter reports, were a bit inconsistent — some of the new routes were early and some were late. The parking garage at Wiehle Avenue was nearly full by 9 a.m.
There were some backups, but that was mostly commuters trying to get the lay of the land. Where is the elevator in the parking garage? Which way to the 505 bus? Is this the private parking or the county parking? There were lots of Metro and Reston Station personnel to answer questions.
James Mosley of Herndon has tried a variety of ways to get to his IT job near Metro Center in D.C. — driving, getting a ride through the slug line, buses from Herndon-Monroe to the East Falls Church Metro Station and an Orange Line train.
Monday morning, he was dropped off at Wiehle-Reston East’s Kiss and Ride.
“It’s not so convenient for the driver,” he said of the Kiss-and-Ride lanes. “When you are in the garage, you have to make a three-point turn to come out.”
Mosley said the Silver Line will be a good test. He had his stopwatch set to see whether the new method would save any time.
“I started out at 7:44 a.m.,” he said. “My goal is to make it to my office by 8:20.”
Mosely later emailed he got to work at 8:38 a.m.
“In general, the commute time was definitely longer than if I had commuted via other methods from Herndon Monroe. “The commute to wait on the train was definitely longer than if I had traveled to the Herndon-Monroe. Access to that garage is a lot simpler.”
Mosley’s Eastbound train was packed — as were most others during morning rush hour — as it traveled towards Tysons Corner before 8 a.m. Coming West from Tysons shortly after, there were only a handful of passengers.
Diego Aguilar formerly traveled from his home near West Falls Church to Reston Town Center on the Fairfax Connector 505 Bus. Now he will pick up the Silver Line at East Falls Church and take Metro to his job at Davelle Clothiers.
“This is really nice,” he said of his first day on the new route. “We have been waiting for this to happen and the time has come.”
Sashi Goli of Ashburn stopped and took a selfie in front of the Silver Line sign. He has been making the commute to his office near Chinatown for nearly five years. The travel time via Silver Line will be about the same as when he parked at Herndon Monroe and took a bus to West Falls Church. That route has been eliminated, so Goli says he has no choice but to take the Silver Line now.
“Fifty minutes is still a long time [to get downtown],” he said. “When Phase II opens, that will be really awesome.”
Metro said that 5,089 people boarded trains at the five Silver Line stations between 5 and 9 a.m. Monday. Wiehle-Reston East was by far the busiest with 3,496. Other Silver Line station numbers: Tysons, 455; McLean, 508; Spring Hill, 481; Greensboro, 149.
Monday morning, we will see how if Reston is ready to be a transportation hub.
Metro’s Silver Line opened on Saturday to much fanfare, with state, local and national stakeholders thanking each other for a long (20+ years including a six-month opening delay) and expensive ($2.9 billion, not including a $150 million overage) job well done.
In case you missed Reston Now’s weekend coverage:
Silver Line Opens New Era For Reston
You Said It: Social Media Roundup of Silver Line Opening Day
Now the real work begins, as commuters who previously drove downtown or to the Vienna Metro Station or boarded Fairfax Connector buses to the Orange Line Station at East Falls Church will instead flock to Wiehle-Reston East to board the train.
Will Reston’s roads be able to handle more drivers? Will newbies to Wiehle-Reston East be able to swiftly enter and exit the parking garage? These are some of the many questions that will be answered as weekdays unfold.
The good news is that late July and into August are generally light traffic days, with many commuters on vacation or working a more flexible schedule. The real impact may not be known until September.
If you are planning to take the Silver Line to Tysons Corner, Arlington, D.C. or other points Monday, here are some things to know:
- Metro opens at 5 a.m. Monday.
- Allow extra time. You haven’t figured out your routine yet and neither have the other commuters.
- If you are taking a Fairfax Connector bus to the station, double check your route on the Connector website.
Fares:
- Peak SmarTrip fares (weekdays from opening to 9:30 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. and weekends midnight to closing):
- $2.15 minimum, plus a $1 surcharge if a paper Farecard is used; $5.90 maximum, plus a $1 surcharge if a paper Farecard is used.
- Off-peak SmarTrip fares (all other times): $1.75 minimum, plus a $1 surcharge if a paper Farecard is used; $3.60 maximum, plus a $1 surcharge if a paper Farecard is used.
- It is easier to buy a plastic SmarTrip card. You will need to reload it less often and will save the surcharge.
Parking: Wiehle-Reston East’s garage has 3,300 parking spots. The majority are owned by Fairfax County. About 1,000 or so are ParkX, owned by developer Comstock.
If you are coming down Reston Station Avenue from Wiehle Avenue, the first left into the garage will take you to two places: private ParkX and public Fairfax County parking.
There are 1,000 spots. Daily rates are $4.85 (or $4.75 if you use Colonial’s prepaid debit card. ParkX also offers monthly reserved parking: Gold, $105 (will be $155 after Oct. 1 ); Platinum, $145 ($195 after Oct. 1). Both include daily rate.
Platinum parking features assigned spots. Gold features assigned spots if you get there prior to 10 a.m.
The ParkX lot does not feature free weekend parking. Payment is cash, credit or debit card.
The 2,300-space county lot is the second left off of Reston Station Boulevard. There are several entrance/exit gates, so entry here may go quicker during rush hour.
Parking is $4.85 a day weekdays; free on weekends. Payment is by credit card or SmarTrip card.
Monthly reserved parking is $65. This does not include daily parking fee. There is no assigned parking.
This lot is also where Kiss-and-Ride and bus drop-off will be located.
Park and Ride Lot
The 270-space, VDOT-owned Park-and-Ride lot on Sunset Hills Road near the station will remain open. That lot is free, but is likely to fill up quickly.
Walking and Biking
There is pedestrian access to the station from both the South and North sides of the Dulles Toll Road. There is a secure bicycle parking area for 200 bicycles.
Ready to commute by Silver Line? Share your strategy with your neighbors in the comments below. And be sure to send (n[email protected]), Facebook or Tweet your Monday Silver Line experiences to us.
Regular folks, media members and local leaders lined up to be among the first to ride the Silver Line on its opening day. Here is what they had to say.
With the snip of a giant red ribbon and the departure of a train from the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station, Reston officially welcomed rail transit to the community on Saturday. It was a long road to get here.
The lengthy process was oft-mentioned by the many VIPs from the federal government, DC, Maryland and Virginia as they spoke of the near-misses, the political squabbles, the legal challenges and logistical woes leading up to the Silver line’s opening day.
The $2.9 billion Silver Line Phase I — with five new stations in Tysons Corner and at Reston’s Wiehle Avenue — arrived six months late and $150 million over budget. That did not matter to the crowd of riders eager to climb aboard the first train.
“It is awesome to have easy access to D.C.,” said Yasmin Taylor as she headed for the inaugural train with her two young sons. The Herndon native, visiting from Atlanta, said the prospect of boarding a train here to visit the Smithsonian is “so exciting.”
Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the line until 2018, when Phase II — also beset with squabbles and money questions — is expected to open. Phase II will have stops at Reston Parkway, Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.
“The Silver Line project has spanned well over 20 years,” said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, who pointed out that the road to the Silver Line went through six Virginia transportation chiefs and several U.S. Transportation Secretaries. “It’s spanned across administrations, community leadership. Everyone here today stepped up to the plate.”
Said Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority General Manager Richard Sarles: “We’re here today as a result of many, many people ironing out their differences and working together for the common good.”
The officials’ remarks came at a private ceremony on the South side of the toll road just prior to the Silver Line opening to the public. Metro officials said the ceremony was closed due to crowd control reasons (indeed, the tent was filled to standing room only).
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx compared getting to Silver Line opening day to that of building medieval cathedrals. Often, builders did not know what they finished product would look like until they got there decades later.
“What I’m reminded of is that the work of transportation is really the work of generations,” Foxx said. “And if we’re not putting those cornerstones in place as a nation, we’re not building for the generations to come afterward. So this is a time to celebrate the voices of ‘yes’ sounding louder than the voices of ‘no.’ ”
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11th) has been fighting for the Silver Line for nearly 20 years, first as Fairfax County Supervisor and then as a congressmen.
“In my case, 19 years is a long time to get something really big done,” he said. “But now we are finally riding it! Everyone said rail to Dulles was dead. There were not many believers. We were sued. Some of the people who sued us are in the room.We created a tax district that collapsed and was resurrected; we had eight years of a Bush administration that was [not receptive] to transit in general. But working together we were ale to prevail.”
Connolly called rail in western Fairfax County ‘transformative” to the entire region.
“It links the most important corridor to the region’s core,” he said. Read More
Yes, some people in Reston are doing the happy dance about the opening of Metro’s Silver Line on Saturday.
At least they are in a new TV commercial that will begin airing this weekend as the Silver Line opens.
Metro says the ad was created as a celebration of the Silver Line, and features the song “Escapee” by Architecture in Helsinki. The dance movements were choreographed by Michael Stokes, a D.C. resident, and the ad was filmed at the new Wiehle-Reston East station, inside the transportation center on the North side of the station, and in the neighborhood adjacent to the station.
See if you can name the exact locations around Reston where the commercial was filmed.
Alas, those are not real Restonians skipping through the station. The video includes 30 dancers from the National Capital Region – ages 8 to 78. Fifteen Metro employees are also featured — including bus and rail operators, Metro Transit Police, station managers, and car maintenance staff — all of whom have been recognized for their dedication to safety and exemplary customer service, says Metro.
Also included are two local business leaders — Michael Caplin, Executive Director of the Tysons Partnership, and Jim Corcoran, President and CEO of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.
Metro’s Silver Line opens to to the public Saturday at noon, when the first train leaves Wiehle-Reston East.
Prior to the start of service, local leaders who helped make rail to Reston happen — a 50-year or 20-year process, depending on how you are counting — will hold an opening ceremony.
Many of the officials were on hand last Saturday, as Fairfax County hosted a ribbon cutting and open house for the 2,300-space public parking garage at Reston Station, adjacent to Wiehle-Reston East.
Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the line for at least five years, when Phase 2 of the Silver Line is expected to be completed. Phase 2 will take passenger to points west of Wiehle-Reston East such as Reston Parkway, Herndon, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.
The 10 a.m. ceremony is closed to the public, but Reston Now will bring you the details. There is a public celebration on the Reston Station plaza from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Here is who will be there:
- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx
- Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe
- District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray
- Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11)
- Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA 10)
- Congressman Jim Moran D-VA 8)
- Virginia Delegate Kenneth Plum (D-Reston)
- Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors
- Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors
- Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Richard Sarles
For more Silver Line details:
- Silver Line: Your Q &A
- Silver Line: In Their Own Words
- Glimpsing the Future at Wiehle-Reston East Open House
- Connector Will Run Special Shuttles on Silver Line Opening Day
- Silver Line, Connector Will Link Air and Space Museums
- Silver Line Opening Day Plans
- Fairfax Buses Changing Routes for Silver Line Service
Photo: Del. Ken Plum, Rep. Gerry Conolly, Sen Janet Howell and Supervisors Cathy Hudgins and Sharon Bulova were among VIPS at garage opening last Saturday.
A little over three years ago, Reston founder Bob Simon and local elected officials moved shovels of ceremonial dirt in the rain near the Dulles Toll Road and talked about big things to come.
The VIPs hailed the public-private partnership of Fairfax County and Comstock, who were teaming together to build the $90 million, seven-level underground parking garage. Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins said at that time Reston Station could be considered “Reston’s sixth village center,” alluding to Reston founder Robert E. Simon’s original vision that Reston be built as a walkable community centered around village centers.
“I hope we will measure up to the standards of Robert Simon for people to live, work and play here,” Hudgins said at the groundbreaking. “This is truly a significant part of Reston’s history, the [Dulles] corridor’s history and Fairfax County’s history. This changes Fairfax County from a bedroom community to a transit-oriented community.”
Since that afternoon in April 2011, the site has gone from giant hole in the ground to the framework of a 1.5 million square foot transit-oriented development.
When Metro riders disembark at Wiehle-Reston East, they will see a pedestrian plaza that planners envision as being home to civic and community events. The plaza features public art — giant spires of orange-red cords called “Dancing Reed’s by artist Don Hoover — as well as landscaping and seating.
But some of Reston Station remains a work in progress. Comstock officials said earlier in the building process that only the garage was expected to be open when the Metro station opened. Some of the larger projects will not start until they have a major leaseholder to help pay for the cost, a Comstock spokesman said.
Here is a look at what is finished, what is under construction and what is planned for the future at Wiehle Avenue, Sunset Hills Road and Reston Station Boulevard.
Completed:
Parking garage — the garage features 2,300 public parking spaces as well as 1,000 private spaces owned by Comstock. Parking is $4.85 weekdays; free on weekends. Reserved monthly parking is available. The parking garage also features a 200-space indoor bike room. Reserved bicycle parking is also available for $60 a year.
Retail space — there is a retail center on the plaza that is complete but has no tenants yet. It is currently being used for special events. There is also street-level retail on Reston Station Boulevard.
Under construction:
BLVD Apartments — the 450-unit luxury high rise is being built on the plaza. The first residents are expected to move in next year. Pricing information is not yet available.
To be built:
Office space: Comstock is planning for two office towers. One will be 375,000 square feet of office and 15,000 square feet of retail. The other will be 250,000 square feet of office and 15,000 square feet of retail. A third building is planned for office, retail and health club, size to be determined.
Hotel: A 200-room hotel is planned for the plaza. The current retail center will eventually be the hotel lobby.
While riders can access the new Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop from spots both South and North of the Dulles Toll Road, it would be wise to park only in the garage at Reston Station.
Anywhere else and you might be ticketed or towed. The South entrance is meant to be a pedestrian entrance.
Officials for Vornado, which owns several of the office buildings on the South side of the toll road off Commerce Park Drive and Association Drive, were busy on Wednesday installing signage and card gates to ensure the parking lots and garages remain for office park use only.
Metro riders who park in the office lots will receive a $25 ticket, Vornado says. Employees now have hangtags for their cars and key cards to get through the gates.
Not all of the lots in the complex have key card access as there needs to be visitor access for retailers and businesses. But there is plenty of signage reminding drivers that it is private property and violators can be towed.
A few blocks from Wiehle-Reston East, residents of one Reston neighborhood successfully petitioned the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last year to become a no-parking zone. A permit is now required to park on Great Meadow neighborhood off Sunrise Valley Drive just south of Wiehle Avenue. Violators risk having their vehicles towed and a $75 fine.
Wiehle-Reston East is the only one of the five Silver Line Phase 1 stations with parking. At Tysons Corner, where there is no parking, mall officials are also trying to ensure the mall’s 12,000 parking spaces remain for shoppers.
The mall is installing gates to keep early-morning commuters out of garages and lots, the Washington Business Journal reports. The gates will go up when the mall opens. Parking remains free.
There are 2,300 public parking spots at Wiehle-Reston East, as well as 1,000 private spots owned by developer Comstock. Weekday parking is $4.85 a day. Weekend parking is free.
There are also bus lanes, kiss-and-ride lanes and bike parking at Wiehle-Reston East.
More Silver line news:
Reston Now put out the call for your Silver Line questions on Monday. We have some answers for you. We regret we could not answer every question, but here are some basics to get you ready for Saturday’s Wiehle-Reston East Station opening.
How long until the first escalator is out of service?
Haha. Don’t know.
Will RIBS4 run directly to the Metro?
Yes, RIBS 4 will go to the station Mondays through Fridays. See additional Silver Line bus info on the Fairfax Connector website.
How will parking be on weekends?
Parking will be free on weekends and lots of spaces will likely be available.
How much is a round trip to the Smithsonian and Wheaton stops?
From Wiehle-Reston East to Smithsonian, it would be $11.80 peak/$7.20 non peak. To Wheaton, it will be the same fare. Calculate all fares on Silver Line Metro’s fare calculator.
Why the Sunday evening cutbacks on the 505? Currently you can catch a 505 to RTC as late as 11 pm. In the new schedule, your last bus will be at 9ish. Am I missing another option to get from Wiehle to RTC on a Sunday late night.
That’s a good question for Fairfax Connector, which will be holding an online chat Friday from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m.
Will both pedestrian overpasses be open Saturday?
Yes, you will be able to access the station from the South and North sides of the Dulles Toll Road.
Where is the entrance to the parking structure?
There are two entrances, both off of Reston Station Boulevard. The first left (if coming from Wiehle Avenue) into the structure is the premium parking, which will eventually become parking just for Reston Station tenants. Go a few feet farther on Reston Station Boulevard and turn into the main garage entrance.
Will there be Zipcars?
At this time, no. Though at some point in the future there may be.
Is parking at the Wiehle Avenue station free on weekends just like other Metro stations?
Yes.
What will be the cheapest (non-work commuter) return fare to central Washington, and from what time would that be available?
It would cost $3.60 one-way to get to or from most D.C. stations during non-peak hours, which are weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and after 7 p.m.; weekends until midnight.
Photo of Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station by JDAntos via Twitter
Four days until the Silver Line begins carrying passengers. Reston Now wants to know: Will it change your commute?
While the Silver Line will connect Reston and Tysons Corner each other and to points inside the Beltway, in D.C. and beyond, it is not the workday answer for everyone.
For instance, a large number of Reston-area workers travel within Reston or other areas of Fairfax County not served by Metro. Those who can now take Metro to Reston from Arlington or D.C. to get to work, still would have to find a way to get from Wiehle-Reston East to, say, offices in Reston Town Center.
And still others say parking at Wiehle-Reston East ($4.85 daily) combined with rush hour Metro fares ($11.80 round trip daily to Farragut North, for example) make carpooling and parking downtown a more attractive option.
Take our poll and tell us in the comments below where you go for work and whether how you get there will change.
As Reston prepares to become a transit-oriented community, it is also preparing to for urban-style issues. Among them: The opportunity for crime.
Metro’s first five Silver Line stations, including Wiehle-Reston East, open on Saturday. Fairfax County Police
Chief Ed Roessler says that combining an increased population with urban-style gathering spots does increase the chances for crime. But it doesn’t mean it has to increase actual crime rates.
“The opportunity for crime is more prevalent when you open up a Metro station,” says Roessler. “What you see are breaking into cars late at night and more people traveling corridors from platform to garage and pedestrian pathways. That is what we are concerned about and we have taken action to prevent that.”
Roessler says FCPD has been planning for crime prevention around the new transit areas for many years — about as long as Metro’s five-year course of building the Silver Line.
The FCPD, boosted by additional funding from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to add nine positions to the department, created the Tysons Urban Team in 2013. The police department’s five-year strategic plan calls for a similar unit in Reston, says Roessler.
However, officers at all stations have been undergoing urban police training for much longer, the chief said. Reston Town Center has always had bike and foot patrols — two of the core urban policing strategies. Additional bike and foot patrols are also in place at Hunters Woods Village Center, and will be at the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
Crime around Metro stations is actually quite low in Virginia, says Metro. The transportation agency says there were 7.1 serious crimes per million riders overall in 2013, with far more in D.C. and parts of Maryland. The majority — 70 percent — were thefts, says Metro Police Chief Ron Pavlik. He said that the Virginia stations are some of the safest in the system.
“Typically, crime on Metro is reflective of crime rates in the surrounding communities,” he says. “We don’t see a lot of ‘Part I’ (violent) offenses in Virginia.”
Fairfax County saw a drop in every violent crime category in 2013. In the Reston District in 2013, there were 654 assaults (compared to 765 the previous year). There was a rise in robberies though, from 27 in 2012 to 37 in 2013.
Still, Metro’s 491 sworn officers are being prepared to prevent crime. The agency hired 26 officers and 15 civilian employees in advance of the Silver Line opening. Transit police have trained with county police. Reston District Station officers have also done safety seminars for students, said Lt. Ken Baine, Reston Assistant Commander.
Pavlik says riders will see a high police presence the first few weeks the Silver Line is open. But riders still need to be aware to stay safe. He offers these tips:
- Be aware of your surroundings. Put yourself close to other customers if you feel you are being followed.
- Put your cell phone away when not in use.
- If you see something, say something. You can text tips to Metro police dispatch at “MyMTPD” or 202-962-2121 or 911.
- Use the emergency call buttons located throughout each station. It will ring through to the station manager.
After decades of envisioning, five years of building and more than six months of delays, Metro’s Silver Line finally opens on Saturday.
The 11.4-mile extension brings a new level of public transportation to this part of Fairfax County. There will be five stops from McLean to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue. Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the line for at least five years, when Phase 2 of the Silver Line — which will extend the service from Reston to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County — will open.
Wiehle-Reston East will also be the only Silver Line stop with parking. The 3,300-spot garage held a ribbon cutting and open house on Saturday.
With the Silver Line opening comes a lot of questions on cost, logistics, Reston traffic and train times, among other things. Reston Now has (or will get) the answers! Ask us your question in the comments below and we will respond there or in an additional article.
