The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority opened its eleven mile Silver Line extension on November 15, 2022. I couldn’t be there on opening day but I still wanted to check out the new stations while they were relatively “new.” So I checked in with my frequent travel buddy, my older kid, and we aligned our schedules. It fell within the college break between semesters.
Not everybody celebrates New Years Day exploring a new Metro line, but there we were, riding the trains mostly by ourselves.
Generally this second phase of the Silver Line follows Route 267, the Dulles Toll Road/Airport Access Highway which then becomes the Dulles Greenway. However, it also doglegs south at one point to access Washington Dulles International Airport. Then it continues onward into what seems like the middle of nowhere in eastern Loudoun County.
Let’s check out the new stations.
Reston Town Center
Reston already got a station when the first phase of the Silver Line opened in 2014; Wiehle-Reston East. Now it gained a second station at Reston Town Center. I suspect this will evolve into one of the more useful stops out here. It sits directly next to densely-populated residential, retail and office areas.
So, fair warning, my photos aren’t the greatest. I wasn’t going to get off the train and risk having to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. The doors opened, I took a quick photo of whatever scene happened to appear, and we moved on to the next station.
Herndon
Herndon station seemed like a pretty good idea too. Plenty of stuff happens in Herndon even though it falls within Reston’s shadow, in spite of it being both older and more historic. I’ve bicycled down the Washington & Old Dominion trail through Herndon a number of times and I’ve always enjoy seeing the vintage railroad caboose preserved at the center of town. So now I have an idea: maybe I can bring my bike on the Metro and use Herndon as a starting point for places farther west on the W&OD?
Innovation Center
Frankly, I didn’t see much at the Innovation Center station. It seems to serves the nearby Center for Innovative Technology and probably little else. Anyone driving to the airport has likely seen the weirdly shaped building it occupies. I guess if you work there it’s a useful station.
WMATA helpfully referenced nearby features including the Dulles Greene Cricket Ground! I figure there can’t be too many Metro-accessible cricket grounds in the Washington, DC area, so that’s a rider bonus. If you play cricket. Which I do not. Actually it reminded me of an old Twelve Mile Circle article from 2011 called Sports Facilities I Never Imagined.
Dulles Airport
Of course the crown jewel and primary purpose of this extension was Washington Dulles International Airport. And be sure to note the full name of the airport. That’s so people don’t end up in Dallas or vice versa, which may or may not actually happen.
The other two airports serving the area — Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International — have long been accessible by rail. Dulles, on the other hand, rose from cornfields way outside the city where they could build massive runways without anybody there to complain. However, remoteness always made Dulles the “inconvenient” airport for much of the metropolitan area.
It’s still a long slog from the city although it’s great to have another option, particularly one costing just a fraction of a taxi fare or a ride share. I can also imagine scenarios where it might even be the quicker option. Usually I only use Dulles for nonstop flights from the west coast because it offers better choices. Those always seem to land right around 5:00 pm at the height of rush hour. So taking a train home from the airport at that time might make the most sense.
Peering from my window, the distance between the station and the airport terminal seemed enormous. Imagine pulling luggage that far. Even so, a moving sidewalk supposedly covers the journey in a few minutes. Someday I’ll have to check it out and report back.
Loudoun Gateway
Then we moved deeply into the hinterland. The sign on the next station said Loudoun Gateway… but gateway to what, exactly? While Dulles felt like a fitting gateway to Loudoun County; this spot certainly did not. Maybe it was aspirational. Maybe it will transform into a true gateway once the station spurs more development.
I saw a bunch of huge data centers along this section of track but nothing much else. Supposedly this area has “the largest concentration of data centers in the world.” Also, “as much as 70% of all Internet traffic in the world” goes through there. Nonetheless, data packets don’t ride Metro. I saw absolutely nobody standing on this platform coming or going.
Ashburn
Finally we hit the end of the line at Ashburn. It looked like development was already happening nearby. I saw a retail center on the north side of the station that seemed to be within walking distance. Plus, the station included a huge parking structure to serve people who want to drive in from farther distances to catch a train heading into the city.
Well, that would be a long ride. It’s a solid hour from here to downtown Washington, DC via Metro. I’ll bet people will do it though just to avoid mind-numbing tolls and traffic. More likely, I could see people commuting to jobs in Reston or Tysons. Those would be much more reasonable rides.
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