Franconia–Springfield station

Franconia–Springfield Blue Line Yellow Line

Washington Metro platform in June 2008
Location 6880 Frontier Drive
Springfield, Virginia
United States
Coordinates 38°45′58″N 77°10′07″W / 38.76611°N 77.16861°W / 38.76611; -77.16861Coordinates: 38°45′58″N 77°10′07″W / 38.76611°N 77.16861°W / 38.76611; -77.16861
Owned by WMATA
Platforms 1 island platform (Metro)
2 side platforms (VRE)
Tracks 4 (2 for each service)
Bus stands 8
Bus operators Fairfax Connector: 171, 231, 232, 301, 303, 304, 305, 310, 321, 322, 331, 332, 380, 401
Metrobus: 18R, 18S, S90, S91
PRTC OmniRide: Prince William Metro Direct
Greyhound
Best Bus
Construction
Parking 5,069 spaces
Bicycle facilities 36 racks, 20 lockers
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code J03 (WMATA)
Fare zone Zone 3 (VREX)
History
Opened June 29, 1997 (1997-06-29)[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 7771 daily [2] Decrease 4.94% (WMATA)
Services
Preceding station   Washington Metro   Following station
TerminusBlue Line
Yellow Line
Greenbelt-Franconia-Springfield weekdays rush hours service
toward Greenbelt
Virginia Railway Express
toward Spotsylvania
Fredericksburg Line
  Former services  
Amtrak
Northeast Regional
toward 

Franconia–Springfield is an island platformed Washington Metro station in Springfield, Virginia, United States. The station was opened on June 29, 1997, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Blue Line, it is the southwestern terminus of the Blue Line, and is located at the junction of Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Frontier Drive. The station serves a suburban area and is mostly used for commuters, with 5,069 spaces – Metro's largest parking garage. It is a major transit hub, providing not only Metro service, but also Virginia Railway Express, Metrobus, and local and intercity bus service, including Greyhound buses. It also served as an Amtrak station for the Northeast Regional line between 2003 and 2010. Amtrak's code for the station was "FRS."

With 7,771 daily riders by a 2015 count, Franconia–Springfield station is the 9th-most used WMATA Metro station in Virginia.[2]

History

A VRE train pulling in to Franconia–Springfield VRE station

Prior to construction by WMATA, Franconia–Springfield station was the site of Franconia Station, a standard railroad station built by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. It was built in 1870 and torn down in 1952.[3] Original Metro plans called for 2 separate stations for Franconia and Springfield, but by the time Metro got to building the station, plans had been changed to combine the 2 stations due to the expense and complications of running 2 separate branch lines to the two towns, as it would have required adding an entirely new "color service".

In 1981, WMATA held a series of public hearings to discuss issues related to the expansion of the then Yellow Line to Springfield by 1986, although the project was unfunded at that time.[4] By 1987, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission began to evaluate whether or not state funding would be necessary to complete the station as federal funding was not guaranteed at that time.[5] By 1991, funding for the expansion was secured and plans for the station, parking garage, and other commuter facilities were approved by the Metro board.[6]

The VRE platform opened in 1995, the second infill station on the system.[7] The Metrorail station opened on June 29, 1997; its opening coincided with the completion of 3.3 miles (5.3 km) of rail west of the Van Dorn Street station.[8][1] The final cost for both the station and rail expansion was $175 million.[9]

In 2003, due to increases in ridership on both the Metro and VRE lines, WMATA opened an additional parking garage on the premises for park-and-ride users, offering an additional 1,000 parking spaces, and bringing the total to 5,100 spaces.[10]

Station layout

P
Platform level		 Northbound → Blue Line Blue Line toward Largo Town Center (Yellow Line (rush only) Yellow Line (rush only) toward Greenbelt) (Van Dorn Street) →
Island platform, doors will open on the left or right
Northbound → Blue Line Blue Line toward Largo Town Center (Yellow Line (rush only) Yellow Line (rush only) toward Greenbelt) (Van Dorn Street) →
M Mezzanine One-way faregates, ticket machines, station agent
G Street Level Exit/Entrance, VRE platform

References

  1. 1 2 Tousignant, Marylou (June 27, 1997). "At last, Metro reaches end of the Blue Line; Franconia-Springfield station to begin service on Sunday". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  2. 1 2 "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  3. ↑ Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac (TrainWeb)
  4. ↑ Hodge, Paul (February 26, 1981). "Public hearing set on Springfield Metrorail plans". The Washington Post. p. VA7.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Nell (January 11, 1987). "Virginia panel to study extending Metro; State funds may be sought to finance Yellow Line to Springfield". The Washington Post. p. B5.
  6. ↑ Fehr, Stephen C. (June 14, 1991). "Metro plans to build big transportation center at Franconia". The Washington Post. p. C3.
  7. ↑ Taube, Richard K. (11 August 2008). "Chronology of the Virginia Railway Express: 1964 to Present" (PDF). Virginia Railway Express. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (July 2009). "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ Shear, Michael D. (June 30, 1997). "All aboard Metro at Springfield; Fanfare, new features mark station opening". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  10. ↑ Metro opens new parking structure at Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station
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