Crystal City station (VRE)

Crystal City station is a commuter rail station in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Virginia, located near the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Ronald Reagan National Airport. It is served by the Fredericksburg Line and Manassas Line of the Virginia Railway Express system. VRE plans to rebuild the station nearby to accommodate longer trains and increased service.

For the nearby Washington Metro station of the same name, see Crystal City station (Washington Metro).
Crystal City
A southbound Manassas Line train at Crystal City station in 2017
Location1503 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia
United States
Coordinates38°51′34″N 77°02′54″W
Line(s)CSX RF&P Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks3
Connections Washington Metro: (at Crystal City)
Arlington Transit: 43
Fairfax Connector: 599
Metrobus: 10N, 23A, 23B
Metroway (at 18th & Crystal)
PRTC OmniRide
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeCCV
Fare zone2
History
OpenedJune 22, 1992[1]
Rebuilt2022–2024 (planned)
Services
Preceding station Virginia Railway Express Following station
Alexandria
toward Broad Run
 Manassas Line L'Enfant
toward Washington, D.C.
Alexandria
toward Spotsylvania
 Fredericksburg Line
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Alexandria
toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke
 Northeast Regional Washington, D.C.
toward Boston South or Springfield

Planned rebuild
The existing platform only serves one of the three tracks

The station has a single side platform located on the west side of the three tracks of the RF&P Subdivision.[2] Crystal City station, used by 18% of VRE riders in 2017, represents an "operational bottleneck" for VRE: the single 400-foot (120 m)-long platform is shorter than 700-foot (210 m) trains and forces all trains to use one track.[3][4]

VRE plans to expand the station into a full-length center platform serving two tracks, with grade-separated access to the platform. An alternatives analysis released in November 2017 analyzed three possible sites. All three sites would allow for a future pedestrian bridge or tunnel to Ronald Reagan National Airport to give direct airport access from the station and Crystal City. The preferred location was slightly south of the current station, with the platform stretching from 18th Street to south of 20th Street.[2]

Preliminary engineering for the station began in late 2019.[5] As of January 2021, final design is expected to late from January 2021 to August 2022, with construction from November 2022 to October 2024.[6] Amtrak has indicated the possibility of adding Crystal City as a stop for Northeast Regional trains.[7]

References
  1. Fehr, Stephen C. (June 18, 1992), "Getting on track; Fairfax ready to roll with its 3 commuter stations", The Washington Post
  2. "Virginia Railway Express Crystal City Station Improvements Alternatives Analysis". Virginia Railway Express. November 13, 2017. pp. 34, 56.
  3. Teale, Chris (April 25, 2017). "Crystal City VRE Station Set For Major Revamp". ARLnow. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  4. Smith, Max (March 30, 2017). "VRE looks to expand Crystal City station for easier access to airport". WTOP-FM. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  5. "VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS CRYSTAL CITY STATION IMPROVEMENTS: Preliminary Engineering Phase Kickoff Meeting". Virginia Railway Express. December 4, 2019.
  6. "Crystal City Station Improvements". Virginia Railway Express. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021.
  7. "National Landing: Mobility Next" (PDF). National Landing Business Improvement District. p. 9.

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