D.C.–Dulles Line

The D.C.–Dulles Line, designated Route 5A, is a bus route operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Washington Dulles International Airport and the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station of the Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro. The line operates every 30–40 minutes on weekdays, and 60 minutes on weekends along the Dulles Toll Road, Interstate 66, Richmond Highway, and Interstate 395 between these two locations with no intermediate stops, with the exception of the Herndon–Monroe Park & Ride and Rosslyn station.[4] The trip is approximately 50 minutes long.

5A
D.C.–Dulles Line
Route 5A at Rosslyn station in 2012.
Overview
SystemMetrobus
OperatorWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
GarageFour Mile Run
StatusIn Service
Began serviceDecember 4, 2000[1]
Ended serviceest. April 2021[2][3]
Route
LocaleLoudoun County
Fairfax County
Arlington County
Southwest (Washington, D.C.)
Communities servedDulles
Herndon
Rosslyn
Southwest (Washington, D.C.)
Landmarks servedWashington Dulles International Airport
Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride
Rosslyn station
L'Enfant Plaza station
StartL'Enfant Plaza station
ViaDulles Toll Road
Custis Memorial Parkway (I-66)
Richmond Highway
Interstate 395
EndWashington Dulles International Airport
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency30-40 minutes (weekdays)
60 minutes (weekends)
Operates4:50 AM – 12:17 AM (weekdays)
5:30 AM – 12:18 AM (Saturdays)
5:30 AM – 12:10 AM (Sundays)
TransfersSmarTrip only
TimetableD.C.–Dulles Line
← 4B  {{{system_nav}}}  7A →

Service

Service operates every 30 to 35 minutes between L'Enfant Plaza station and Washington Dulles International Airport on weekdays, and 60 minutes on weekends.[5] WMATA uses some 2006 Orion VII CNG (07.501) suburbans numbered 2701–2730 to operate on the route based out of Four Mile Run Division. However, other buses can be used on the route if the Orion VII CNGs are running on other routes or going under maintenance. Each bus has suburban seating with overhead luggage racks. As the Silver Line of the Washington Metro is expected to open at Dulles International Airport station in 2021, the route uses regular transit buses.[3]

Current Stops

Background

The 5A originally operated under the “North Reston Express Line” in the 1970s before being discontinued in the 1990s being replaced by a combination of Fairfax Connector routes.[6]

Service began on December 4, 2000 to connect service to Dulles International Airport from Downtown Washington D.C.[7][1][8]

The line is unique for being the only WMATA bus line that runs to Loudoun County, has a connection with any Virginia non-commuter services, and is responsible for providing a regular link between the two services. The original $1.10 one-way fare was seen as a bargain compared with other transportation modes in the area, including Shenandoah Valley Commuter Bus.[5]

In 2014, it was reported that the 5A line was partly responsible for Dulles Airport monthly ridership record.[9] WMATA also provides higher levels of service on the line in special times of need, especially on certain holidays.[10]

September 2020 proposed changes

On September 10, 2020 as part of its FY2022 proposed budget, WMATA proposed to reduce time frequency on route 5Aservice in order to reduce costs and low federal funds.[11] Although, WMATA planned to eliminate route 5A and replace it with the Silver Line service on its previous proposals.

Silver Line
Main article: Silver Line (Washington Metro)

In 2010, WMATA started a public planning forum, to create the Silver Line route to run to Dulles Airport.[12] The Silver Line will bring riders access via train to serve in Maryland, Washington D.C., and the northeastern portion of Virginia. This project is under Phase 2 of the Silver Line, as Phase 1 runs up to Wiehle–Reston East station.[13] Construction of Phase 2 started in 2014, and is scheduled to open in 2020.[14] Metro officials then announced that the second phase may not be ready for service until about September 2020.[15] Metro later re-evaluated the timetable for the second phase's launch and anticipates it will be ready for service on April 1, 2021, after the agency determines a budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year (and having taken the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic).[16]

Dulles Airport station
Main article: Dulles International Airport station

The Washington Dulles International Airport is expected to serve on its own train station, as the station is part of Phase 2 of the Silver Line. The station was originally planned to be underground,[17] but the plans call for an above-ground station, which will be located next to daily parking garage 1 of the airport.[18] The station will be connected to the terminal building using the existing pedestrian tunnel which connects the hourly and daily parking lots and parking garage 1 to the baggage claim level of the airport terminal, and which is equipped with moving sidewalks. The Dulles International Airport station is scheduled to open in April 2021, and expected to replace the 5A.[2][19][3]

See also

References
  1. "NEW Direct 5A DC-Dulles Line" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2001.
  2. Smith, Max (August 5, 2019). "Metro's Silver Line extension to Dulles gets tentative opening date". InsideNova. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  3. Waseem, Fatimah (March 31, 2020). "Silver Line Extension Likely to Open in Spring 2021". Reston Now.
  4. "Transportation between Washington, D.C. and Dulles Airport". Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  5. "Other Transportation Options". Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. July 8, 2015.
  6. "Metrobus Routes To Change June 26" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  7. "Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Home Page". 3 December 2000. Archived from the original on 2000-12-02. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  8. Alpert, David (July 10, 2013). "DC, Fairfax consider cutting the 5A bus to Dulles". ggwash.org. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  9. "Metrobus Monthly Ridership Bus Line, Sector and Jurisdictional Summary May 2014 - Preliminary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2015.
  10. "Metro to have additional buses and trains on standby in anticipation of Thanksgiving week travel to regional airports" (Press release). WMATA. November 17, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  11. "FY2021 Budget Update; FY2022 Budget Outlook and Approval for Public Hearing for FY21 Budget Amendment" (PDF). Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  12. Hosh, Kafia A. (July 19, 2010). "Development near Herndon's future Metro station topic of public forum Monday". Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  13. "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  14. Di Caro, Martin (April 27, 2015). "Second Phase Of Silver Line Delayed By At Least 13 Months". WAMU. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  15. Pascale, Jordan (25 November 2019). "The Silver Line's Second Phase Is Looking At A Potential September Opening Date". DCist. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  16. Smith, Max (30 March 2020). "Metro sets fare hikes, bus cuts in budget — with coronavirus caveat". WTOP. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  17. "Dulles Metro: Dulles Station". Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  18. Sherfinski, David (July 20, 2011). "Airports board approves above-ground Dulles Metro station". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  19. "Why Metro wants to kill the Dulles 5A bus route". Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
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