Franconia–Springfield station

Franconia–Springfield is a Washington Metro rapid transit station and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail station located in Springfield, Virginia, United States. The station is the southwestern terminus of the Metro Blue Line and an intermediate station on the VRE Fredericksburg Line. It is also a major bus terminal for Fairfax Connector buses, plus other local and intercity bus routes. The station has one island-platform serving the two Metro tracks, plus two side platforms serving the RF&P Subdivision on which the Fredericksburg Line runs.

Franconia–Springfield
Metro trains at Franconia-Springfield in 2008
Location6880 Frontier Drive, Springfield, Virginia
United States
Coordinates38°45′58″N 77°10′07″W
Owned byWMATA
Line(s)RF&P Subdivision
Platforms1 island platform (Metro)
2 side platforms (VRE)
Tracks4 (2 for each service)
Bus stands8
Connections Fairfax Connector: 171, 231, 232, 301, 304, 305, 310, 321, 322, 350, 351, 401, 402, 494
OmniRide: Prince William Metro Express
Greyhound
BestBus
Construction
Parking5,069 spaces
Bicycle facilities36 racks, 20 lockers
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeJ02 (WMATA)
Fare zoneZone 3 (VRE)
History
Opened1995 (VRE)
June 29, 1997 (1997-Jun-29) (Metro)[1]
Rebuilt2019 (Metro)
Passengers
20166,970 daily [2]  10.31% (WMATA)
Services
Preceding station Virginia Railway Express Following station
Lorton
toward Spotsylvania
 Fredericksburg Line Alexandria
toward Washington, D.C.
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Terminus Blue Line Van Dorn Street
toward Largo Town Center
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Quantico
toward Norfolk, Newport News or Roanoke
 Northeast Regional Alexandria
toward Boston South or Springfield

Located in a suburban area near I-95, the station is primarily used by commuters from more distant suburbs. Its parking garage is the largest on the Metro system, with 5,069 spaces. With 6,970 average daily riders by a May 2016 count, Franconia–Springfield was the 8th-most-used Metro station in Virginia.[2]

The VRE stop opened in 1995, followed by the Metro station on June 29, 1997. From 2003 and 2010, the station was also served by Amtrak Northeast Regional intercity rail trains.

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 demolished in 1952.[3] Original Metro plans called for separate stations for Franconia and Springfield, but before 1979 – due to the expense and complications of running separate branches – plans had changed to combine the two stations into one. In 1979 the "Franconia" station was renamed "Franconia-Springfield".[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

The VRE platform opened in 1995, the second infill station on the system.[8] 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.[9][1] The final cost for both the station and rail expansion was $175 million.[10]

On October 10, 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.[11]

On June 25, 2017, Yellow Line trains stopped serving the station due to the elimination of Rush+, which is part of major changes to the Metrorail system.[12]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The Blue and Yellow Lines south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station, including the Franconia–Springfield station, would be closed from May to September 2019. The platforms at this station would then be rebuilt starting in fall 2019.[13][14]

Station layout
The station's mezzanine

Access to the station is provided by an elevated walkway connecting the parking garage and bus bays to the platforms. Blue Line trains stop at an island platform below the elevated walkway, with fare control on the same level as the walkway. VRE trains stop at two side platforms adjacent to the Metro tracks.

M Mezzanine Fare control, ticket machines, station agent, connection between platforms
P
Platform level		 Northbound → toward Largo Town Center (Van Dorn Street) →
← termination track
Island platform
Northbound → toward Largo Town Center (Van Dorn Street) →
← termination track
Side platform
Track 3 ←      Fredericksburg Line toward Spotsylvania (Lorton)
←      Amtrak services do not stop here
Track 2 →      Amtrak services do not stop here →
→      Fredericksburg Line toward Union Station (Alexandria) →
Side platform
G Street level Exit/entrance, buses, parking

References
  1. 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. "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  3. "Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac". TrainWeb.
  4. Eisen, Jack (August 7, 1979). "Zoological Park Subway Stop Name, 9 Others Changed by Metro Board". The Washington Post.
  5. Hodge, Paul (February 26, 1981). "Public hearing set on Springfield Metrorail plans". The Washington Post. p. VA7.
  6. 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.
  7. Fehr, Stephen C. (June 14, 1991). "Metro plans to build big transportation center at Franconia". The Washington Post. p. C3.
  8. Taube, Richard K. (August 11, 2008). "Chronology of the Virginia Railway Express: 1964 to Present" (PDF). Virginia Railway Express. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  9. "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). WMATA. 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  10. Shear, Michael D. (June 30, 1997). "All aboard Metro at Springfield; Fanfare, new features mark station opening". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  11. "Metro opens new parking structure at Franconia–Springfield Metrorail station" (Press release). April 1, 2018. October 9, 2003.
  12. "June 25 Fare Service Changes Printable Brochure" (PDF). WMATA. 2017.
  13. "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  14. "Metro plans 'summer shutdown' on Blue, Yellow lines next year". WTOP. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
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