Dec. 10, 2022: Metro's Silver Line now reaches Dulles!

One Saturday earlier this month wasn't a particularly great day weatherwise in the DMV, but of course it was a great day for a Metro ride that I was long overdue to take. 

The long-awaited Silver Line extension out to Ashburn via Dulles International Airport opened in mid-November amidst great fanfare and anticipation. And for good reason. I mean, Dulles travelers for many decades had to make the journey by auto, or shuttle, out to the terminal. For Marylanders, that meant crossing the American Legion Bridge. With the Silver Line link now complete, all three D.C.-area airports have a rail transit option (Dulles and National have Metro, and BWI has a MARC/Amtrak station).

Dulles isn't exactly convenient to access by Metro from my Montgomery County abode. But I didn't need an excuse to ride the rails. Plus, I hadn't even ridden the original Silver Line between East Falls Church and Wiehle-Reston East since trains began running on it in 2014. So this was a chance for me to kill two birds with one stone, if you will.

Silver Line trains were running 16 minutes apart on Saturday, which actually isn't terrible for a weekend considering that the headways were 24 minutes the previous weekend. After my Red Line ride down to Metro Center, I caught a Silver Line train on the lower level within 10 minutes.

The beginning of the ride felt fairly routine, as we made our way out of D.C., through Rosslyn, Courthouse and Clarendon underground. The fun started after we emerged from the underground tunnel into the median of I-66. We stopped at the East Falls Church station, which is the last station in which Orange and Silver trains both stop. It's also the station at which passengers can take a shuttle to Dulles if their hearts desire. Since Nov. 15, I'd imagine that shuttle has had some competition.

The Orange and Silver lines diverge just before West Falls Church, with the Silver taking a more northwesterly track through the dense suburbs of McLean and Tysons. This is where the trip started to become more interesting for me, as we made our way over the Capital Beltway and into Tysons. I'm so used to seeing this scenery from the road.

The trip continued west through the dense NOVA suburbs, past the Wiehle-Reston station, which served as the terminus of the line up until recently. The train then stopped at Reston Town Center -- yet another large suburban retail center along this corridor. As the train went further west, I began to wonder just how many people lived along this rail line, and how many people were already using it to get to the airport. The number of people on the train hadn't decreased significantly since we made our way out of D.C., and I assume that was because of the number of air travelers that have discovered the magic of the Silver Line.

I finally reached the Dulles station around 4 p.m. -- a little less than an hour from the time the train left Metro Center. I much enjoyed the view of the terminal from the Metro as we glided our way around a curve, to the brand new station. Upon disembarking, the terminal is also easily visible from the platform.

The Silver Line, of course, now terminates at Ashburn. Perhaps another time I will ride it to the end, but for now I was content to bask in the wonder of this beautiful new rail-airport connection.

After getting off, I descended my way down the escalator from the elevated station and followed the signs to the terminal. Awaiting me was an underground tunnel with moving walkways that would take me to my ultimate destination for the day. The tunnel is very aesthetically pleasing, and even evokes a sense of comfort and serenity (if it's really possible for a tunnel to do that). If I were actually taking a flight out, I feel that this tunnel would welcome me

At the end of the passageway, travelers can choose one of two ways to get into the terminal. Although Dulles has just one terminal, seeing this sign gave me some serious Home Alone 2 vibes.

After chilling in the baggage claim area for a bit, I made my way back through the passageway, to the station and made the reverse journey back into D.C., where I had a social commitment later that evening. I must say, I was impressed by the efficiency of the trip, and especially by the ease with which I was able to get from the train to the terminal. The only thing I'd say is that if you are actually trying to make a flight, leave a lot of time! My trip from Grosvenor took an hour and a half, and yours might take longer depending on where you live and how frequently trains are running. But when you consider that you won't need to worry about or pay for airport parking, a little extra time to get there ain't so bad.