East Falls Church station

East Falls Church is an island-platformed Washington Metro station in Arlington, Virginia on the Orange and Silver Lines. East Falls Church station is the last aboveground, at grade, or open cut station for eastbound trains. East of this station, the trains heading toward downtown DC descend underground, therefore leaving the median of I-66 and entering subway mode.

East Falls Church
rapid transit station
Location2001 North Sycamore Street, Arlington, Virginia
Owned byWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Bus stands4
Connections Metrobus: 2A, 3A, 3T, 3Y, 15K, 26A
Arlington Transit: 52, 53, 55
Washington & Old Dominion Trail
Construction
Structure typeSurface
Parking422 spaces
Bicycle facilities12 racks, 6 lockers
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeK05
History
OpenedJune 7, 1986 (June 7, 1986)
Traffic
Passengers (2017)3,955 daily [1]  0.65%
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
West Falls Church
toward Vienna
 Orange Line Ballston–MU
toward New Carrollton
McLean
toward Wiehle–Reston East
 Silver Line Ballston–MU
toward Largo Town Center

The station serves the communities of Falls Church and Arlington, Virginia and is located in the median of Interstate 66 near Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29). Service began on June 7, 1986. East Falls Church has a parking lot with 422 spaces on the Lee Highway side of the station.

Since March 26, 2020, trains were bypassing this station due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[2][3] The station is currently being rebuilt during the Platform reconstruction which closed stations past Ballston–MU station.[4][5]

Transit-oriented development

Of the six stations on the Orange Line in Arlington, East Falls Church has the least transit-oriented development. Unlike the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, East Falls Church station is located in the median of Interstate 66, posing pedestrian access issues.[6] Arlington County is currently considering plans to develop the site.[7]

History

The station opened on June 7, 1986, as part of the final westward extension of the Orange Line to Vienna.[8] Its opening coincided with the completion of 9.1 miles (14.6 km) of rail west of the Ballston station and the opening of the West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna stations.[8]

The Silver Line began service on July 26, 2014, resulting in East Falls Church becoming the final transfer point before its split with the Orange Line.[9]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The platform at the East Falls Church station would be rebuilt starting in early 2021.[10]

Station layout

Similar to all stations within the Interstate 66 median apart from West Falls Church, East Falls Church utilizes a simple island platform setup with two tracks. There is an exit in the central part of the platform that leads to a mezzanine on the western side of North Sycamore Street. The station's parking lot and bus bays are located to the north of this exit at the southwestern corner of the intersection of North Sycamore Street and North Washington Boulevard.[6]

P
Platform level		 Westbound ← toward Wiehle–Reston East (McLean)
← toward Vienna/Fairfax–GMU (West Falls Church)
Island platform
Eastbound → toward Largo Town Center (Ballston–MU) →
→ toward New Carrollton (Ballston–MU) →
G Street level Exit/entrance, buses, parking

References
  1. "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. May 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  2. "Special Covid-19 System Map" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. "Metrorail stations closed due to COVID-19 pandemic". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. "Metro to use upcoming low-ridership summer to maximum effect, expands Orange, Silver line shutdown". www.wmata.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. "Platform Improvement Project | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. "Station Vicinity Map: East Falls Church" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  7. "East Falls Church Planning at a Glance". arlingtonva.us. Projects & Planning. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  8. Lynton, Stephen J. (June 8, 1986), "9.1 more miles for Metrorail", The Washington Post, p. C1
  9. "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". Washington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  10. "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

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