Originally Posted by
kokonutz
I am sure it will make your life easier if you land during the morning rush. But,
1) To save on construction cost, the IAD metro station is not even going to be near the terminal any more. It will be about half a mile away.
2) The ride from IAD to, say Metro Center will be predictable....but it will be predictably LONG. Estimates are 64-90 minutes, depending on how backed up the Rosslyn tunnel gets. By way of comparison I can get from LHR to Leicester Square in 45-50 minutes on the Piccadilly Line!
3) If your destination in DC is not on the metro, then what? Come up at a station and hail a taxi?
4) DC Metro is NOT 24/7.
5) IAD is not the terminus of the Silver Line. There will be two commuter stations beyond it. Meaning that by the time morning rush hour trains get to the IAD stop, it may be standing room only.
Personally, I plan on continuing to use taxis when I use IAD after the Silver Line opens. Especially when I can expense them on business travel.
A lot of foreigners, for better or worse, will end up using the metro because of it's price point. They will use the single train service even though it will take an hour. Many ride the Metro 5A now and I see those folks shifting over to the metro. Also, the afternoon rush where I expect ridership to be high (3-5) won't be impacted by rush hour commuters who will mostly be going the other way toward Loudon.
For those living in DC, I agree that it won't be a significant benefit. It's just too much of a pain to do frequently.
And building the station in front the daily garage? Absolutely ridiculous.
Originally Posted by Jade_BR
I am between DCA and IAD in terms of distance. When given the option, I will ALWAYS fly DCA, even if it means connecting somewhere. IAD is a god-awful airport, embarrassing when you think that it's the point of entry to the nation's capital. It takes forever and a day to reach the gates (feels even longer when you're just coming home from Asia), the security lines are horrible, and oh yes, let's not forget the lack of decent shops and restaurants. Yes, I know DCA is poor in that regard too, but at least I don't need to budget extra 20 minutes just to get to the gate.
I'm the same, but I live right off the Airport Access Road at the 495 interchange so I actually choose to go to IAD most days because of the reliability of the commute.