goodeats21

While it certainly disqualifies it as an "express" route, having 12 or 13 stops does not make it almost untenable. Chicago blue line has 15 stops from ORD to Downtown and functions just fine.

I get that DCA is more convenient to downtown DC, but getting Metro service from IAD is going to be a big step forward.

qfrodo

The new way, Silver line to Wielhe and bus is slower than the old way, Orange line to West Falls church and bus. The stops at Tysons area do have an impact. Plus there is no set time for the bus at Wiehle, so one could be waiting a while. It also has to deal with rush hour traffic to cross and get into the airport express lanes. I'll be glad when Metro is extended to the airport, even it the stop isn't that close to the terminal.

TomKozski

Why not the 5A metrobus?! It'll be quicker, especially if leaving between 4 and 6pm, as there'll be no traffic on 66 due to the HOV restrictions.

jsdc

I am taking the Silver line because...I have never ridden it, and I happen to have plenty of time (especially since I can see that my inbound aircraft is going to be 49 minutes late). I like trying out new-to-me transit options. Ordinarily I would not be using L'Enfant, but it happens to be convenient from my office.

Glensea

I live in north Arlington just off of I-66 East [5 blocks from East Falls Church at Exit 69] and avoid the interstate during rush hour because there always is a lot of traffic; it's pretty slow starting about 2 PM and continues till about 7 or later: Frequently a crawl despite the HOV restrictions. For my purposes and from my experience, Metro is the way to go to Dulles rather than a bus during rush hour.

JacobVB27

Did the guy really say the 5A would be faster during the heart of rush hour traffic? Throw out 66 for a minute, 14th street bridge should be bumper to bumper at that time, GW Parkway same and then Rosslyn area could get crowded. Then you have 66 when I have seen been bumper to bumper nowhere near rush hour going towards Arlington etc. Then you have 267 which could have some problems. Sorry but way too many variables to be a good trip( least reliable, traffic, uncomfortable bus etc). I will take metro + Silver Line Bus or 981/983 any day of the week 10 times out 10. As for the guy who mentioned it: I also liked going out to WFC and taking the Washington Flyer Bus but think opening the Silver Line is a game-changer. From the 10+ plus times I have been to Wiehle, the Silver Line Bus is always there and usually the 981/983 Fairfax Connector is there within 10 minutes. So completely disagree you could be waiting a long time for the bus.

In terms with DCA vs IAD: I love DCA as an airport. If flying to DFW/ORD/IAH/ATL etc it makes a lot of sense to fly from there. Mostly mainline aircraft and more options each day.Very close to DC and very easy access public transportation throughout the region. The problem is flying out west and International. There is generally 5-9 flights a day to LAX/SFO from IAD on UA plus the couple flight nonstop to the west coast each day. If I am flying International, it makes no sense to fly from DCA unless I want a day or two to sight-see in ORD/IAH etc. From IAD on Star Alliance members, one can fly to Frankfurt, Vienna, Munich, Brussels, Istanbul, Tokyo plus a bunch of other places. Sorry but flying non-stop to those areas from IAD is much better than taking chances with connecting through EWR/ORD etc which have issues with delays over the years.

Bottom line is regardless of what the problem is, they need to fix the C/D concourse. Dulles Airport is completely under-utilized UA wise in my opinion. EWR is pretty much capped out size wise plus has delays( weather and sky) while ORD also has weather delays. IAH doesn't have many issues that I know of but losing a hour or so flight wise to not exactly gain geography. While Houston is closer to Latin America, IAD isn't that far from that area plus the SE, South America or mid-west. So they can certainly handle it. Any flight that leaves from EWR can also leave from IAD.

cova

The issue is that the bus doesn't use the Dulles access road at all. It uses the toll road which can backup. There is no ramp onto the Dulles access road near the Wiehle entrance.

Use the Silver line route a couple of weeks ago and a bus did not show at IAD - the attendant said they call and the bus broke down. They had to send another bus. The bus has a schedule, it just can't keep on the schedule.

It takes twice or more longer to get to Arlington with the new setup. The airport management and the owner of Washington Flyer are aware of this issue. They did say ridership was up - but then again they are only getting $5 per bus ride versus $10 each way.

The Silver Line schedule is not consistent either. At night you can wait 1/2 hour for the next train. The train going all the way to the airport will help, but even that won't be as fast as the old bus to West Falls Church.

I think they need to reconsider and add the old bus back - at least once a hour. It used to talk 45 minutes from Arlington to IAD, now it takes 1.5 hours.

14940674

According to Google, the nearest access ramp is 3 miles down the road from Wiehle. When I took the bus on the first day of operation, it used that ramp and covered the remaining distance to IAD on the Dulles Access Road. Have they changed the route?

Often1

DCA isn't an alternative to IAD for international (other than the few pre-clearance routes), wide bodies and a major route network. It is for O&D traffic and it's great.

But, that doesn't help the IAD situation where the missteps just keep growing. Rather than building the Metro terminal in the terminal and imposing a surcharge for use of the IAD stop to pay the cost, there will be a standard Metro stop some distance from the terminal. In addition, the decision to build the C Concourse Aerotrain stop at the location where the C Concourse may be in 15 years, rather than building both and running to the proper stop, was short-sighted. It takes far longer and is less pleasant to get to the C gates now than it was under the moon buggy regime.

As other major international airports improve their facilities, IAD is stuck trying to catch up. There are limits to what it can accommodate and things such as hotels connected to the terminal, workout facilities and the like, can't and won't exist with its design.

I could care less about the bells and whistles. Time is money. But, for those with connections and that is critical to a hub, there will always be time spent on the ground and that has become difficult at IAD.

The concept was visionary, in 1955. But, it was not sufficiently scaleable to deal with the future.

DCA writer

Far be it from me to question the wisdom of a FlyerTalk pal with far more experience than me... but I live in the same neighborhood as cova, and my total travel time from home to IAD via the Silver Line and the Silver Line Express bus was just under 65 minutes in November. And that's including a 10-minute walk to Metro from my home, plus about 10 minutes waiting time at Wiehle-Reston East.

I would've had a hard time beating that travel time going via West Falls Church--I never wanted to cut that transfer too close, because the price of missing the Washington Flyer would have been either waiting a full 30 minutes for the next bus or a $45-ish taxi ride. At Wiehle, the wait's only 15 to 20 minutes, and cab fare would be more like $20 and change.

I have had the trip home via transit take a lot longer when I've been dumb enough to rely on the abysmally slow Fairfax Connector bus, then had single-tracking on the Orange Line slow my ride even before my train can rejoin the Orange Line tracks. That second bit is a real risk on weekends.

But the last time I came home from IAD on a weekday, I had to wait 5 minutes for the Silver Line Express, just missed the Silver Line at Wiehle and had to wait 15 minutes--and I was still home in just under an hour and 20 minutes. And again, that was with 10 minutes of walking between Metro and my home.

(But really, all this commuting chatter is best saved for the D.C. forum, right?)

To get back to the original topic: MWAA is trying to address the fiscal imbalance between DCA and IAD by shifting revenue from the former to the latter. They voted to make that change last year and it's been in effect since January. That should narrow the cost gap between IAD and DCA.

halls120

Ah yes, the predictable whining about having to walk from the planned Metro station. It's such a long walk, almost as long as from the parking garage that people use every day with no complaint.

exerda

We can only hope that will move the new midfield concourse somewhat closer to breaking ground...

1kBill

Except for when it doesn't. The one time in my life I missed a flight.

cerealmarketer

Lease agreement signed

https://hub.united.com/iad-lease-ext...023043285.html

No big projects other than:

"And we continue to invest in Dulles, refreshing the Station Operations Center, remodeling our offices behind the ticket counter, installing new self-tagging kiosks, refreshing our United Clubs and rebranding our gate environment."

But the clubs look like they will get some love.

notquiteaff

Gate environment. Love it. Trailer park?