WMATA’s Silver Line extended to Dulles Airport a couple of years ago. This was a great extension for travelers, as it offered a new and convenient way to reach the airport from the city center. It takes about 50 minutes and is much cheaper than a taxi/rideshare.
I flew out of Dulles today for the first time since the opening of this Silver Line extension, so it was a good opportunity to check it out. Here’s what the experience is like.
Getting on the Metro
My journey began at Metro Center Station. This is one of the major stations in the DC Metro system, with the Red, Blue, Orange, and Silver lines all going through here.
I used Apple Pay to pay for the Metro.
It costs $6.75 from Metro Center to Dulles. However, it only costs $2.50 during weekend, which was the case for me.
The Silver Line is on the lower level.
For trains to Dulles, grab the westbound Silver Line train to Ashburn.
I had a Silver Line train arriving in 4 minutes.
Metro Center has signs on the side where trains towards Dulles board. I’m not sure if other stations have this, but this is good wayfinding for travelers.
A Blue Line train arrived before my Silver Line train. This will take you to Reagan National Airport.
This is the train we want for Dulles.
Going to Dulles
This is a 7000 series train, the newest in WMATA’s fleet. I found the seats to be comfortable enough for the 50 minute journey.
I didn’t have any large luggage, so I just held my carry-on and backpack to my side. It may be a bit harder to take the Metro with larger check-in luggage due to the lack of luggage racks (it’s a commuter train after all), but it should still be fine if you aren’t traveling during rush hour.
I absolutely love the brutalist architecture on the DC Metro.
The Silver Line eventually goes above ground after entering Virginia. We passed through Tysons.
The train went nice and fast on the elevated tracks through Virginia.
I arrived at Dulles before I knew it.
The ride honestly didn’t feel that long. 50 minutes sounds like a long one, but time went by quickly as I looked out the window and browsed online on my phone.
I was surprised to see a good number of people get off my train. Happy to see that this extension is in good use.
It’s a bit of a walk from the station to the terminal.
Just like that, I arrived in Dulles.
The trip cost me just $2.50 thanks to the weekend fare, and it took me a little over an hour total. Considering Uber was going for $70+ for not much of a time difference, this Silver Line ride was a great deal. It’s a great option for D.C. travelers.
All photos taken by the author.
Great write up. I’ll be taking the red (silver spring) transferring to silver this Tuesday to make my evening flight to Munich in United’s Polaris Business class.
As a DC metro local, I appreciate the clean, quick and convenient metro service this region has.
Don’t take the Metro for granted! I think it’s a great system, coming from a guy who frequents the NYC Subway and the Boston subway.
I live in DC and lov’e the silver line. I wish the signage at Metro Center showed blue line to DCA and silver line to IAD. You did a nice job of calling this out, but WMATA’s signage could improve. I worried about when WMATA will start charging a surcharge to get on or off at the airport (like ORD). But it will still remain a deal. Thanks for the post!
That is true. There was a lot of signage for IAD but not for DCA, now that I think about it. The fact that the IAD extension was just 2+ years ago is probably partly the reason, but it can’t be much more to integrate DCA signage.
Since the Dulles station opened, it’s the only way I go to Dulles now. Downtown DC to the airport in 50 minutes.. The highest I’ve paid is about $7, because it was rush hour (compared to $40-$70 in a taxi/Lyft/UBER). If you take a redeye from the West coast, you can Metro straight to the office! 🙂
Yeah, I can imagine how convenient it is now for DC residents. I just happened to travel on a Saturday and benefited from a $2.50 fare, but $7 isn’t bad at all compared to the $70 rideshare prices.
Minor edit: WMATA isn’t commuter rail, it’s heavy rail transit. Commuter rail systems in the DC area are VRE and MARC.
Thanks. I meant more about the “commuter” purpose of Metro’s Silver Line out in Virginia, but yes, MARC and VRE are the actual commuter rail networks.