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sporkityfork t1_je5fw2k wrote

I really wish more jurisdictions in Virginia would get on board with funding and approvals for more connections to Metro. Having that kind of connectivity to the city and airports makes life better IMO. I live in what most in this sub would consider the hinterlands, but I typically drive to the nearest Metro station whenever I need to get somewhere. It's just more pleasant.

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22304_selling t1_je5h9se wrote

I mean Arlington and Alexandria both heavily use their bus systems as feeder networks to their respective Metro stations. Fairfax Connector as well, to a certain extent. Not sure what Loudoun is up to with its bus fleet - I only know of their commuter coach buses.

The fact is that the further you get from the core of the region, the more that park-and-ride stations make sense. It's not very cost effective to run low-ridership buses, when you can instead build a parking garage to absorb riders arriving by automobile. That's why stations like Franconia-Springfield and Vienna make sense to have large garages. By contrast, the small paid lot at Braddock Road never made any sense to me.

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sporkityfork t1_je5jbm0 wrote

Yeah I'm not saying it makes perfect fiscal sense for everywhere, it's just a "wish". I'm actually quite happy with 66 to get me to a station, but I envision a region fully connected by rail. Not based in reality just a dream haha

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22304_selling t1_je5r70s wrote

you could always opt to live in an area which has bus and rail connections

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sporkityfork t1_je5s53n wrote

People live where they live for many reasons. Transit options aren’t always the top reasons. No need to get into that when I’m just saying it would be good for my state to invest in more good stuff :)

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mpyne t1_je7yxyb wrote

We can't all just choose to move near to a convenient rail access, there's not nearly enough housing for that.

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moonbunnychan t1_je8i5jg wrote

Most of Loudoun's busses stop running at 7pm so...ya. It's also stupidly difficult to get to the new Loudoun Metro stations unless you wanna go during normal commuting times.

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LS6 t1_je5svme wrote

Where do you live that you don't have a bus route nearby but there's a metro station a short drive away?

All of the close-in jurisdictions have extensive connections to metro.....the only caveat is they're only for those which don't turn up their nose at walking a few blocks to then get on a bus.

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sporkityfork t1_je5t99n wrote

Front Royal. The end of 66. It’s about an hour to a metro station, not bad really.

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__main__py t1_je611bz wrote

That's pretty damned far for Metro to run. Commuter rail that ran all the way to Union Station would probably better service Front Royal, maybe with a transfer at East Falls Church.

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sporkityfork t1_je627xn wrote

Yeah, I agree that it shouldn't be DC's problem at all, it's Virginia's problem. I think Maryland's MARC is a great example of what can be done. You can take rail from Baltimore to Harpers Ferry. That rules. Virginia has VRE but it's pretty limited.

For us out here, we have Vienna, Reston, and Ashburn as good options. And some people use the Loudoun commuter buses when it makes sense for them to. I personally use either Reston or Vienna metro.

Imagine if you dudes could take rail out to Shenandoah National Park. That would be cool IMO. Not as big of an impact of being able to take rail to Dulles, but still cool.

EDIT: It's incredibly dumb IMO that Harpers Ferry has rail services but Winchester doesn't. Plenty of commuters in both places.

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sylver_dragon t1_je6in6f wrote

> Virginia has VRE but it's pretty limited.

Ya, this system really needs to be expanded. When I was still commuting to DC, I took the VRE in from Fredericksburg and it made for a much better commute than driving. The only downside is that it's very focused on the 0700-1600 workers. If you aren't planning to be out of the city by 1700, you're skating on thin ice. I think they've expanded slightly in the last year or so; but, it's still aimed squarely at early workers.

What I really wish for is that they would expand service to cover weekends. It'd be great to take the family up to DC on a Saturday and not fight traffic. Also, better tracks for faster trains. It's shameful that driving in traffic is somehow faster than a dedicated set of rails.

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sporkityfork t1_je6kz7y wrote

Yeah. I've lived that life. VRE didn't make sense to me at the time based on where I had to work. I also wasn't very familiar with the bus system in that area at the time. This is why I95 is such a hellish road between DC and FXBG...

Virginia planners would rather build an expensive privately operated toll road than to put rail in....

It is really wonderful that Loudoun County planners have been supportive of comprehensive rail and bus transit. Other counties that really should be like Stafford haven't been...

And it doesn't help that a lot of people that live that far out, certainly out where I live, see DC as practically Mordor...

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