West Falls Church station
| Company type | Washington Metro station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | June 7, 1986 |
| Headquarters | Idylwood , United States |
Area served | Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Products | Metro rail services, commuter bus services |
West Falls Church station is a Washington Metro stop situated in Idylwood, Virginia. It lies on the Orange Line and is the initial station located inside the Capital Beltway when traveling eastbound. This station is one of just two in the network featuring three tracks, the other being station. The central track is utilized for train storage and maneuvering to the adjacent Falls Church Yard.
Facilities
Serving the suburban area of Falls Church along with the Northern Virginia Center once operated by Virginia Tech, this station plays a key role in local transit. As of June 2020, the University of Virginia has ceased its operations at this center. Although the station's official address is on Haycock Road, it is physically positioned within the median of Interstate 66, close to Virginia State Route 7 (Leesburg Pike). Access to both the platform and mezzanine level is provided via an elevated pedestrian bridge connecting from the parking lot.
Functioning as a suburban transit interchange, West Falls Church accommodates commuter bus services that link areas near the Dulles Toll and Access Roads (Virginia State Route 267). These routes use a dedicated bus-only exit and include Fairfax Connector lines serving parts of Fairfax County such as Reston and Herndon, Metrobus routes heading to Tysons Corner, and Loudoun County Transit reverse commute services catering to businesses like AOL and MCI, as well as transfer hubs in Dulles.
With the launch of the Silver Line on July 26, 2014, numerous commuter bus routes that had previously ended at West Falls Church were redirected to new Silver Line stations located in Tysons and Reston. Additionally, this station initially served as the primary departure point for Washington Flyer buses bound for Dulles Airport before that service was moved to Wiehle-Reston East following commencement of Silver Line operations.
The Silver Line joins with the Orange Line just east of this station via a flying junction but does not make stops at West Falls Church itself. Although initially planned as a Silver Line stop, it was ultimately excluded from the final route design.
History
West Falls Church station began operations on June 7, 1986, coinciding with the opening of a 9.1-mile rail extension westward from Ballston–MU station and introducing East Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna stations.
In 1999, the station’s name was updated to West Falls Church–VT/UVA to incorporate acronyms for Virginia Tech and University of Virginia, acknowledging their nearby shared graduate center; these university references were later shifted to a subtitle format in 2011.
In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive platform renovation project affecting twenty stations including West Falls Church, with construction starting in late 2020. The station was closed from May 23 until August 15, 2020, during this refurbishment. Upon reopening on August 16, it served as the Orange Line’s temporary terminus while Silver and Orange Line trains bypassed East Falls Church.
At the request of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, University of Virginia initials were removed from the secondary station name on September 11, 2022, reflecting UVA’s exit from the Northern Virginia Center.
On June 3, 2023, service at West Falls Church was suspended for track replacement work impacting stations west of Ballston–MU; normal operations resumed on June 26.
External links
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: West Falls Church Station
- Google Maps Street View of the Station