Van Dorn Street station

Van Dorn Street
Station platform in April 2005
General information
Location5690 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates38°47′58″N 77°07′43″W / 38.79944°N 77.12861°W / 38.79944; -77.12861
Owned byWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeEmbankment
Parking361 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare, 20 racks, 6 lockers
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeJ02
History
OpenedJune 15, 1991; 33 years ago (June 15, 1991)
Rebuilt2019
Passengers
20231,053 daily[1]
Rank78 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Franconia–Springfield
Terminus
 Blue Line King Street–Old Town
toward Downtown Largo
Former services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Franconia–Springfield
Terminus
 Yellow Line King Street–Old Town
toward Greenbelt
Location
Map

Van Dorn Street station is a Washington Metro station straddling the boundary between Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria in Virginia, United States. The station's island platform lies in unincorporated Rose Hill in Fairfax County, while the station's entrance and parking facilities are in Alexandria. The station was opened on June 15, 1991, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for only the Blue Line, the station is located at South Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue, next to the Capital Beltway. From 1991 to 1997 it was the southwestern terminus of the Blue Line.

It is the only Washington Metro station to be named after a Confederate general.

History

View of the station from Eisenhower Avenue in January 2022

In June 1977, the city of Alexandria, Southern Railway, and the United Parcel Service reached an agreement allowing for Metro to retain the air rights for the construction of the Van Dorn station when funding became available.[2] After years of planning, in March 1987 Metro awarded a $32.3 million contract to complete the station by 1991 to Dillingham Construction of Pleasanton, California.[3] Originally slated to be part of the Yellow Line, in early 1990 it was decided Van Dorn would be served by the Blue Line with the Yellow Line being shifted to the Huntington station.[4] The station opened on June 15, 1991, with the completion of 3.9 miles (6.3 km) of rail west of the King Street – Old Town station.[5][6] Van Dorn Street would remain as the southwestern terminus of the Blue Line from its completion through the opening of the Franconia–Springfield station on June 29, 1997.[7]

On June 25, 2017, Yellow Line trains stopped serving the station due to the elimination of Rush+, which is part of major changes to the Metrorail system.[8]

In May 2018, Metro announced an extensive renovation of platforms at twenty stations across the system. The Blue and Yellow Lines south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station, including the Van Dorn Street station, would be closed from May to September 2019. The platform at this station would then be rebuilt starting in September 2019, necessitating single-track operations on the Blue Line for several weeks. A nearby rail bridge will also be rebuilt during the reconstruction.[9][10]

From March 26, 2020, until June 28, 2020, this station was closed due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[11][12][13]

Between September 10, 2022, and November 5, 2022, Van Dorn Street was closed due to the Potomac Yard station tie-in, closing all stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station. Shuttle buses were provided throughout the shutdown.[14]

Station layout

The station has an island platform situated between Eisenhower Avenue and the RF&P Subdivision tracks, which carry Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak trains. North of the station is a loop of bus bays serving DASH, Fairfax Connector, and Metrobus routes. A tunnel underneath Eisenhower Avenue leads to a small parking lot.

P
Platform level 		Southbound ← toward Franconia–Springfield (Terminus)
Island platform
Northbound → toward Downtown Largo (King Street–Old Town) →
Track 3 ←           Fredericksburg Line and Amtrak do not stop
Track 2 →           Fredericksburg Line and Amtrak do not stop →
G Street level Exit/entrance, buses, parking, fare control, ticket machines, station agent

References

  1. ^ "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Feaver, Douglas B. (June 30, 1977), "Alexandria agreement saves Metro station site", The Washington Post, p. VA3
  3. ^ Henderson, Nell (March 13, 1987), "Metro awards contract to build Van Dorn Station", The Washington Post, p. C1
  4. ^ Henderson, Nell (March 16, 1990), "Metro seeks comments on budget that includes new rail stations", The Washington Post, p. D3
  5. ^ Staff Reporters (June 15, 1991), "Van Dorn Station to open", The Washington Post, p. B5
  6. ^ "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). WMATA. 2017. p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Tousignant, Marylou (June 27, 1997), "At last, Metro reaches end of the Blue Line; Franconia-Springfield station to begin service on Sunday", The Washington Post, p. B1
  8. ^ "BE READY FOR METRO CHANGES" (PDF). wmata.com.
  9. ^ "Metro wants to rebuild 20 station platforms over three years, creating SafeTrack-like disruptions". Washington Post. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. ^ "Metro plans 'summer shutdown' on Blue, Yellow lines next year". WTOP. May 7, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Special Covid-19 System Map" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Metrorail stations closed due to COVID-19 pandemic". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. March 23, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "Metro to reopen 15 stations, reallocate bus service to address crowding, starting Sunday | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  14. ^ "Metro announces travel alternatives for major Blue and Yellow Line construction this fall | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.