Virginia in One Week

[DesertRat]

As I mentioned some days ago, I will be accompanying my father to Virginia to see my late mother's relatives.

We are arriving at Wash Nat'l and will go to Richmond by train. I tried to convince my father to take Amtrak, but he's pretty much settled on the Metro because it runs every hour. :wink: I'm not clear on how we will be coming back yet.

Would there be anybody here that have had experience with the trip from the Wash Nat'l airport to Richmond?

Also do plan to go by the Pentegon to pay my respects at the memorial. The memorial is open without appointment correct?

 

[Ispolkom]

I'm confused. Metro doesn't run to Richmond. Even VRE doesn't run south of Fredericksburg.

If you intend to go from Washington National to Richmond, Virginia, your best bet, I think, is to take the Metro Blue (or Yellow) line to King Street station, walk over to the Alexandria Amtrak station, and take Amtrak to Richmond.

Boy, I'm telling everyone to go to Alexandria this week. It is a nice little station, though.

 

[Eric S]

As I mentioned some days ago, I will be accompanying my father to Virginia to see my late mother's relatives.

We are arriving at Wash Nat'l and will go to Richmond by train. I tried to convince my father to take Amtrak, but he's pretty much settled on the Metro because it runs every hour. :wink: I'm not clear on how we will be coming back yet.

Would there be anybody here that have had experience with the trip from the Wash Nat'l airport to Richmond?

Also do plan to go by the Pentegon to pay my respects at the memorial. The memorial is open without appointment correct?

I'm a little confused. What are you trying to decide between Amtrak and Metro (and by "Metro" I assume you are referring to the Washington-area Metrorail rapid transit system)?

 

[Ashland Train Enthusiast]

As I mentioned some days ago, I will be accompanying my father to Virginia to see my late mother's relatives.

We are arriving at Wash Nat'l and will go to Richmond by train. I tried to convince my father to take Amtrak, but he's pretty much settled on the Metro because it runs every hour. :wink: I'm not clear on how we will be coming back yet.

Would there be anybody here that have had experience with the trip from the Wash Nat'l airport to Richmond?

Also do plan to go by the Pentegon to pay my respects at the memorial. The memorial is open without appointment correct?

I'd like to echo the other poster's confusion here over what your father means when he says Metro. That aside, I've taken the train from both WAS and ALX to RVR before, and it's been a pleasant enough experience. I can't say for the new regional service, but when I would go down previously, on the Carolinian or Palmetto, I found that the journey was short enough that there usually weren't any delays.

The Pentagon memorial is open 24/7 for public viewing, and they have staff on hand for certain hours during the week for further assistance. You can get the full details about the memorial here: http://www.whs.mil/memorial/

~ DCTE

 

[DesertRat]

Hm. This is what my father says. He promised he would get the trip details to me today so I should see what he's talking about then. He's been out East several times and insists one can get a Metro from Wash National to Richmond. I dunno. This concerns me of course. Want to get to Richmond without incident after all.

Thanks for the info on the Pentagon memorial. :smile:

 

[Guest]

Your father is wrong. The only way to get there by train is via Amtrak.

 

[Eric S]

Hm. This is what my father says. He promised he would get the trip details to me today so I should see what he's talking about then. He's been out East several times and insists one can get a Metro from Wash National to Richmond. I dunno. This concerns me of course. Want to get to Richmond without incident after all.

Thanks for the info on the Pentagon memorial. :smile:

Nope, no Metro (WMATA Metrorail) service, nor Virginia Railway Express service, from Washington Reagan National Airport to Richmond. Just Amtrak service from either Washington or Alexandria to Richmond. Check wmata.com (Metro's website) for yourself to confirm.

 

[rrdude]

Hm. This is what my father says. He promised he would get the trip details to me today so I should see what he's talking about then. He's been out East several times and insists one can get a Metro from Wash National to Richmond. I dunno. This concerns me of course. Want to get to Richmond without incident after all.

Thanks for the info on the Pentagon memorial. :smile:

Me too thinks your dad's memory on this topic is in error. IF you are talking about Richmond (the city) in Virginia, Amtrak is you only rail alternative, check out this map of the DC Metro.

Virginia Railway Express, (VRE) can only get you as far as Fredericksburg, VA.

 

[DesertRat]

Alrighty. Our flight gets into wash IAD. Looking up the trains, it looks like we would go to the Union station, yes? Yeah, the agent confused my dad by saying our trains were done. Don't see any on the ininerary.

 

[afigg]

Alrighty. Our flight gets into wash IAD. Looking up the trains, it looks like we would go to the Union station, yes? Yeah, the agent confused my dad by saying our trains were done. Don't see any on the ininerary.

IAD is Washington Dulles Airport which is 20 miles outside of DC. Washington Metro won't not be running to Dulles Airport until 2015 (or 2016). Are you sure the airport code is IAD, not DCA, which is the code for Reagan Washington National Airport which is on the Potomac river and has a Metro stop?

How are you and your father planning to get into DC, if you are flying into Dulles? There is a Washington Flyer bus that runs from Dulles to the West Falls Church Metro station on the Orange line. If you are then headed to Richmond, the only train service from DC to Richmond is via Amtrak. But most Amtrak trains only stop at the Staples Road station which on the outskirts of Richmond. Is someone picking you up there? I sure hope you and your father have your travel plans figured out.

 

[DesertRat]

We are flying Vegas-Atlanta- IAD and back the same way. We have relatives in Richmond so there's no problem with meeting someone there. As I said before, these are the arrangements my father made through someone else - Expedia as it turns out.

Very well. So we are actually going to Dulles. Thanks for catching this for us. Now figuring out the trains as I promised my father. What is the nearest train station to IAD? Bus to the Falls Church Metro then to the WAS Union Station?

 

[DesertRat]

Really would like to know if the Union Station is the one I need.

 

[Trogdor]

Union Station has the best facilities for a waiting passenger, especially if you've got a couple of hours to wait before your train boards.

One suggestion is to plot two routes. Book your ticket from Union Station, and if your flight is late and you're running short on time, look at using Alexandria as an alternate boarding location, one stop down line.

 

[rrdude]

Really would like to know if the Union Station is the one I need.

Try to get to Union Station in DC, it should be EZ from Dulles. Union Station is like a little mini-city itself, shops, restaurants, places to wait, step outside, view the Capitol, yada, yada, yada....

 

[Ryan]

Union Station is probably your best bet.

IAD to Richmond (or anywhere, really) is a pain in the @$$. Much better to fly into DCA or BWI if you're using transit.

 

[afigg]

Very well. So we are actually going to Dulles. Thanks for catching this for us. Now figuring out the trains as I promised my father. What is the nearest train station to IAD? Bus to the Falls Church Metro then to the WAS Union Station?

If you are taking Amtrak south to Richmond, there are 2 alternative stations you could travel to on Washington Metro. Which one makes sense for you depends on whether you want to see Union station, something of DC, and your schedule in terms of flight arrival at IAD and which train you are taking to Richmond.

First, take a Washington Flyer bus to West Falls Church Metro station on the Orange line. Bus leaves every 1/2 hour or so, takes 25 minutes to get to West Falls Church. See http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/809.htm.

Alternate 1 via Union Station: Orange Line metro train (westbound towards New Carrolton) to Metro Center, switch to Red Line (heading towards Glenmont) for a short run to Union Station. Figure on 30 to 45 minutes for the Metro travel, depending on time of day and connections. Then take a Amtrak train from WAS to Richmond.

Alternate 2 to Alexandria station which is the shorter and faster route: Orange Line metro train (westbound) to Rosslyn, then switch to a Blue Line train south to King Street station. The Amtrak Alexandria station is next to the Metro station, but a seperate facility. You have to exit King street station, walk under the tracks to get to the nice, but small Alexandria station. All Amtrak trains heading to Richmond stop at the Alexandria station which is around 15-20 minutes Amtrak travel time from Union station.

 

[DesertRat]

erargh.. That's a lot of steps. My father is not in the best of health. My nephew might handle it better.

Rental might be an option if not for my not knowing the area. And the lure of a trainride too...

 

[rrdude]

Staples Mills Rd.

erargh.. That's a lot of steps. My father is not in the best of health. My nephew might handle it better.

Rental might be an option if not for my not knowing the area. And the lure of a trainride too...

Make it simple on you and dad. Get a shuttle from IAD (Dulles) directly to Union Station. Leave directly from Union Station, to Richmond, VA. There are several trains that will get you there. There ARE TWO STATIONS in Richmond, the old one downtown, and the newer one, just outside. (Staples Mills Road.) The schedule below shows all departures to Staples Mills Road station:

erargh.. That's a lot of steps. My father is not in the best of health. My nephew might handle it better.

Rental might be an option if not for my not knowing the area. And the lure of a trainride too...

Make it simple on you and dad. Get a shuttle from IAD (Dulles) directly to Union Station. Leave directly from Union Station, to Richmond, VA. There are several trains that will get you there. There ARE TWO STATIONS in Richmond, the old one downtown, and the newer one, just outside. (Staples Mills Road.) The schedule below shows all departures to Staples Mills Road station:

erargh.. That's a lot of steps. My father is not in the best of health. My nephew might handle it better.

Rental might be an option if not for my not knowing the area. And the lure of a trainride too...

Make it simple on you and dad. Get a shuttle from IAD (Dulles) directly to Union Station. Leave directly from Union Station, to Richmond, VA. There are several trains that will get you there. There ARE TWO STATIONS in Richmond, the old one downtown, and the newer one, just outside. (Staples Mills Road.) The schedule below shows all departures to Staples Mills Road station:

•  
  
• Thu 7:30 am Thu 9:38 am Direct 2 hr, 08 min Northeast Regional 67
  
• Thu 9:55 am Thu 11:50 am Direct 1 hr, 55 min Palmetto 89
  
• Thu 10:55 am Thu 1:02 pm Direct 2 hr, 07 min Carolinian 79
  
• Thu 2:30 pm Thu 4:40 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Northeast Regional 95
  
• Thu 3:00 pm Thu 5:09 pm Direct 2 hr, 09 min Silver Star 91
  
• Thu 3:55 pm Thu 6:25 pm Direct 2 hr, 30 min Northeast Regional 125
  
• Thu 5:50 pm Thu 8:07 pm Direct 2 hr, 17 min Northeast Regional 93
  
• Thu 7:00 pm Thu 9:10 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Northeast Regional 85
  
• Thu 7:30 pm Thu 9:40 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Silver Meteor 97
   
  

 

[Ryan]

Honestly, the rental would be stupid easy. Get on the highway at the airport, 495 south to 95 south and boom, you're in Richmond.

I love train rides too, but I'd drive if it were me.

 

[Big Iron]

If Richmond is your final destination then why not fly from Vegas to Dallas onto Richmond on American Airlines?

 

[DesertRat]

Make it simple on you and dad. Get a shuttle from IAD (Dulles) directly to Union Station. Leave directly from Union Station, to Richmond, VA. There are several trains that will get you there. There ARE TWO STATIONS in Richmond, the old one downtown, and the newer one, just outside. (Staples Mills Road.) The schedule below shows all departures to Staples Mills Road station:

•  
  
• Thu 7:30 am Thu 9:38 am Direct 2 hr, 08 min Northeast Regional 67
  
• Thu 9:55 am Thu 11:50 am Direct 1 hr, 55 min Palmetto 89
  
• Thu 10:55 am Thu 1:02 pm Direct 2 hr, 07 min Carolinian 79
  
• Thu 2:30 pm Thu 4:40 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Northeast Regional 95
  
• Thu 3:00 pm Thu 5:09 pm Direct 2 hr, 09 min Silver Star 91
  
• Thu 3:55 pm Thu 6:25 pm Direct 2 hr, 30 min Northeast Regional 125
  
• Thu 5:50 pm Thu 8:07 pm Direct 2 hr, 17 min Northeast Regional 93
  
• Thu 7:00 pm Thu 9:10 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Northeast Regional 85
  
• Thu 7:30 pm Thu 9:40 pm Direct 2 hr, 10 min Silver Meteor 97
   
  

LOL. Thanks....dude.

 

[DesertRat]

If Richmond is your final destination then why not fly from Vegas to Dallas onto Richmond on American Airlines?

My father did the arrangements, I did not. At least I convinced him to take a train. This way we don't have to worry about driving. With a rental I'd be the only one driving and I'm not too thrilled with that idea.

 

[GaSteve]

If Richmond is your final destination then why not fly from Vegas to Dallas onto Richmond on American Airlines?

My father did the arrangements, I did not. At least I convinced him to take a train. This way we don't have to worry about driving. With a rental I'd be the only one driving and I'm not too thrilled with that idea.

I'm glad your father is not my travel agent. :giggle:

 

[DesertRat]

What can I say, I love my father.

 

[Guest]

A wonderful comment! Lots of us would like to have our father around to ride trains with!