Metro Ridership Increases in Tysons

Metro ridership in Tysons has been increasing, bucking the transit system’s overall downward trend.

According to a recent county report, from April 2017-2018 ridership increased across Tysons stations by eight percent, from 7,142 to 7,723 riders per weekday.

According to the report, the most active Metrorail station within Tysons is Tysons Corner, which averages over 3,400 passengers per day (total entries) on weekdays and over 2,500 for Saturdays, exceeding the ridership at the other three stations.

The only station to show a decrease in ridership has been the Spring Hill station, which declined from 1,220 riders to 1,188, a three percent decrease.

The same report also showed that morning and evening peak period traffic to and from Tysons in single-occupancy vehicles had decreased after years of mostly trending upward. Morning trips for single-occupancy vehicles decreased over the last year from 106,389 to 99,472, while evening trips decreased from 108,604 to 104,596.

Professor Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said the two numbers are likely rooted in traffic and tolling along I-66.

“I think the uptick reflects how terrible I-66 traffic is — and, increasingly, how expensive it is,” said Shafroth. “I know when I go out to Tysons, I do not even think of driving, even though it is almost a straight shot, when I can, instead, relax, read, and prep for whatever meeting I am headed to.”

Graph via Fairfax County