One million passengers have used the Washington Dulles International Metro Station to get to the airport since the station opened last November, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
The authority and Metro greeted Ivy Cheng, a woman they designated as the one millionth passenger and her traveling companion Chao Pen, at the station with cheers and gifts. Cheng had returned on an international flight from Japan and was taking the Silver Line back home from the airport. She received a Metro card, a spending card for the airport, and a pass to the United Airlines lounge for a year.
“Today’s celebration is a testament to the success of the Dulles Airport station, which is the most popular station on the Silver Line extension,” said Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Airports Authority, in a news release.
“As we surpass the milestone of one million customers, we are grateful for the benefits of Silver Line service for airport customers, employees and airline business development opportunities, as well as all the transportation, business and environmental benefits it brings to our region,” he said.
Extending rail service to Dulles along the Silver Line took decades to come to fruition.
The airports authority said the six Silver Line stations have had total ridership of 3 million, with a third of those riders coming to the airport. It said that on a typical weekday nearly 5,000 people pass through the Dulles International Airport Metro station, and more than 4,000 a day on average during the weekend. The authority said without Metro that 70 percent of customers surveyed would have driven to Dulles.
“The Silver Line extension has provided new opportunities for Dulles Airport, Loudoun County, and residents from around the region,” said Metro Board Member and Loudoun County Supervisor Matt Letourneau, in a statement. “I am excited that over 1 million riders have taken advantage of our service to Dulles in less than a year, and I know that the Silver Line will continue to attract more customers as transit-oriented development continues in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.”
More than 23 million travelers use Dulles International Airport annually, and with the addition of more flights, the airport has been became the fastest-growing U.S. airport for international flight activity. Four new airlines — Play, Norse Atlantic Airways, ITA, and WestJet — launched nonstop flights in 2023 from Dulles International Airport. Metro’s Silver Line to Ashburn will mark one year of service on November 15.
Feature image courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Seen from left to right: William Sudow, Airports Authority board chair; Henry Bird, United managing director; Randy Clarke, Metro general manager and CEO; Ivy Cheng; Chao Pen; Matt Letourneau, Metro board of directors; Jack Potter, Airports Authority president and CEO; Kate Hanley, Airports Authority board of directors.
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