Observer Online | Viewpoints

Posted Aug. 16, 2002

Tom Grein

Dulles Rail Will Change Lives

The Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project, better known as Rail to Dulles, is picking up passengers and backers faster than a speeding locomotive. Almost everyone is jumping on the platform to wave in Rail to Dulles by 2010, "or sooner," as some are promoting.

But, whoa there, Nellie, not so fast, perhaps.

Rail to Dulles may not be the solution to all our transportation problems. Indeed, it may increase them. We'll still have to drive our cars to catch a train in Reston, Herndon or Sterling. Those stations will not be within walking distance for most of us, and the Metro parking lots, like the one at Monroe Street, will fill up quicker than the Toll Road at 7 a.m.

The Kiss and Ride lane will be busier than Lover's Lane at dusk.

Rail to Dulles could increase traffic in this area, as mixed use development is built at every stop along the way and in between. It's a good bet that everyone will not be using rail to get to those buildings, and as always, the more people in the Dulles Corridor, the more development and the more traffic.

Rail to Dulles is a developer's dream and an educator's nightmare. The Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce, like other chambers and organizations, of course, wants more development in this area. It's the mission of the organization. Develop every square inch of the Dulles Corridor. It's good for you.

More development means more homes and more people and more children and a greater need for schools. Where will that money come from? Increased taxes? Where else?

It doesn't make much sense to extend Rail to Dulles if all you want is more development. Rail will encourage more people to travel to this area during the day as more business are built along the way. Is that good or bad?

Here are just some of the organizations in this area which are supporting Rail to Dulles:

AAA Mid-Atlantic, American Lung Association of DC, American Lung Association of Virginia, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Committee for Dulles, Dulles Area Transportation Association, Dulles Corridor Rail Association, Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce, LEADER (The Landowners Economic Alliance for the Dulles Extension of Rail), LINK, National Wildlife Federation, Reston Association, Reston Citizens Association, Reston Interfaith, Sierra Club, The Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Washington Airports Task Force.

But don't forget who will be paying the lion's share of the fare: The drivers who will be using the Dulles Toll Road. Poor them.

So saying all of that, the benefits of rail out this way are enormous. For one thing, it does much to clean up the air, and gives many of us a quick and easy way to get into the District. Taking the train from Reston or Herndon to Tysons, however, may be another matter. You can still get from here to there for 50 cents, much cheaper than a train fare, and probably much quicker.

But for those working in the District, Maryland, Arlington or Alexandria, the train will be a blessing.

Metro rail will surely put a final end to "old" Reston and Herndon, but that may not be such a bad idea. As much as some people would like others to believe that Western Fairfax is still the idyllic farmland of years ago, one look around here and you can see that cows long ago have been replaced by motels, barns have been turned into miles and miles of faceless office buildings, and small, affordable homes have been turned into crowded, expensive townhomes and condos. And it's not over yet.

But our turn has come, and we might as well join the madding crowd. So sit back, residents of Reston, Herndon and Sterling, and enjoy the ride.

Just don't get railroaded into thinking that things will be the same. The future is here, and it looks like a train.

And that's Our Town this week.