Transit in Arlington
Transit and walkability go hand in hand. Providing high quality public transit services is one of the keys to making Arlington a truly walkable community, since convenient transit means that residents and visitors are not so dependent on their cars. At the same time, a walkable Arlington is necessary for the success of public transit, since most transit journeys include a walk at one or both ends.
Arlington County provides and supports transit in a number of ways. Arlington is a part of WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), the regional transit agency that provides Metrorail and Metrobus services. Arlington also has its own smaller Arlington Transit bus system. The northern Virginia commuter rail system, Virginia Railway Express, has a busy station in Arlington at Crystal City.
Complete information on transit in Arlington and the region is available through CommuterPage.com, Arlington's award-winning Web site.
Information about the County's recent transit studies is also available on this website.
Metrorail
As the suburb closest to downtown Washington, Arlington is well-served by Mertrorail. There are 11 Metrorail stations in Arlington, and three of the five regional Metrorail lines run through the County. Only one of the Arlington stations has a park-and-ride lot, so most riders walk to and from Arlington's Metrorail stations. At Crystal City, Pentagon City and in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the presence of Metrorail has allowed Arlington to plan and develop dense, walkable mixed-use urban neighborhoods.
Metrorail Map
RideGuide
Metrorail Stations in Arlington: Rosslyn, Court House, Clarendon, Virginia Square-GMU, Ballston-MU, East Falls Church, Arlington Cemetery, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Crystal City, National Airport.
Bus
Metrobus
Arlington County is criss-crossed by Metrobus routes running on most major streets and many minor streets. The buses serve local trips as well as regional travel. One corridor, Columbia Pike, has the busiest local bus line in Virginia. The Columbia Pike bus service was recently restructured under the name "Pike Ride," with more frequent buses and additional connections to Metrorail stations.
Metrobus routes in Arlington
Arlington Transit
In recent years, Arlington has been building its own local bus system, known as Arlington Transit or ART. ART mostly serves the local neighborhoods. It uses smaller buses than Metro, buses that are more compatible with the walking environment and scale of Arlington's residential neighborhoods.
ART routes