Franconia-Springfield Station - DC Metro
Blue Line - station in Springfield, VA.
About Franconia-Springfield station
The southern end of the Blue Line, Franconia-Springfield is built around one purpose: getting people from the outer Virginia suburbs onto a train. Its parking structure holds several thousand vehicles, easily among the largest on the DC Metro, and the station also connects to Virginia Railway Express commuter rail, which shares the site. Everything about the layout is designed for the transfer from car or bus to train – bus bays, kiss-and-ride loops, and a long walkway to the platform. There is essentially nothing to see here as a visitor, and the station makes no attempt to be anything other than a highly efficient park-and-ride at the edge of the network.
The area around Franconia-Springfield
The Springfield and Franconia area of Fairfax County: suburban subdivisions, highway interchanges where the Beltway meets I-95, and a regional shopping center about a mile away. It is car-oriented country, and the station exists to intercept those cars. Riders are almost entirely commuters heading into Arlington and Washington on weekday mornings.
What is near Franconia-Springfield station?
VRE commuter rail platform sharing the site, offering peak-period service south toward Fredericksburg.
3 min walkLarge enclosed regional shopping mall about a mile from the station, easier reached by bus than on foot.
20 min walkSuburban Fairfax County subdivisions surrounding the station, the source of most of its weekday ridership.
10 min walkFirst and last trains at Franconia-Springfield
Departure times by direction. Which way you are traveling matters – the last train toward one terminal can be an hour before the last train the other way.
| Day | Toward | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-Thu | Downtown Largo | 5:02 am | 11:25 pm |
| Fri | Downtown Largo | 5:02 am | 1:25 am |
| Sat | Downtown Largo | 6:00 am | 1:26 am |
| Sun | Downtown Largo | 6:02 am | 11:25 pm |
Travel times and fares from Franconia-Springfield
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 35 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 36 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 33 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Union Station | 45 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 38 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 18 min | $5.40 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 79 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Pentagon | 23 min | $5.95 | $2.50 |
| Downtown Largo | 62 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Franconia-Springfield
Franconia-Springfield is served by the Blue Line only.
Parking at Franconia-Springfield
Tips for using Franconia-Springfield
- The parking garage is enormous but still fills on weekday mornings – note your level and row, because the structure is easy to get lost in.
- This is the Blue Line terminus, so every train here is heading north; there is no wrong-direction risk at the platform.
- If you are commuting from further south in Virginia, compare the VRE service that shares this site with driving all the way in.
Franconia-Springfield station FAQ
Several thousand spaces, making it one of the largest park-and-ride facilities on the DC Metro. Even so, the garage can fill on weekday mornings. Check wmata.com for current availability, rates, and any reserved-space rules before you drive out.
Yes. VRE shares the site with the Metro station, so you can transfer between Blue Line trains and VRE commuter rail heading south toward Fredericksburg. Note that VRE runs a peak-weekday schedule and does not operate like Metro; check the VRE website for its schedule.
Yes, it is the southern terminus. All trains from this platform run north through Van Dorn Street and King St-Old Town toward Arlington and downtown Washington. There is no onward Metro service beyond this point.
It is possible but not pleasant – the mall is around a mile away across a highway-dominated landscape with limited sidewalks. Most people use the bus connections at the station rather than walking.