Innovation Center Station - DC Metro
Silver Line - station in Herndon, VA.
About Innovation Center station
Innovation Center is among the newest stations on the DC Metro, opened with the western extension of the Silver Line through the Dulles corridor. The name comes from the technology and research development in this part of Fairfax County rather than from any existing town center, and that tells you most of what you need to know: this is a station built ahead of the district it is meant to serve. It has a large parking garage, bus connections, and a station in the highway median linked by pedestrian bridges. For now it works chiefly as a park-and-ride for commuters in the Herndon and Dulles area, with development slowly filling in around it.
The area around Innovation Center
The western Dulles corridor: office and research campuses, wide roads, and large tracts of land at various stages of development. Some new residential and mixed-use construction has appeared near the station, but the area does not yet have a walkable center. Riders are overwhelmingly weekday commuters, plus some airport-bound travelers using the parking.
What is near Innovation Center station?
Technology and government contractor offices lining Sunrise Valley Drive in the immediate area around the station.
8 min walkApartment and retail construction going up around the station as the area is built out around the Silver Line.
5 min walkThe nearest established town center, with restaurants and shops, several miles from the station and not walkable.
45 min walkFirst and last trains at Innovation Center
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 | Ashburn | 5:38 am | 1:02 am |
| Mon-Thu | Downtown Largo | 5:04 am | 11:19 pm |
| Mon-Thu | New Carrollton | 5:28 am | 11:10 pm |
| Fri | Ashburn | 5:38 am | 3:02 am |
| Fri | Downtown Largo | 5:04 am | 1:19 am |
| Fri | New Carrollton | 5:28 am | 1:10 am |
| Sat | Ashburn | 6:38 am | 3:02 am |
| Sat | Downtown Largo | 6:13 am | 1:18 am |
| Sat | New Carrollton | 6:05 am | 1:05 am |
| Sun | Ashburn | 6:38 am | 12:58 am |
| Sun | Downtown Largo | 6:13 am | 11:19 pm |
| Sun | New Carrollton | 6:04 am | 11:05 pm |
Travel times and fares from Innovation Center
| To | Time | Weekday to 9:30pm | Late night & weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Center | 49 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Gallery Pl-Chinatown | 56 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| L'Enfant Plaza | 54 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Union Station | 60 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Smithsonian | 52 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 57 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Washington Dulles International Airport | 4 min | $2.25 | $2.25 |
| Pentagon | 52 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Downtown Largo | 78 min | $6.75 | $2.50 |
| Ashburn | 14 min | $3.60 | $2.50 |
Travel times and fares published by WMATA. Fares valid July 2026.
Changing lines at Innovation Center
Innovation Center is served by the Silver Line only.
Parking at Innovation Center
Tips for using Innovation Center
- This is a park-and-ride station in a highway median – the walk from the garage to the platform uses a pedestrian bridge, so allow a couple of extra minutes.
- For Dulles International Airport, stay on the westbound train; the airport has its own Silver Line station a short ride further on.
- There is very little around the station on foot, so plan connections before arriving rather than expecting to find services nearby.
Innovation Center station FAQ
It is on the same line and only a short ride away, but it is not the airport station. Washington Dulles International Airport has its own Silver Line station further west, with a covered walkway to the main terminal. Do not get off at Innovation Center for a flight.
Primarily a parking garage, bus bays, and pedestrian bridges over the highway to the platform. The surrounding area is office and research development in the Dulles corridor, with newer construction gradually filling in. It is a commuter facility, not a destination.
Around two thousand spaces in the station garage. Because Innovation Center sits toward the western end of the system in a low-density area, parking is generally easier to find here than at stations closer to Washington. Check wmata.com for current daily rates and availability.
The Silver Line only. Trains run west toward Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway, and the Ashburn terminus, and east through Herndon, Reston, and Tysons before continuing into Arlington and downtown Washington. No other line serves this station.