Dear reader, Franconia Springfield Metro may not be the flashiest station in the system, but it is absolutely one of the better ones to use. It is spacious, easy to navigate, and generally feels far less chaotic than some of the other stations in the area, which is a blessing in itself. Whether you are commuting regularly or just heading into the city for the day, the whole setup makes getting around feel simple and efficient. One of its best qualities is how practical it is. There is plenty of parking, it is easy to access, and it connects well for people coming from different directions, which makes the whole experience feel very civilized by Metro standards. The station also usually feels clean and well maintained, and overall it is just a reliable place to start or end your trip. No great drama here, just a station that does exactly what it needs to do and does it well. In my book, that earns high marks. read more

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station - Train platform - Metro Stations Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Franconia-Springfield Metro station is the last stop on the blue line. There is pay for parking during the weekdays and free on the weekends. Metro is very efficient, clean and easy to use. read more

See all

I used to park my car here sometimes and take the Metro into DC if traffic was too heavy. The garage is spacious and well-lit. I always felt comfortable leaving my car here for several hours at a time. The walk from the parking garage to the train station isn't too bad. Lots of ticketing machines are available. There's always plenty of Metro cops around to keep things moving smoothly. I like this station because it is very clean. Some of the ones in DC are disgusting. read more

Love Ms.Howard at Franconia. Best service, she was very clear and helpful. Ms.Howard if you see this, you are the best! I don't ride the metro often, but it was super easy with instructions and clarifications from such a personable person. read more

End of the line station. The parking is plentiful and free on the weekends. The area seemed safe enough and well lit. I'd recommend starting over Huntington. read more

I had the misfortune to utilize this station..The station manager (Ms Turner) was rude and condescending..A totally unexpected response for a metro employee... I'm a stage 3 disabled veteran who takes a vast amount of meds...The side effect is constant trips to the bathroom..Ms Turner would not allow me to use the existing bathroom ( read more

Shout out to Mr. McCallister for helping a clueless rider. Maybe it was because I had kids with me and they are dependent on an adult or maybe its because he is awesome at customer service. Either way when I was dropped off at the station my first time anxiety was at a level 100. I read everything and despite it being clear was still apprehensive about the purchase. I told him where I wanted to go and even added in the activities for the following day so I wouldn't be clueless. We added the funds onto the card and I was off. Clarification made before I left that the train waiting for me below was the right one and i couldnt mess it up! The whole check-in process went smoothly. I even knew I probably wanted the forward facing seats to avoid any potential motion sickness. The ride was entertaining between the sights and people watching. Arrival at our destination was fairly quick. Each stop in between is very quick and efficient. We got off and were herded to the exit. There is no question which way it is with the majority of people going in the same direction. You swipe your card again which had me confused but, ok whatever. All you can do is go with the flow. I like how your just spit out the escalator in the middle of anywhere. On the return trip I did have to ask which metro was mine. It has the color on the front! The ride home was uneventful. I wondered if I had to swipe again and I did. I did the metro with kids and it wasn't that bad. I only had to take one line but, today is 2 lines! I'm thankful it went so smoothly on my first trip, one line helped as well Im sure. If I make it today with 2 kids multiple lines I will be more confident in my DC traveling and thus be on my way to a ...... real tourist! read more

See all

I decided I wanted to give this location a try for a couple of reasons: 1) During rush hours the Yellow line runs trains to & from here (over the Potomac instead of under) 2) Having been an Orange line regular I always wondered about the Blue line trains and how few passengers they had in comparison to the Orange and, to be honest, was a little jealous 3) I live between Dunn Loring/Merrifield & Franconia/Springfield (a little closer to the first) What I really like about this station is how if just feels more relaxed. There is no pushing and people are not running for the seats. The Yellow line ride from here to the Archives is almost enjoyable. I have a signal for a lot more of the ride (one of the advantages of over the Potomac opposed to under -- it is also easier on the ears and a more enjoyable review). My one issue with this location is the parking garage, or more specifically trying to exit said garage. The garage is large, the exit area does not seem able to accommodate the individuals attempting to head home. I am not sure if it is the short left turn light or the short merge area but after a relatively relaxing commute to the station my attempt to drive out have been stressful. read more

I've been coming and going to and from this metro station for over ten years. It's always been the same to me. They did some rennovations at the station about a year ago, but I haven't been able to see any major change. I can tell you that this station seems to be more organized and cleaner than some of the other stations in this system. They have a Connector bus store which I haven't seen at other a tations. And I also like the fact that there is a secure parking garage attached to the station. You don't actually need to walk outside to get to it. read more

What a wonderful experience. Took train into DC to see museums before the shutdown. The paying system was difficult to understand for an out of towner. The station master saw our confusion and came to our rescue. Thirty eight dollars for two return trip to the Capital Mall (Smithsonian) station. Reasonable considering the drive on the freeway, finding a place to park.... The train was clean and warm. Fun people watching and seeing the sights between Springfield and DC. Did another trip into DC three days again and was just as pleased. read more

Very busy to go to work and back home everybody is happy to go in the train station to go everywhere

I normally wouldn't review something like a Metro Station, but I wanted to clarify some things for people who are interested in potentially driving here from the south, parking here, and catching a Metro to DC. First of all (and probably noticeable from the 4 star review), it's a good station to do that! Pros: ------ + Parking on the weekend is free. + There are literally 5,000+ parking spaces. We came here the weekend of Peak Bloom for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and there were hundreds, if not thousands, of spaces still available. Might be busier during main work rushes, not sure. + The station as a whole seemed pretty clean. + There are about 10 fare card machines and 2 SmarTrip machines. Might not seem important, but when there are 900 people waiting in line, you'll appreciate multiple lines. + You can't go the wrong direction on the Blue line Metro. Franconia-Springfield is literally the end of the Blue line, and every train you'll catch goes in the right direction. You can't mess this up. Cons: ------- - The SmarTrip card lanes aren't labeled, and are all the way at the end. We waited in a normal Fare card line for about 20 minutes after decidedly wanting a SmarTrip card for convenience and reusability and didn't realize you couldn't buy SmarTrip cards in every lane. It'd be so easy to label the two lanes on the wall. This shouldn't be an issue during a normal day, but on days like the Cherry Blossom Festival it would have saved some time. - The layout is a little unclear with all of the parking decks. There are some signs but if you end up wandering the parking garage it might be confusing. We saw the sign right away, but I can agree with people who mention getting lost in the parking garage. For those who are concerned about safety and are leaving at the wee hours of the night, it seems like there was adequate lighting, but just in case, I'd park on the 3rd floor (that's where the bridge to the actual boarding location is) and bring a buddy if you have one. I would probably be comfortable doing it alone, and I'm a wuss, but I could see where a 5,000 capacity car garage might be a little spooky at night. Overall: ---------- Franconia-Springfield station worked great for us. I absolutely love riding Metros (I rode the hell out of them when I lived in Tokyo, Japan!), and the DC Metro Blue Line is pretty good. We live in Richmond and drove here in the morning, rode to DC, rode back from DC in the evening, and left this station as it was starting to get a little dark, and everything went swimmingly. read more

In looking for information on weekday rush hour parking for this metro station, I wasn't able to find much so had to take a chance using 2 year old information and hope it worked out (it did). From time to time, I have to go into DC for a meeting or professional conference. Living in Manassas, I tend to choose either VRE or drive non-HOV. Either way, in rush hour, it's 2-2.5 hours each way (495 Express Lanes were not an option either). Since I needed the Blue Line, I decided to try driving to the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station and taking the Blue Line in to DC. I went on a Tuesday morning, I arrived at 7:30 am (it took 75 minutes from Old Town Manassas taking back roads) and there were plenty of parking spaces left at that time. I parked in 4H and there was plenty of parking left above me. I waited about 5 minutes for a Blue Line train and got the last seat in my car. I returned to the Franconia-Springfield station at 5 p.m. It was still light out and a fair number of people going to their cars or getting on the metro that I had no concerns about safety. Overall, the most pleasant trip into DC during rush hour in 21 years. This may be my new go-to route. read more

I been here many of time. I like this location because it safe, easy get in and out of metro, bus is line up for pickup, and Greyhound bus stop that this location. ***STATION: Very clean, well lighted, commuter sale store here and smart card machine in station to buy. Easy to go in and out of parking greage, cab station incrusted. also it the end of the line and hope it will have more station in the future. ***LOCATION: location is great it near Springfield shopping mall that under contrition, Walmart, Hotel & Motels. Easy to get in and out at any time. Down side that Amtrak dues not stop here, But commuter train VRE dues. ---CUSTOMER SERVICE: During metro hours there a Station Manager on duty. Friendly, helpful, ready to answer any question. Also with the store and sales. ---TRAINS: Metro subway train are great. Clean a lot of cars on each train trip. away a train ready to pull in. And some time go out of service. Weekend I could get mad but it the weekends. Sometime you have to wait for 10-15 minutes for the next train. Or if the track work happen at this station up to the next station they my have to bus both-way. At less it doesn't happen to close together. I hope it help if you need information call 202-637-7000 or http://www.wmata.com or http://www.metroopendoors.com read more

I am fortunate to have access to such a great station in my vicinity that sits on the end of the blue line. It's clean, spacious, has a relaxed aura, houses both normal busses and special busses (for communities, hotels, etc) and the best part is it's always improving. Riders can take the Blue or Yellow line (Yellow is rush only) from here and they both have identical stops all the way until Pentagon. It's so relieving to ALWAYS be the first group of people to board the empty trains, huge plus. Fare card machines hardly malfunction and the parking garage is also being renovated. Traveling from here will ease your journey. Improvements are already visible, this station's bus stand has gone through a major upgrade. Aesthetically compelling but will also help to de-congest buss pickup and drop off. Project info - http://planitmetro.com/2013/08/06/tiger-builds-momentum-for-metro-2025/ . read more

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station - Bus stops - Metro Stations Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

See all

Springfield Metro station is not closed. Dunno why it's marked as closed. View my other review. Metro is decent. parking lot sucks. unsafe metro station. read more

Man, I've been here so many times it's hard to keep track. The end of the blue line, this clunky-named station is a travel hub for commuters and tourists alike. It houses the Greyhound station, many DC/VA bus stations, a huge parking garage, and a very big structure in general. Half the station is indoors while the other half is outdoors. It makes for a great open air feeling without necessarily having to stand in the direct sun or under rain. The station is usually clean but pretty deserted on the weekends (especially when they are doing track maintenance). It also gets fairly packed during rush hour. A lot of people live in this area, drive to this station, and then begin their mass transportation commute. I commend every single one of them - but that certainly makes for a sizable commute! read more

I've been coming to this metro station ever since I can remember when they opened it! On this night, there appeared to be an intoxicated person in the station. He was riding his bike on the platform and screaming at the top of his lungs. He was also riding his bike within each car of the train, cursing and screaming obscenities. People who behave like this are similar to those on Fentanyl. The Station Manager wasn't busy as there were only a couple people purchasing tickets, and heading down to the platform. This occurred at 10pm on a Friday evening the first week of May. I can remember seeing less than 5 people standing on the platform. This Station Manager did absolutely nothing. My concern is that this individual was a safety threat not only to himself but perhaps other riders as well. read more

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station - Metro Stations Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

See all

Yes, this place is spacious. Also, yes, it feels more spacious than some other stations closer to the city. Yes, there are numerous parking spots in the garage, although I would recommend arriving there before 8:15 am if you want to park your car. Yes, it's near the Springfield Town Center and other shopping venues. Yes, it has dozens of bus stops. So, yes, it's convenient. Yes, despite other diverging opinions from other reviewers, the staff here are usually informative and willing to help out compared to other metro station staff in other locations. This metro station has undergone several types of construction recently, especially during the last couple of years. For those commuting to and from buses, there are dozens of local Fairfax Connector buses, a single PRTC line, and other bus lines and access to the VRE and Amtrak bus lines. Improved are the fairly new or enhanced bus pick-up areas (with more or new seating, lighted moving signs for next bus pickup/arrival, and much needed cover from the elements). The construction has much improved the aesthetics of the station front. The frequency of trains arriving and departing during the weekly morning and evening rush hours are very convenient AND frequent. I wish it was so during the weekends when it may take as much as 10 to 15 or even longer minutes between train departures. Like other metrorail stations in the whole WMATA system, it does still struggle with working escalators and elevators, consistent sanitation efforts (at the stations as well as in the trains), and sometimes with safety, although this particular location feels safe at night overall. It would be great if the metrotrain system have longer hours on weekends. Another thing. It would be so, so, so nice to have easy access to clean lavatories there. The bathroom at the bottom of the station are not always working and are locked, while the indoor bathroom in the station isn't convenient. The metrostation attendants inside the station if available will have a key to the door. Upon entering the room, it isn't very clean. read more

I'm not sure I'd ever be able to give a Metro station a full five stars, but the Springfield stop is about as good as it gets in my book. The employees here are friendly, there are LOTS of functioning ticket machines, the escalators are rarely broken and even when there are huge crowds (rush hour, special events, weekends, etc.) things typically go smoothly. The parking deck is huge, everything is clearly marked and the station is pretty clean. They also let you use the bathroom, which is a plus in my book, especially since it's the end of the line and that can sometimes mean an hour + on a metro car. read more

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station - New train! - Metro Stations Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Still under construction but always nice. Station managers are always helpful. You can catch Virginia railway express train from there also read more

See all

This is the closest Metro Station closest to my parent's house and I've traveled from here a few times. The staff have been really helpful in advising me about which passes to purchase and helped my dad save $6 be recommending the round-trip pass instead of the All-Day pass since we were only going to one location! I know this advice seems obvious, but I really appreciated it, because I didn't even know round-trip passes existed! I know, I need to get out more ;p read more

OK so we took about a 30 minute train ride to this location to meet family members. It was very busy I can tell you that but once you get off the train and go to where the pick up is it's pretty open so we were able to see our ride easily. Other than that just another train stop............ Average experience read more

Fun and Exciting way to see Virginia & D.C!! Convenient and Inexpensive. Clean train, people are friendly and Parking is easy and Covered. Great Way to get around without the Traffic.. read more

It seems most of these reviews are from people who INFREQUENTLY travel on the blue, well from someone who used it as a main mode of transportation for years to/from work, I can offer a real perspective. WMATA has decided to significantly reduce the number of blue line trains running from ~6 minutes during peak to ~12-16 minutes. This was to accommodate the Silver line. Speaking of which, now that Silver, Orange, and Blue all share the line once you reach into D.C., back-ups are ABOUND on a DAILY basis. They also added the rush plus Yellow line trains as a way to accommodate blue line riders working on that side of town, only it really serves to benefit folks who happen to work at any stop at the Pentagon or before or somewhere else along the Yellow line in D.C. From the half empty trains leaving the station in the mornings, I don't think too many people are benefitting from the rush plus Yellow. Another thing is that the station doesn't open enough turnstiles when the flow of people are exiting the station in the afternoons. So what you have is hundreds of people all trying to get out of 3 or 4 turnstiles, and of course this includes the idiots who try to skip other people, push pass you, those who have issues with their cards but won't step off the line, etc. SIMPLE FIX: OPEN MORE TURNSTILES, this is not rocket science, every other station does it! The most frustrating part, for me, is the line of homeless and/or beggars that line the walkway each morning and afternoon. There are about six of them that are out there DAILY, and two are fairly aggressive. One is a boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife team that is out there all the time but I have caught on more than on occasion on an iPhone. There is another lady that literally FOLLOWS you, practically TO YOUR CAR, with some long sob story in a language that isn't quite English. I don't know about you but after a long day of work or a stressful drive TO the metro, I have very little patience for this type of behavior. The parking situation is below average. The parking garage is not that well lit in places and I have often turned the corner to my car to find random men hanging out and smoking who literally look like they are just loitering. I have probably seen some dude on a little golf cart trolling around only a handful of times in YEARS and he looked like he was looking for parking violators NOT as if he was security. Because of all of this, I have stopped taking the train. I now take a bus to my job and the stress is SO much less. I don't have to deal with the weird smells of the train, the mentally unstable people, the crowds, the break downs and single tracking, increasing fares, increasing parking rates, and less service. GOOD BYE METRO! read more

The extra star is for the parking garage. It's has plenty of parking and it's free on the weekends. Free on weekdays too, but I believe it's after 1am. If you plan on going anywhere from this metro station, plan to add HOURS to your commute. I used to be able to get into the city in about an hour, but last time it took me 2+ hours to get anywhere near it and this was at 3pm in the afternoon. I understand the metro is being worked on and they are SafeTracking, but the time frames are unrealistic. For example, I waited 25 mins in a car before it even left the station. Another time, I switched trains THREE times before we took off. Plan accordingly especially if you are headed to DCA. read more

I'm reviewing as a daily commuter who drives to Franconia-Springfield metro, rides the metro into DC during rush hours and back. I agree with reviewer "Janelle D." and share many if not all of the feedback she provided. The Blue Line is the worst for many reasons including but not limited to: 1) it's rarely on time; don't bother filleting the metro trip planner schedule and gets your hope up. It comes when it comes. 2) it's slow and sometimes skips a turn altogether (see #1) 3) the signs at Franconia-Springfield metro are often incorrectly labeled or not labeled causing people to ride the train and not knowing if you are on blue or yellow line. Only to find out you got on the yellow by mistake (even though the station indicator reads blue line leaving in 2min) and there is only one train at that moment. 4) for the price that keeps on increasing, it's really a terrible experience. Dc metro in general needs to provide a better experience for its customers. It's a shame to have such below average experience in the nation's Capitol. 5) I can't even keep writing. Brb, too pissed off. read more

Lets start off with the good... The parking is pretty easy to get into and out of ... and that's about it. The way to get fares and passes is overly confusing to someone that does not use this daily, its just stupid to be that you have to add dollars and cents to fares just make them flat fees and make it easier for everyone's fking life to understand. Literally people were just standing there confused and unable to understand what to do or how the system worked. Not to mention the confusion once you get down to the trains of what line is what and what train goes where or that they call a train the blue line but it travels on the yellow lines route... I mean wtf dude! Who came up with this shit?! We are lucky we managed to get on the correct trains and not get lost in f%*kville or something. I had not used the metro in many years and it as just as confusing then, in retrospect next time I will just order some smart passes online so I dont have to deal with it next time. However the fact that you can get on a train that's called one color.. but travels on a route thats another color and then turns into red or green or amber is just stupid as all hell. read more

I don't want to give even 1 star! I'm traveling to dca from Franconia-Springfield. I relied on wmata trip planner and double checked the info prior to heading to the station. I paid for an uber to F-S, I loaded my fare card for the round trip, and the Train never showed up. i spoke with the station manager who said "maybe" the train will arrive in 15mins. I departed the station and arranged for an uber. Station manager also said the "trip planner" tool is unreliable. So now, I've paid for an uber to the metro station, paid round trip metro fare, and now paying again for a trip from the station to DCA. I relied on wmata rider tools. What the fuck else should I have done?? I hate metro. read more

I have been to this station more times than I can remember. I always go to this station whenever I go to D.C. because it it fast, cheap, and it keeps me from having to drive through the horrible DC traffic. I would recommend riding the metro if you plan on visiting DC as you won't have to spend half the day sitting in traffic and looking for a parking spot. The train tickets are decently priced ranging from $5.00 to $15.00 which if you are going to a further station, then it is worth the price. It's not a hign end train by any means, but it is a great way to get around DC for a day. so if you ever get the chance, I would highly take a ride on the DC metro. read more

Franconia-Springfield Metro Station - Metro blue line train. - Metro Stations Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Granted, this station is not as confusing as the others in the DMV- but I think that's just because they only run two lines lol. Still... they never announce anything or show times anywhere. And when you ask one of the attendants, they either completely ignore you or look at you like your the dumbest person that asked the dumbest question (i feel like thats at every metro station, though) read more

This station is the closest Metro station for me. I use it when going into DC on weekday mornings and on weekends. The station is easier to drive to than the Northern Virginia Orange line stations. The station is just off the Franconia-Springfield Parkway by the mall. The garage is large and usually has open spaces. There's also an area to park cars when going out of town for several days. The station is on the Blue line but during rush hours and special events there are trains which follow the Yellow line and cross into DC between the Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza cutting the circuitous Blue Line route through Rosslyn. Station is served by the same old trains and usually has something not working - elevator, escalator, or ticket machine. read more

Very spacious and not so confusing metro station. Always kept clean inside and outside. Lots of room for pick up line and the garage is clean and safe. read more

Franconia-Springfield is my daily metro station from which I commute each day to work. My biggest issues with this station are the following: 1/ The station attendants stand by the turnstiles in a way that I assume they are ensuring everyone pays correctly as they move through. What they do not do is attend to the customers at the metro card machines who are having issues or are confused. Often they are caught up in lively conversations with each other and not minding customers at all. These elements tell me they are focused on revenue more than customer experience. 2/ The two sides of the track are rarely marked, making it difficult to know which is a blue line or yellow line train. This is an easy fix; just not sure why they can't get this right. 3/ The employees driving the trains are very inconsistent in how they drive the trains (some are smooth, some are heavy gas, heavy break) and very few of them have learned the art of holding the button down a second or two before speaking into the intercom, then waiting a second or two to release it after they've made their announcements. The end result is their statements to the riders are broken up, unclear, and incomprehensible. 4/ The parking garage can be a fiasco - and they don't staff it (at all). So if a problem at the gates or elsewhere occurs, you have no way of getting assistance, and often severe backups occur. The metros themselves are relatively reliable and clean, as is the metro station, but the customer service aspect needs a lot of work. read more

I much prefer the Orange line. I find this station crowded, difficult to access and time consuming. Yes, it's a metro station so it's run by WMATA so it can only be so good. If given a choice, go ORANGE. read more

This metro station is A-OK in my opinion. It is the closest one to my house so it is convenience if I need to use it. I never have any issue with this station. Most of the time when I use this station, I would either park at the Springfield Town Center garage or someone would drop me off. There is a taxi stand inside the garage as well as park spots for people that are waiting to pick up someone. Since the price from this station into DC has gone up by a lot, sometime I would drive to Pentagon City (during free parking hours) and catch the metro from there. read more

People don't like this place...but its way easy for parking and heading into DC. Construction hasn't been a problem for me. This wins over trying to/paying for parking in DC read more

Not good for me, my car window got smashed out and they rummaged thru my car and stole a pocket knife. Parked on the 5th level to avoid door dings, the parking spaces are made for a prius or smaller car. Will walk from my house and never park there again. They have no security cameras as well, you would think for $5 dollars a day per car they could afford updated security cameras. None to be found in the parking garage. Zero stars! read more

A five star rating simply for the convenience of location and because getting on the metro here keeps you outside the beltway. From here you can access the D.C. Metro, busses, and the VRE. Best of all you don't have to go inside the 495 beltway and fight D.C. traffic. The parking garage has plenty of parking for workday traffic and tourists avoiding traffic. Trains every 5 minutes or so means you never wait long to head into the city. read more

Great station! Its the first metro stop that you can go to if you're on I-95 north. Highly recommend taking the metro if you're headed anywhere in Washington DC. Saves you so much time and the headache if you were to drive to DC. Its totally not worth it to drive! Parking is hard to find in DC, and if you park in a parking garage, its so expensive. If you take the metro, its much cheaper, and you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. One of the things that I love about this station is amount of parking spaces that are available here. Its about $4.75 per day, but its absolutely free on the weekends. Station is pretty clean. The blue line is a great line for the metro! read more