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Va. riders may have new commuting option during Metro track work surge

WASHINGTON 鈥 Commuters in the Franconia-Springfield area of Fairfax County may have a new way to “express themselves” if a new slugline takes off.

The developer of the announced a new pickup location at the Franconia-Springfield Metro Kiss & Ride lot in a flyer last week. The new slug stop arrives just in time for the latest surge of , which closes sections of the Blue and Yellow lines between Alexandria and Pentagon City through July 18.

The myriad modes of transportation during a Washington rush hour include聽sluglines 鈥 packs of commuters that team up to meet High-Occupancy Vehicle and Toll requirements on Virginia highways. There are dozens of pickup and drop-off locations at parking lots and curbs along Interstate 95, 395 and 66, but the new stop would be a boon for Metro riders affected by the most recent round of track work in Old Town.

Kalai Kandasamy, administrator of the app, tells 海角精品黑料 that there is already interest from would-be sluggers at the Franconia-Springfield station, who have used the app to check in.

鈥淩iders who are doing Metro right now … they may be easily convinced to pay for the parking and jump on a slugline for a quicker ride,”聽Kandasamy said.

Kandasamy said these riders could pay the daily parking rate of $4.85 at the Metro station garage and slug to downtown destinations from Springfield.

The morning line forms at the Kiss & Ride off Frontier Drive on weekdays and peaks between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. The drop-off location is L鈥橢nfant Plaza. The afternoon line at L鈥橢nfant Plaza is between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Kandasamy said there is still a need for slug drivers, and is appealing to solo commuters on 95 and 395 with empty seats for help.

鈥淲e cannot give a flyer to the drivers in the HOV lanes,鈥 he said.

With an EZ-Pass Flex transponder, he said these drivers could save time and money by swinging past聽the new slugline and scooping up a few passengers.

Timothy Pracher commutes from Franconia-Springfield to Petworth on Metro and is rooting for the new slugline聽to succeed.

鈥淭he advantage is, it can save money, because the slugline is free and it doesn鈥檛 cost the driver for the HOV lanes,鈥 Pracher said.

He has yet to flag down a ride at the new stop.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 ideal because it鈥檚 at the end of the [Metro] line and so many people take buses or drive there. We just really need to get more drivers,鈥 Pracher said.

Dave Dildine

A native to the Washington area, Dave Dildine is no stranger to the region's complex traffic and weather patterns. Dave joined 海角精品黑料 in 2010 when the station launched its very own in-house traffic service. You can hear him "on the 8s and when it breaks" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

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