Swift and easy access to air service and, in particular, to international air service has become an important component of the infrastructure needed to maintain our region’s vibrant economy and generally good quality of life.  Unlike most major cities in the world, our region is blessed with an abundance of airport capacity to fuel our air services needs.  Increasingly, as use of Dulles grows, the ability of all parts of the region to benefit equally from the expansion will be a function of ground access, and this places a high priority on the development of rail in the Dulles Corridor.

Evolution of the Dulles Corridor can be considered in three phases. From 1962 until the parallel toll lanes opened in 1984, the Dulles Corridor was only used for airport access.  Creation of the initial Toll Road marked the second phase. These first two phases are dominated by the automobile.  Evolution into phase three should fully integrate the Dulles Corridor and the airport into the region’s transit system.

As a regional asset, the Dulles Corridor is unique in that it can be used to provide attractive transit alternatives for a large number of the region’s suburban commuters, while also extending the radial nature of the region’s Metrorail system.

The efficiency of a city, the quality of life it offers, and its competitiveness as a business center all are functions of its internal and external transportation systems.  The Dulles corridor serves major suburban employment centers as well as the region’s two largest employment areas: Tysons Corner and the center core.