| Tysons Central Washington Metro rapid transit station |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||
| Address | 8300 Leesburg Pike Tysons Corner, VA 22102 |
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| Lines |
Silver Line (planned)
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| Structure | Open-cut | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
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| Opened | Expected to open in 2013 | ||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||
| Code | N04 | ||||||||||
| Owned by | WMATA | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Tysons Central (preliminary name Tysons Central 7) [1] is a Washington Metro station currently under construction in Tysons Corner, an unincorporated area in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. Expected to open in 2013 with the first part of the Silver Line, Tysons Central is one of four Metro stations in the Tysons Corner area and is planned to be part of the massive regeneration of the district.
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Tysons Central station will be located within west-central Tysons Corner, specifically in the median of Route 7 (Leesburg Pike). Much of the surrounding area is commercial in nature, with the Pike Seven Plaza Shopping Center to the west and Tysons Galleria to the east with little in the way of residential development. Traffic counts by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) show that the section of Leesburg Pike on which the station will sit is the most heavily-used in Fairfax County with 61,000 vehicles per day using the stretch of road between Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road.[2]
In order to reduce congestion and improve walkability and connectivity in the area, the Fairfax County Planning Commission created the "Tysons Corner Urban Center Comprehensive Plan," an outline for the urbanisation of Tysons Corner in conjunction with the opening of the Silver Line. As one of four Metro stations within the identified locale, Tysons Central will be the focal point of one of the transit-oriented development schemes in the plan. According to the Commission's outline, the area bounded by Route 123, Gosnell Drive, Westpark Drive, and International Drive will be designated as the Tysons Central 7 District and contain high-density residential and commercial mixed-use development.[3]
The Tysons Central 7 District is divided into two sub-districts, North and South, separated by Route 7. The south sub-district is approximately 76 acres (31 ha) large and will contain mixed-use development, with offices predominating near the station and residential buildings in the outer transition zone. The plan calls for a "civic commons" to be the central open space in the sub-district with government and civi-related buildings surrounding it.[3] The north sub-district is similar in nature, but is 102 acres (41 ha) in area. In contrast, the north sub-district is planned to be more vibrant and 24-hour than the south, with a minimum building height of 175 feet (53 m), although both sectors have a maximum allowance of 400 feet (122 m).[3] To connect these districts, it is envisioned that Leesburg Pike will be reconfigured, along with Chain Bridge Road, to a "boulevard" design, with a median separating four lanes of traffic each way, as well as landscaping the sidewalks to improve walkability. Radiating out from Route 7 will be a series of avenues and collector streets, each with different regulations to create a hierarchical street grid.[3]
Tysons Central station is expected to open as part of the first phase of the Silver Line to Reston – Wiehle Avenue in 2013. In the planning stages, controversy ensued over whether to build the Metro in a tunnel or on an elevated viaduct through Tysons Corner. It was eventually decided that the majority of the line would be built above ground, but the station will be built partially below ground in order to send trains through a short tunnel connecting the line's Route 7 and Route 123-paralleling sections.
Like Tysons – Spring Hill Road station, Tysons Central will be built within the median of Route 7 with a single island platform serving two tracks. However, unique amongst all Silver Line stations in Tysons Corner, it will be built partially at ground level and sub-surface.[4] The construction and overall design of the station have been likened to that of Naylor Road station on the Green Line because of its depressed but open-air layout. This is the result of the south end of the station acting as the western portal for the connecting tunnel leading to Route 123 while Route 7 slopes upwards towards the east.[4] A mezzanine covering the central half of the platform will contain ticket machines and faregates; two aerial walkway exits will cross either side of Route 7 and meet at the mezzanine.[4] The main platform will have a height of −12 feet (−3.7 m) at its east end and 12 feet (3.7 m) at its west end.[5]