By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum), Greater Greater Washington; August 5, 2019
The Virginia Railway Express’s plan to add a new pedestrian tunnel between its Alexandria station and the adjacent King Street Metro station has been put on hold, according to documents from VRE and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. VRE still plans to make other updates to the station, like making it easier and safer for people to access the platforms.
The Alexandria Station Pedestrian Tunnel project had several objectives: Eliminate the at-grade crossing between the two tracks closest to the station, make it easier for people to walk between the two platforms by adding an ADA-accessible route (i.e. elevators), and install a tunnel over to the King Street Metro station. Without the tunnel to King Street, VRE says passengers will continue to have to walk 300 feet from the exit of one station to the entrance of the other.