Metro and Redskins- Parking Advice

Good Morning:

Coming from Pa (via I-95), where would be the best place to park in order to take the Metro to the game? I did check the Metro Website, but I'm hoping someone can provide some helpful tips.

Metro is really kind of a pain in the neck to get to the stadium (it's slightly over a mile walk from the station to the stadium). I'd spend the money and try to score a parking pass.

Your best bet is probably to take 95 south to US 50 and board the metro at New Carrollton. Take the Orange line to Stadium/Armory (the "stadium" it refers to is RFK Stadium, NOT FedEx Field) then cross the platform and board a Blue line train bound for Largo.

Your other option is to drive to Largo and take the blue line one stop in, but it's harder to get to and you'll end up sitting in all of the stadium traffic.

Thanks!

After reading a Redskin blog on parking loaded with negative comments/experiences, I'm thinking Metro is a better alternative from afar.

Has there ever been any discussion of adding a spur to the Fedex Field. Is it possible?

skm wrote:Thanks!

After reading a Redskin blog on parking loaded with negative comments/experiences, I'm thinking Metro is a better alternative from afar.

Has there ever been any discussion of adding a spur to the Fedex Field. Is it possible?

Anything is possible. If the Redskins want to pay for same, I'm game. But given these are the folks who got the PGPD to forbid walking in from non-Redskin controlled parking; I won't hold my breath. How would they profit from such?

They really should have built it closer to the stadium in the first place. I understand the point of the extension was to spur new development out towards Largo but couldn't they have still done that with a Metro line closer to the stadium. The Metro is an okay way to get to the stadium and many people use it but if it was done right so many more people would see it as a viable option.

Davis

Cooke could have built anywhere he wanted, such as say, RFK's site.....

One other thing to consider: Metro charges a hefty parking fee at the Largo and Morgan Boulevard Blue Line stations on Redskins game days. If you want to avoid this then New Carrollton may be your best bet, even if the Metro ride is a little out of the way.

WMATA wrote:Fans attending the football game who park their cars at the Morgan Boulevard (635 parking spaces) or Largo Town Center (2,200 parking spaces) Metrorail stations will have to pay $25 to park using a SmarTrip card when exiting these facilities. Cash is not accepted. Paid parking at these two stations begins three hours before kickoff, and continues two hours after the game concludes.

If you don't have a SmarTrip card you'll have to pay an extra $5 to buy one on top of the $25 parking fee. There should be a vending machine in the station that sells the cards for $10. The card will come with $5 on it and you will have to add additional money at the farecard machine to pay for the parking (and your train ride.)

Do not attempt to use the parking lots at either the Morgan Boulevard or Largo metrorail stations on game day as WMATA charges prices similar to to what the Redskins charge at FedEx Field. Park at either Greenbelt or New Carrollton. The Greenbelt metrorail station parking lot is directly assessable from MD I-95 south. Green line to L'Enfant Plaza, Blue line to Morgan Boulevard. New Carrollton is assessable from MD US-50 west (first exit after exiting MD I-95) Orange line to Stadium-Armory cross platform Blue line to Morgan Boulevard. Morgan Boulevard is closer to FedEx Field then Largo.

"strench707"
They really should have built it closer to the stadium in the first place. I understand the point of the extension was to spur new development out towards Largo but couldn't they have still done that with a Metro line closer to the stadium. The Metro is an okay way to get to the stadium and many people use it but if it was done right so many more people would see it as a viable option.

The alignment for the G Route Blue line extension was established back in the 1970s. Jack Kent Cooke signed his agreement with Prince George's County on the location of stadium after all of the plans and financing for extension were finalized. Besides building the stadium closed to transit would have eaten into the revenue generated by the parking concession at the stadium.

skm wrote:Thanks!

After reading a Redskin blog on parking loaded with negative comments/experiences, I'm thinking Metro is a better alternative from afar.

Has there ever been any discussion of adding a spur to the Fedex Field. Is it possible?

Redskins fans like to complain (I know, I am one). I wouldn't let the complaints deter you, if you can get a pass for a stadium lot (check eBay and Craigslist) it will certainly be faster to drive in and park rather than a circuitous Metro ride and then a mile-plus walk to the stadium. Depending on when you show up, you may wait in some traffic to get in/out, but it's a direct exit from the beltway onto Arena drive and into the lots.

I didn't realize that WMATA charged gameday rates at those two lots - makes sense, and I'm sure that they make a pile of money doing it.

rather than a circuitous Metro ride

He is on a rail forum though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking a little taste of DC's wonderful rail system.

The alignment for the G Route Blue line extension was established back in the 1970s.

Why does this mean they have to stick with it? I would hope that they would revise plans before they go through with them and not just stay settled on something decided decades ago.

One idea (not that it would ever get built) would be to build a light rail line to connect the Orange and blue right through the FedEx field grounds (maybe an extension of the Purple Line if thats ever built). It would save on walking and paying for parking and it could pick up in areas it passes along the way.

Davis

I think you said it best when you said "extension of the Purple Line". It would make sense to run it out to Largo eventually, I believe, but first one must have a Purple Line in the first place before extending it.

strench707 wrote:rather than a circuitous Metro ride

He is on a rail forum though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking a little taste of DC's wonderful rail system.
Davis

He may or may not. There's nothing wrong with making sure that he knows that it'll take significantly longer.

"strench707"

The alignment for the G Route Blue line extension was established back in the 1970s.

Why does this mean they have to stick with it? I would hope that they would revise plans before they go through with them and not just stay settled on something decided decades ago.

You failed to also quote the second sentence in that paragraph:
"Jack Kent Cooke signed his agreement with Prince George's County on the location of stadium after all of the plans and financing for extension were finalized."

The WMATA board adopted the extension in to the ARS shortly after Cooke broke ground on his stadium. The EIS for the extension was well under way before Cooke acquired the property. WMATA would have had to have gone through a second EIS process to change the alignment to service the stadium. The stadium was built in less then 2 years, it opened for the 1997 season. WMATA broke ground on the extension on 05 08 2001 after getting funding from the FTA and the Maryland state legislature, it opened 12 18 2004. The whole process to build the extension took nearly 10 years and began well before Cooke made noises about moving out of RFK, the time between Cooke's agreement with Prince George's County and the opening of the stadium was less the 3 years. Government moves slowly, commercial enterprises can move very quickly.

I will also note, during the planning process it was believed that the USA Arena would still been in use after the extension opened. The USA Arena was imploded (12 15 2002) shorty after ground was broken on the extension (05 08 2001).

If they still hadn't started the physical construction of the extension at the time of the stadium beginning construction then it wouldn't be too late to reevaluate. It would be extra grief on Metro since they didn't get to pick where the stadium was but still I would rather it have serviced the stadium than just picking up a sliver of Largo. The extension in my opinion is good (I support rail growth) but it doesn't really reach its full potential in my book. It only extended two stops, bypassing the stadium in the process. It really seems like a waste to me. They only built the blue line once and there's no going back which is frustrating to me. The line's ridership during games could have been much higher if it had even been built a half mile closer to FedEx Field. I think people would have been willing to sacrifice even not going all the way to the current Largo Station to connect the stadium. Even non-football fans would have appreciated the reduction in traffic I'm sure. The stadium could have got an awesome modern-looking station like Largo did. I know its a dead issue but looking back one can always ask "What if?"

Davis

If they still hadn't started the physical construction of the extension at the time of the stadium beginning construction then it wouldn't be too late to reevaluate

And delay everything 5-10 years? No.

And most importantly, the Redskins did/do not want the competition. They make lots of money controlling the parking.