Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro Station

If you have ever ridden in subways in major cities you will appreciate how clean this one is. Is it Immaculate? Absolutely not. Buy comparatively speaking it is definitely the cleanest one I’ve been to. They were having a lot of problems this weekend with broken down elevators, etc but we still got where we needed to go and it’s such an affordable way to travel in the DC area. I also feel safer riding the metro here than I have in other cities. The customer service is hit or miss /​you’ll have the ones that absolutely do not want to come out of their cubbyholes to help you. And then you have some that are amazing and will help you to understand how the system works. Overall just a terrific way to travel so you can avoid finding parking spaces.

Dunn Loring metro station is always clean. When it comes to winter I freeze my A** every year. Feels like the «winter is coming» meme. Wish there was a way to make the platforms not so cold in the Winter.
Been under construction for the past few years; new garage, kiss & ride, and a ton of new development in the area. Looking forward to all the construction to be done and over with.

This is a pretty decent metro station. Its big advantage used to be that most people did not really realize it was there (although the very limited available parking was always full). But that was before the expansion /​remodeling of the Merrifield area. Now it has a parking garage, a covered walk way, and an improved kiss & ride. While the parking has expanded this is still a station with one point of entry /​exit from the platform and it does not take much for one escalator and one staircase to clog up.

While this is a perfectly functional Metro station, it’s outdoors and exposed to the elements. It is right next to a noisy highway, actually between the inbound and outbound lanes. It is freezing cold in the winter. And the signage sucks during the construction in the area. It is an «island» platform, so you’re waiting in the middle between the two sets of tracks.
On the plus side, there is a huge bus depot and parking garage right near by and there is a Starbucks right there. So it’s not terrible. But I have absolutely experienced better.
This station is on the Metro Orange Line between Vienna and West Falls Church.

This is my metro stop. Since I’ve moved to the area, it has seen a huge change. The entire Merrifield /​Dunn Loring area has been expanding over the years and so has the are surrounding this metro station. There’s always going to be some sort of construction going around the area. There’s two condominium /​apartment building that’s under construction right now.
Eventually this station would be walking distance to restaurants, grocery store (Harris Teether) and others when the constructions are done. Last I checked it will be the end of the summer of 2015.
Few tips, the constant construction means traffic is ever changing as they move things around. Be careful when walking /​driving.
Do not jaywalk to cross Gallows Road. It’s a major road with a lot of traffic and you will get hit. There’s been police officer stopping pedestrians to issue tickets lately.
If you are on the platform, move closer to the opposite end of the platform. The shorter trains stop further away from the escalator and you will end up running to get into the train.
This is an open air station. So dress warm during the winter.

What’s going on with the Dunn Loring metro? When I started riding here 2 years ago, it was a smooth walk through the pedestrian walk-​way, then a fairly routine ride.
The only thing that stayed consistently good are the employees at the station and the sweet man and old lady who hands out the newspaper (they’re always smiling and so nice!).
The past several months (2 – 3 months), it’s been constant construction, road blockage, and not to mention almost weekly delays. First, the trains don’t run as often (boo!), and when they do, it’s a constant stop and go. Some days are worst than others and I end up getting motion sickness.
Also, many mornings the signs don’t display when the next train will arrive. And when it does, it’s sooo jam packed from the Vienna station there’s hardly room for people to get on without over crowding. I used to be able to find a seat, now it’s lucky if I can even get on.
The new stuff they’re building is cool, like the Harris Teeter, Starbucks (which is open!), and stores, but too bad I won’t be able to enjoy it since I’m moving.

The area around this metro has had a huge transformation and is still going through a lot of changes. I think these are all good things and they are bringing in condos and restaurants, but it’s a lot of construction and it makes figuring out how to get in and out the metro not obvious. Also, the kiss and ride area is super small and barely noticeable. I hope that when all the construction is done, they are able to make that larger. The inside of the metro is like your typical DC area metro. It’s an above ground station, so you do have to deal with the elements, but it’s a decent station.

Needs a complete overhaul. With the construction going on I’m sure it will happen soon!

After being nearly mowed down at the Dunn Loring metro station parking lot yet again (a not infrequent near-​miss experience), I am convinced that my apprehensions and dissatisfaction with this stop is well-​founded. Granted, this part of the orange line was built when Dunn-​Loring was a mere sleepy suburb but recent expansions in NoVa make the tiny cab parking /​car waiting lot simply perilous to pedestrians. The lot must be widened as, mowing down pedestrians aside, there is insufficient room for even a single car to stand waiting in the narrow dead-​ended circle intended only for drop-​offs-​and-​drive-​offs rather than any even brief delay. Cars are frequently backed up into the main roadway. Metro officials, take note: restructure this lot – including bilateral pedestrian walkways – before someone gets hurt.

When I first moved near this stop 2 years ago, I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to the constant escalator squeaking… But I did.
Beyond that, the station is clean, machines aren’t usually crowded, and any given station manager isn’t the worse I’ve encountered in the system.
The first ~3 cars of a train are uncovered at this outdoor station, so that combined with the fact that people have to run to make a 6 car train means the back cars get crowded a lot faster than the front.
Three stars because nothing wmata does is above average.

getting in and out of this parking lot is sooo hard now!!! they need to hurry up and do something with this construction stuff they have going on

Have to pay for parking after midnight or until the station closes on M-​F. Not much around here. There are no residential areas to park at if the parking lot fills up. I usually park here after 5pm, and I always find a spot as soon as you pull in and never had a problem. Close to Tyson’s.

Used to use this station all the time and thought it was fine. Then I found out that just about every other station has a better layout and organization. Seriously, getting in and out of here isn’t fun. I had to resort to sitting outside of the side entrance to wait for people so I wouldn’t have to drive through the main one during rush hour.
Go to Vienna if you have a choice (it may be more crowded, but its way easier for the driver).

A little better than the Vienna metro because it’s less crowded and parking is a bit better. But it’s still the metro.

Better alternative to Tysons area than Vienna or West Falls Church.
Parking is limited though.

The redheaded stepchild of the VA portion of the orange line. Few get on here. fewer get off. If you do disembark here with a bike you will have to seek out the dankest darkest corner of the platform to find the hidden elevator.

If you need to park, and you live closer to the Vienna station, skip it and go to this one. The lot here still fills up, but not as immediately as the one in Vienna.

Dunn Boring is the forgotten metro stop, and what is a Merrifield, anyway?
Yes, there is in fact a station in between West Falls Church and Vienna, and you are in fact going to miss your bus because you didn’t plan accordingly.
No, but seriously, you can take a bus from here to Tysons.

WTF is up with the parking here?!
I rarely drive to the metro stop but when I do I normally I just be an asshole and just park at a meter with out paying. For some reason I don’t get a ticket.
So one day I decided to take the lady friend out for a nice diner in the city so I wanted to class it up a bit and actually park in a real parking spot in the pay lot. I had some cash in my pocket so I though I could just pay the $ 3 or so when I left in cash.
Nope. I get up to the stupid gate and the dork in the booth tells me I have to get some Smart Pass thing. So I drive back up to the train area and get a Smart Pass, which costs $ 10, and of course, a few weeks later, I have already lost the dang Smart Pass with the remaining money on it.
So in the end I paid $ 10 when I could of just parked at the metered space.
ohh yeah… the train came on time and all that jazz.

My first time at this station, was at the Sheraton Première Tyson’s Corner hotel and even though it was 4 miles away, decided to drive then bus over to the Metro Station.
Got there on Friday around 1pm, found some parking but it was a bit of a walk. The station attendent was very helpful with tickets and what would be the best value for me, a one day ticket for $ 9, unlimited on and off’s for the whole day. One way into DC would cost $ 3+.
Parking is a bit of a rip off for a one day visitor, $ 3.75 a day but you have to buy a minimum $ 10 for the first time then you can add money afterwards.
I felt safe at the station and in the parking lot, seems like a business area.