NoVa’s Potomac Yard will soon be in business

As of tomorrow, Northern Virginia commuters have a new transportation option in Alexandria.

The Potomac Yard metro station at National Landing opens Friday to riders across the region. The build has been over a decade in the making from the City of Alexandria and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), coinciding with the National Landing build that includes Amazon’s HQ2.

The new Potomac Yard—VT Station is for both Blue and Yellow line riders, stopping between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road. The station is open seven days a week and runs until 12 a.m. every weeknight while staying open later on weekends.

With the opening of the station, WMATA has also added new nearby traffic signals, a new bus lane, a median on a nearby road and No Turn on Red restrictions to protect pedestrians. Potomac Yard is the 98th rail station in Metro’s history, according to WMATA, and will be walkable to the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.

Developer JBG Smith’s 2021 map of National Landing in Arlington, Virginia. (Courtesy photo)

After opening, Potomac Yard is expected to bring in billions in private-sector investment as well as 26,000 new jobs and 13,000 new residents to the area. It’s one of the first significant completions for the National Landing build, which includes Amazon HQ2. The first phase of HQ2, Metropolitan Park, is expected to open next month, although Amazon paused its build on phase two, PenPlace.

“This station opens a multitude of possibilities for those who live and work in Alexandria by providing a gateway to the region and all the city has to offer,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work and vision of the city to turn an idea more than 40 years in the making into a reality, and we look forward to welcoming customers to our newest station.”