Updated October 2026
You found the house. The kitchen works, the street feels right, and then the real question shows up.
What does a Tuesday morning look like from here?
For Kingstowne, the answer has three parts. There are two Metro stations, one on each side of the neighborhood. There's the Springfield interchange, where I-95, I-395 and I-495 meet. And there's the drive itself, which can change with the hour you leave.
Here's what each part involves, using the station details WMATA listed when we checked in October 2026.
Where Kingstowne sits
Kingstowne is in Fairfax County, not the City of Alexandria, even though homes here carry an Alexandria mailing address. It sits inside the 22315 ZIP code, which covers more ground than the neighborhood itself.
That matters for commuting, too. "Alexandria" on an envelope doesn't tell you which station or which highway ramp is closest to your front door.
For this guide, picture the starting point as the area around Kingstowne Towne Center and the residential streets off Kingstowne Boulevard. If your street is closer to Van Dorn Street on one side or Franconia Road on the other, the better station can flip.
The two Metro stations
Both stations sit on Metro's Blue Line, which WMATA's current schedule pages label B. From either one, trains run toward Largo.
Franconia-Springfield
Franconia-Springfield is the end of the line, and it's built for people who drive to the train. WMATA's station page lists 5,069 all-day parking spaces, plus 97 multi-day spaces and 48 short-term metered spaces. Weekday parking is $4.95 for riders who qualify for the Metro rate and $8.95 for everyone else. Weekends and federal holidays are free.
The lower rate comes with conditions. WMATA says you must "take a valid rail trip (min. two stops) using a Smart Trip card or Tap. Ride. Go." and then tap that same card or device when you exit the lot. The page also says to "leave the lot two hours after your ride starts." In our experience, it's worth reading that page once before your first week so the first parking charge isn't a surprise.
If you ride a bike to the station, there are 30 racks and 8 lockers.
On Monday through Thursday, the first train toward Largo leaves Franconia-Springfield at 5:02 AM and the last leaves at 11:25 PM, according to WMATA's station schedule. WMATA posts separate times for Friday and the weekend.
Franconia-Springfield is also a stop on VRE's Fredericksburg Line, the commuter rail service toward Alexandria, Crystal City, L'Enfant and Union Station. If VRE is on your list, pull its current weekday timetable and fare chart directly.
Van Dorn Street
Van Dorn Street, on Eisenhower Avenue, is the smaller of the two. WMATA lists 361 all-day spaces at $4.95 on weekdays, free on weekends and federal holidays, plus 46 metered spaces. By our math, Franconia-Springfield has roughly 14 times as many all-day spaces.
Neither count tells you whether a space will be open at the hour you actually pull in.
Van Dorn Street has 30 bike racks and 6 lockers. It has one elevator between the mezzanine and the platform, so if you need step-free access, an elevator outage matters more here than it would at Franconia-Springfield. Check WMATA's elevator status before you head out.
On Monday through Thursday, WMATA's schedule shows the first train toward Largo leaving Van Dorn Street at 5:07 AM and the last at 11:30 PM.
Which station fits you
- Franconia-Springfield: Blue Line toward Largo; 5,069 all-day parking spaces; weekday parking $4.95 for qualifying Metro riders, otherwise $8.95. Monday–Thursday trains toward Largo: first 5:02 AM, last 11:25 PM.
- Van Dorn Street: Blue Line toward Largo; 361 all-day parking spaces; weekday parking $4.95. Monday–Thursday trains toward Largo: first 5:07 AM, last 11:30 PM.
Per WMATA's station information and first-and-last-train schedules, checked October 5, 2026. Both lots are free on weekends and federal holidays. These are parking capacities, not guarantees of an available space when you arrive; Franconia-Springfield's lower rate requires the qualifying rail trip and payment conditions described above.
In our experience, the choice comes down to how you'll get to the platform, not which station looks closer on a map. Plan to drive and park every day? Franconia-Springfield's lot is the bigger target. Live on the Van Dorn Street side and want a shorter hop? Van Dorn can work, as long as you're comfortable with a much smaller lot.
If you'd rather not drive to the station at all, start with Fairfax Connector, the county's bus system. Pull the current timetable for the stop nearest your street. Routes and schedules change, and an old map can send you to a bus that no longer runs that way.
What the ride costs
WMATA's weekday Metrorail fares (5 am to 9:30 pm) run from $2.25 to $6.75, depending on the trip, and weekend fares run from $2.25 to $2.50. Regular and limited-stop Metrobus service costs $2.25. Eligible bus-to-rail and rail-to-bus transfers within two hours receive a $2.25 discount; the applicable rail fare remains payable after the discount. If you drive to the station, add the parking charge to the fare.
One more thing about time. The scheduled ride is only part of the commute. Getting to the station, parking, waiting on the platform, any transfer, and the walk at the other end all count. WMATA's trip planner will lay that out for your own address and destination. Run it for the hour you'd really leave.
If your job is in Old Town and you're weighing whether to drive in some days, our Old Town Alexandria parking guide covers what's waiting at that end of the trip.
The Springfield interchange
The Springfield interchange is where I-95, I-395 and I-495 come together, close to Kingstowne. Plenty of people who've lived here a while still call it the Mixing Bowl. Depending on where you work, you might pass through it twice a day or barely touch it.
The simplest way to think about it is direction. I-395 runs north toward the Pentagon and downtown Washington. I-495, the Capital Beltway, loops around toward Tysons and the rest of the region. I-95 heads south. Which one you use, and which ramps you take to reach it, depends on your exact street and your exact destination.
Express lanes and carpools
VDOT says HOV-3 vehicles can use the I-95 and I-395 express lanes free with an E-ZPass Flex set to HOV mode, and the same rule applies on the I-495 express lanes. That means three people in the car and the Flex switched to HOV. Miss either one and you pay the toll. Solo drivers can still use the express lanes by paying a toll that changes with traffic.
VDOT also notes that it closes all entrances to barrier-separated lanes for a short time while it switches their direction. Watch the overhead message signs, which show whether the lanes are open and which way they're running.
Drive times: test your own
Drive time from Kingstowne depends on three things: where you start, where you're going, and when you leave. The same trip can feel like two different commutes depending on the hour.
So test it. Here's what we suggest to buyers who are serious about a house here:
- Run the trip at the time you'd really leave, on two or three ordinary weekdays. Choose workdays representative of your routine rather than holiday weeks.
- Check both directions. The ride home is its own commute.
- Use VDOT's live traffic map or a map app with live traffic, set to your real start address and your real destination.
- Price out the Metro version of the same trip at the same hour, door to door, so you're comparing like with like.
Testing the commute before you write an offer can help set expectations for your first month.
Before you leave each morning
Even a commute you've tested can change on a given day. Checking alerts before you walk out the door can help you adjust your route:
- WMATA service alerts and elevator status, especially if you use Van Dorn Street's single elevator.
- VDOT's live traffic map for incidents, lane closures and work zones around the interchange.
- Fairfax Connector alerts and detours, if you take a bus to the station.
- VRE's service updates, if you ride the Fredericksburg Line.
If you're house hunting here
Commute is usually one piece of a bigger decision, so here's a quick look at recent sales. According to our analysis of Bright MLS closed-sale data, the 22315 ZIP code, which includes Kingstowne, recorded 37 closed sales in August 2026, compared with 33 in August 2025. The median sale price was $645,000 in August 2026, against $715,000 in August 2025. Median days on market was 13 days in August 2026, compared with 9 days a year earlier.
Figures are for all residential closed sales in the 22315 ZIP code, which is larger than Kingstowne and sits outside the City of Alexandria. One month of sales in one ZIP code is a small sample, so we'd read it as a snapshot of what closed, not a trend. It also says nothing about how easy the commute is.
For more on how we read a median price, see our guide to Alexandria home prices explained. If a condo near the stations is on your list, our post on Alexandria condo fees and resale packets walks through the documents to ask for. And if you're on the other side of the table, buyers will ask about the commute, so our notes on selling a home in Alexandria are a good place to start.
About the author
Elizabeth Lucchesi founded The LizLuke Team at LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE INC and has more than twenty years in residential real estate across Alexandria and Northern Virginia. Most of our business comes from referrals and repeat clients. You can read more about Elizabeth and the LizLuke Team.
If you'd like a second set of eyes on a commute before you make an offer, we'd be glad to talk it through.
The LizLuke Team at LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE INC. 110 N Royal St, Ste 300,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Office 703.683.0400. The LizLuke Team (703) 868-5676. Virginia License #0225069250.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Sources
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Franconia-Springfield Station Info (parking, bike facilities, elevators), checked October 2026: https://www.wmata.com/ridertools/station/franconia-springfield/info/station-view
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Van Dorn St Station Info (parking, bike facilities, elevators), checked October 2026: https://www.wmata.com/ridertools/station/van-dorn-st/info/station-view
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Franconia-Springfield station first and last trains, checked October 2026: https://wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/franc-sprngfld.cfm
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Van Dorn St station first and last trains, checked October 2026: https://www.wmata.com/rider-guide/stations/van-dorn-st.cfm
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Fares (Metrorail, Metrobus and transfers), checked October 2026: https://www.wmata.com/fares/basic.cfm
- Virginia Department of Transportation, HOV lanes (express lane occupancy and E-ZPass Flex rules), checked October 2026: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/travel-traffic/commuters/hov/
- Bright MLS closed-sale data, Alexandria 22315, August 2025 and August 2026, pulled September 27, 2026
