Express bus service from Burke to Tysons starts Jan. 14

A Fairfax Connector bus.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is inviting the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 12 to preview a new Express Connector bus service on the beltway express lanes from the Burke Centre VRE station to Tysons Corner.

The event takes place at the Burke Centre station, 10399 Premier Court, Burke, at 10 a.m. There will be remarks from Fairfax County Department of Transportation Director Tom Biesiadny, Board of Supervisors chair Sharon Bulova, and supervisors Pat Herrity (Springfield) and John Cook (Braddock); plus coffee, hot chocolate, bus tours, and an inaugural ride on the new route.

Regular service on the new route starts Jan. 14. The buses will depart Burke Centre eight times each weekday afternoon from 6:30 to 9 a.m., making a few Fairfax Connector stops before entering the express lanes at Braddock Road. Stops in Tysons are tentatively scheduled for offices east of the beltway off Dolley Madison Boulevard and 123; Tysons Corner Center; and along Greensboro Drive, International Drive, and Jones Branch Drive.

From Tysons to Burke, there will be nine trips from 4:15 to 7 p.m. and two midday trips, departing Tysons at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The trip will take about one hour, with one-way fares set at $3.65 if paid by SmarTrip card and $4 if paid in cash. The rides will be free through Jan. 25.

Although the new bus route doesn’t make any stops in Annandale, it could relieve traffic around here if more people from Burke, Prince William County, and other areas take the bus instead of driving.

Additional express lane bus routes to Tysons from Springfield and Lorton are expected to start this spring.