Rippon is a VRE station surrounded by trees and the only station when VRE opened that was a new station that required an elevator to access the rail platform for accessibility. Fredericksburg (and Union Station) also does, but VRE joined Amtrak trains already stopped at this station. The station platform is located in the middle of trees, alongside the Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge, with the Occoquan Bay, where the Occoquan River flows into the Potomac River nearing its estuary is just beyond the platform, although trees completely block the view of the river.
The platform hasn't been extended and only 4 to 5 cars can stop at the station. This means passengers at the front or rear of all but one train (the last of the AM rush hour and first southbound train of the PM rush hour) must walk backwards or forwards to enter of leave at this station. The platform contains a canopy that covers about one car length in the middle of the platform.
This canopy is connected to the platforms' only legal exit (there is also a ramp and a few steps down to the grass along the platform as an emergency exit, in this area). After passing TVMs at platform level, an elevator and covered staircase lead up to a pedestrian bridge over the tracks above the platform. The bridge is fully enclosed with full height walls with vertical crossbeams, along with a white gabled roof.
This bridge leads across the tracks to the edge of the station's parking lot. This is the station's only pedestrian entrance with a large VRE Rippon sign to green passengers. Passengers immediately arrive at a crosswalk into the parking lot. The parking lot is large the station has a total of 676 parking spaces in an original parking lot, and what feels like an overflow lot with a single entrance north of the original lot, both lots are similar sizes.
There is one vehicular entrance to both parking lots opposite the platform this entrance is at the end of Farm Creek Drive. Passengers are greeted by a Wooden VRE station entrance sign. Farm Creek Drive has a sidewalk along one side, connecting the station to with no sidewalk through the parking lot to the platform entrance. This leads to the Rippon Landing Condo development.
There is another transit-oriented apartment complex development called Riverside Station that is located on a higher elevation bluff, its retaining wall overlooking the parking lot. This development contains a staircase down to the station's main parking lot for residents, who can also walk through the parking lot to the main station entrance.
Photos 1-58: September 6, 2024;
