ICUPE General Information

Transportation

Arrival by Air

Three major airports serve the Washington, DC area: Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) in Baltimore, the closest to College Park; Dulles International (IAD), west of DC; and Washington National Airport (DCA), south of DC. Rental cars and shuttle bus service to the Washington Metro system are available from each of the airports.

Getting to College Park from National Airport

By taxi: Taxi fare from National to College Park is typically about $30 (you should hire a taxi that has Maryland license plates). Currently there is construction around National Airport. If you arrive during our "Rush Hour" (between 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm) you should expect the fare to be closer to $50, and the drive may take up to 1-1/2 hours.

By Metro: There is a Metrorail line servicing College Park, and you could take the subway system from National to the University. This requires two changes of trains: Take the "Yellow Line" from National Airport, transfer to the "Red Line" at Chinatown, then transfer to the "Green Line" at Fort Totten to come to College Park. (See METRORAIL below for more information.)

Getting to College Park from BWI

There is a convenient airport limousine from BWI to College Park. The BWI Airport Super Shuttle service to College Park begins at 7AM; the last shuttle leaves at 10PM. The fare is $17. Their ticket counter is located near the baggage pickup on the lower level of the airport. You may have to wait for them to receive all shuttle passengers (the wait time varies from 30-60 minutes). There is a different Limo Counter where there is no wait, but the fare is $45. Taxi fare from BWI is $45-$50.

Getting to College Park from Dulles

Dulles Airport in Virginia is further away from College Park than the other two airports. The taxi fare from Dulles to College Park can be as high as $65. You can take a taxi to the West Falls Church Metrorail where you have two options: get on the "Orange Line"; transfer to the "Red Line" at Metro Center; then transfer to the "Green Line" at Fort Totten to come to College Park. There you would take a taxi to campus or your hotel. The UM Shuttle bus runs between campus and the College Park Metro stop while classes are in session (see METRORAIL paragraph below). The second Metrorail option is to stay on the "Orange Line" to New Carrollton and take a taxi to College Park; the fare from New Carrolton to the University would be around $18.

If you rent a car at one of the airports, directions to College Park are given below. Note that our "Rush-Hour'' traffic is typically VERY heavy from 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM, and 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM.

Arrival by Train

There are AMTRAK Train Stations in Washington, DC (Union Station) and at New Carrollton, MD. New Carrollton is closer to College Park. Taxi fare is around $20 from New Carrollton to the University. If there are no taxis waiting at the station, the phone number to one of our local Maryland taxi companies, Bluebird-Yellow Cabs is is 301-927-4800 or 301-864-7700.

Metrorail (light rail / underground)

The METRORAIL system now has a line servicing College Park. The stations have maps which easily indicate all the stops for each (color-coded) line. As you approach College Park from Washington, to your left is the West Side of the Metro Station (Calvert Road) and is closer to the University and hotels (20-40 minutes walk).

During the school semesters, the University of Maryland operates a shuttle (UM Shuttle) bus which runs Mon.-Fri. at 25-minute intervals beginning at 6:50 AM from the East Side of the train station at Bus Bay C. (The last return from campus will be at 7:20 PM.) Stop and Pick-up points on campus are at the UM Circle in front of the Physics Bldg. and at the Stamp (Student) Union, which is two blocks up from the Physics Bldg.

Arrival by Car

Travelers should get on the Washington Beltway, I-495, which encircles Washington, DC. Take exit 25, US Route 1, south. Route 1 passes directly in front of the University of Maryland campus. FROM THE NORTH, follow I-95 down to the Washington Beltway. Just follow the signs that say "College Park, Route 1". ( I-95 joins I-495 (Beltway) in different ways: the 2 left lanes take you on to 95 South, bypassing Rt. 1. The 2 right lanes take you on to 495 North. The 2 middle lanes take you on the overpass of the Beltway and bring you around along the Beltway but keep you on the exits to Route 1.)

FROM THE SOUTH, take I-95 north to the Washington Beltway, I-495, where you should head east across the Wilson Bridge into Maryland towards Andrews AFB, New Carrollton, Greenbelt, College Park [about 40 minutes if traffic isn't heavy]. NOTE: DO NOT TAKE THE ROUTE 1 EXIT WHILE YOU'RE IN VIRGINIA--you want to go around Washington on the Beltway to Route 1 in College Park.

FROM THE WEST, I-270 comes into I-495, but drive past the Virginia exit and head towards Washington. Soon after Old Georgetown Road you'll stay to your right lane to get onto I-495 heading South toward Silver Spring, College Park, to Route 1 South (Exit 25B).

IF YOU MISS YOUR EXIT ON THE BELTWAY, the next exit won't be too far away so that you can get off the Beltway to get turned around in order to approach the Route 1 South exit again (...but from the other direction than as described above!).

Return to the ICUPE Homepage