Silver Line (Washington Metro)

The Silver Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 34 stations in Loudoun County, Fairfax County and Arlington County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., as well as Prince George's County, Maryland. The Silver Line runs from Ashburn in Virginia to Downtown Largo in Maryland. Five stations, from both lines' eastern terminus at Downtown Largo to Benning Road, are shared with the Blue Line alone; thirteen stations, from Stadium–Armory to Rosslyn, with both the Orange Line and Blue Lines; and five stations from Court House to East Falls Church with the Orange Line alone. Only the five stations of Phase 1, which began service on July 26, 2014, and the six stations of Phase 2, which began service on November 15, 2022, are exclusive to the Silver Line.

Silver Line
A Silver Line train at Loudoun Gateway station in February 2023
Overview
Status	Operating
Locale	Loudoun County, Fairfax County, and Arlington, Virginia Washington, D.C. Prince George's County, Maryland
Termini	Ashburn Downtown Largo
Stations	34
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Washington Metro
Operator(s)	Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Rolling stock	2000-series, 3000-series, 6000-series, 7000-series
History
Opened	July 26, 2014 (2014-07-26) (Phase 1) November 15, 2022 (2022-11-15) (Phase 2)
Technical
Line length	41.1 mi (66.1 km)
Number of tracks	2
Character	At-grade, elevated, and underground
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄4 in (1,429 mm)
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map Silver Line highlighted in gray Show interactive map Legend SR 267 Dulles Greenway Ashburn Loudoun Gateway Dulles Yard Dulles International Airport SR 267 Dulles Toll Road Innovation Center Herndon Reston Town Center Wiehle–Reston East SR 267 Dulles Toll Road Spring Hill Greensboro Tysons I-495 Capital Beltway McLean SR 267 Dulles Toll Road I-66 | to Vienna East Falls Church Ballston–MU Virginia Square–GMU Clarendon Court House to Franconia–Springfield Rosslyn I-66 Custis Parkway Potomac River VA DC Foggy Bottom–GWU Farragut West Farragut North ( to Shady Grove) McPherson Square Metro Center ( to Glenmont) Federal Triangle Smithsonian RF&P Subdivision to Virginia L'Enfant Plaza () L'Enfant Federal Center SW I-395 Third Street Tunnel First Street Tunnel to Union Station Capitol South Landover Subdivision Eastern Market Potomac Avenue Stadium–Armory Anacostia River to New Carrollton DC 295 Anacostia Freeway Landover Subdivision Benning Road DC MD Capitol Heights Addison Road Morgan Boulevard I-495 Capital Beltway Downtown Largo All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit Show BSicon diagram map

The 11.7-mile (18.8 km) portion of the Silver Line between its split from the Orange Line and Wiehle–Reston East is entirely in Fairfax County, Virginia and was constructed as Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.^[1] Phase 2 expanded the line another 11.5 miles (18.5 km) to Ashburn in Loudoun County via Dulles International Airport. The $6.8 billion 41.1-mile-long (66.1 km) Silver Line is Metro's largest expansion by route mileage since its inception in 1976.^[2][3]

History

Planning

The federal government of the United States, which owned and operated Dulles Airport before Congress created the MWAA, built the Dulles Access Road in the 1960s to connect the airport to Washington, D.C. by way of Virginia State Route 267. As the access road was built, the authorities opted to reserve the median of the road for some form of rail transit,^[4] and the nearby West Falls Church station was designed so that the line could eventually be extended in this direction.^[5] The original 1968 Metrorail plan included an eventual extension to Dulles airport.^[6] In 1969, U.S. Senator from Virginia William B. Spong Jr. tried unsuccessfully to have the extension to Dulles be built as part of an early stage of the system rather than having it be built at some unspecified time in the future.^[7] A 1971 study of the feasibility of Metrorail running to Dulles^[8] estimated that 30,000 people would ride the extension each day.^[9]

In 1995, the Virginia General Assembly authorized the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to provide for "additional improvements to the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road corridor including, but not limited to, mass transit, including rail and capacity-enhancing treatments from surplus net revenues of the Dulles Toll Road".^[10]

In 1998, Raytheon engineers and constructors proposed to build and operate a Dulles Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.^[11] In January 1999, the Tysons-Dulles Corridor Group (which included Bechtel Corporation and West*Group) offered a competing BRT proposal that would ultimately extend the rail line to Ashburn.^[11] These proposals prompted the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to evaluate the merits of BRT and heavy rail public transit in the corridor.

 

As originally planned, Silver Line trains were to reverse course using the D98 pocket track east of the Stadium–Armory station. Safety concerns raised in December 2012 required service to extend to Downtown Largo.

Local residents and officials had talked of a Metro extension to Dulles since the Washington Metro began service in 1976,^[11] but significant planning did not begin until 2000. The Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project "scoping" process began in April 2000 with a series of meetings with local and federal officials, designed to collect the necessary authorities for the project. Local and federal law required extensive Analysis of Alternatives – the two most likely being bus lanes or inaction – and of the environmental impact. The rail-only line won over the other alternatives. Initial environmental hearings, which closed on August 28, 2002, were positive. Although planners originally considered ending the first phase at Tysons, state officials decided that the first phase would end at Reston's Wiehle Avenue, partially to reassure the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that the line would eventually run to Dulles Airport.^[12] The project received formal approval on June 10, 2004.^[11]

In February 2005, the CTB approved a 50 cent increase in the Dulles Toll Road toll rates, effective May 22, 2005, and "reaffirm[ed] that no less than 85% of existing surplus Dulles Toll Road net revenues shall be dedicated for mass transit and rail in the [Dulles] Corridor" and provided "that all additional toll revenue generated from the May 22, 2005 toll adjustment shall be dedicated to the [Metrorail] Project."^[13] Between July 1, 2003, and November 1, 2008, when the toll road was transferred to MWAA, over $138 million in net surplus toll revenue (together with accumulated interest) was provided to MWAA for the Silver Line project.^[14]

Financing

Although the original financing plan called for a 50-cent toll increase on the Dulles Toll Road to finance the Silver Line (25 cents at the main plaza and 25 cents at the ramp plazas), the increase in projected costs resulted in the MWAA Board approving an increase in the surcharges. Effective January 1, 2010, the fare surcharge was increased to 50 cents at both the main plaza and ramp plazas, with additional 25-cent increases in main-plaza tolls set for 2011 and 2012.^[15] These toll surcharges are designed to support MWAA's 52.6% share of the projected $5.25 billion combined cost of Phase 1 and Phase 2. MWAA has justified these toll increases as necessary to meet an estimated $220 million in annual debt-service costs projected by 2020.^[16] These toll revenue requirements were based on the assumption that the federal government, although it contributed $900 million to Phase 1, would not contribute funds for Phase 2.^[16]

As a result of the surcharge increases, the toll in 2012 was $2.25,^[17] or 16 cents per mile (1.6 km). The toll increase proposal drew 221 public comments and opponents outnumbered supporters by about 3 to 1.^[17] However, as the cost estimate grew from $5.25 billion to $6.8 billion, no final decisions have been reached to address the projected shortfall.

Tysons Corner tunnel dispute

Early plans called for a tunnel running from the east of the McLean station to the west of the Spring Hill station, and for all four stations on that stretch to be below ground. When the contractor hired to design the Silver Line – a consortium of Bechtel and Washington Group International – found the costs to be too high, the design was changed to use a short tunnel, running only between the Tysons and Greensboro stations (underneath higher ground) with all four stations being at or above ground.^[18] In March 2006, the contractor was ordered to examine an alternative "large bore" tunnel digging technique (successfully used in Europe) with the potential to lower costs of a tunnel through the entire Tysons section. The contractor found that there would not be a significant cost reduction and proposed staying with the short tunnel option.^[19]

After allegations that the design contractor had inflated costs for the tunnel in order to avoid sharing the job with an outside tunneling contractor, the long tunnel concept was revived in April 2006. The allegations led to calls for an outside cost estimate to determine more realistic tunnel costs.^[20] On May 15, 2006, Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer announced the creation of an advisory panel headed by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The panel had about two months to evaluate options for completing the line through Tysons,^[21] with the results presented to the state on July 27, 2006^[22] and published on July 31, 2006.^[23]

On September 6, 2006, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine announced his decision in favor of an elevated track through Tysons. In his statement, Kaine said he believed a tunnel would be the best option, but decided against it, citing a fear of losing federal funding for the project.^[24]

Shortly after Governor Kaine's decision, the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce formed a coalition of tunnel supporters, called Tysons Tunnel, Inc. and put forth a technical proposal to help revive consideration of building a tunnel through Tysons.^[25] The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation hired an independent consultant to assess the coalition's proposal. However, the consultant's report – sent to Secretary Homer on March 7, 2007, stated that "[t]here is a significant risk that the project cost of a Large Bore Tunnel would not meet the Federal Transit Administration's cost-effectiveness ratio criteria, which could compromise federal funding for the project".^[26][27]

On November 26, 2007, Tysons Tunnel, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in the Eastern District of Virginia challenging the denial of their petition to reopen and consider additional evidence regarding the benefits of a tunnel over the aerial option. Gary Baise, the Republican challenger to Gerry Connolly's Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairmanship, represented Tysons Tunnel.^[28] By 2010, Tysons Tunnel, Inc. ceased operations.^[29]

Start of construction was delayed as approval of the $900 million federal contribution to project costs awaited the conclusion of FTA's review of the proposal submitted by Virginia. Elected officials of the state, including Governor Tim Kaine and U.S. Senators John Warner and Jim Webb, arrived at the FTA on January 24, 2008, to address last minute concerns by FTA staff and administrators. FTA Administrator James Simpson presented Governor Kaine with a letter that contained stark criticisms of the project as presented. The project as presented was given a "medium–low" rating (projects must receive a "medium" or higher rating to be approved under the Federal New Starts Funds project) and determined ineligible to receive the $900 million in federal funding. FTA's concerns included the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's inexperience in large design-build contracts, an exaggeration of funding numbers from the Dulles Toll Road and an inability for Metro to maintain the 23-mile (37 km) line once it had been built. Virginian leaders vowed to address the concerns by January 28, 2008, as several fixed price contracts for building materials costs were due to expire on February 1.^[30][31] Governor Kaine requested an extension of the deadline to February 1, which was granted by the FTA.^[32]

On April 30, 2008, the FTA reversed the earlier decision and approved the above-ground project, saying that it met standards for cost efficiency, construction and ridership, moving it closer to receiving the $900 million in federal funding. Officials told The Washington Post that the project would move into the final design stage.^[33] The FTA approved funding for the project on December 4, 2008.^[34]

On March 10, 2009, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed the formal agreement that awarded the $900 million promised by the federal government for construction of the Silver Line, with major construction expected to begin in several weeks. Utility relocation work started at Tysons in mid-2008.^[35]

Construction

 

Project logo

MWAA planned to award a separate design-build contract for Phase 2.^[36] The Phase 2 contract was awarded in May 2013 and the projected completion date was to be in 2018.^[37] However, it was later extended to January 2019.^[38]

Although construction was planned to begin in 2005, the delays in approval of funding pushed back the start date. To facilitate Silver Line construction, responsibility for the project was transferred on November 1, 2008, from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to the MWAA. Utility relocation work began in 2008, and construction began on March 12, 2009.^[11][39]

The extension runs in its own right-of-way on a route similar to that of the Dulles Access Road, running both at grade and via aerial structures. The only significant diversions from the access road route are for the stops in Tysons and at Dulles International Airport, where the Metro is currently planned to alternate between subway and elevated track to maintain the exclusive right-of-way.

Service on Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened on July 26, 2014^[40] between Wiehle–Reston East and Largo Town Center, with five new stations being added to the existing network west of East Falls Church. The full line to Ashburn, including a station at Dulles International Airport, was at the time expected to be completed in 2018.^[41]

One lane of southbound Virginia Route 123 in Tysons was closed for a two-year period, starting on February 22, 2010, for construction of the McLean Metro station. The distance impacted was two blocks, from Scotts Crossing Road to the Capital Beltway.^[42]

Pier support

 

2010 view of a then unused bridge pier near West Falls Church station, intended to support a Silver Line bridge

 

The same bridge pier after construction completed

When the Orange Line was originally constructed in 1977, foundations for the bridges to carry the Silver Line over I-66 to the median of the Dulles Access Road were built up to ground level. These foundations included steel piles that were driven into the ground and capped with concrete. However, detailed records for these original foundations were lost. As a result, engineers asked for the foundations to be inspected by digging around them to determine the condition of each pile under the concrete foundation caps.^[43]

Some of the foundations are located in confined spots adjacent to I-66 and the electrified third rail of the Orange Line, making access difficult. Dulles Transit Partners offered to inspect seven foundations that were easily accessible, but the FTA insisted that all foundations be tested. Dulles Transit Partners and MWAA agreed to test all foundations before the bridge piers were built upon them. This required the portion of the Orange Line between the West Falls Church and East Falls Church Metro stations to be taken out of service on weekends while the tests were conducted.^[43] All foundations were acceptable and the bridge construction proceeded using the existing foundations.^[44]

Controversy

There has been controversy over the contract between the MWAA and Dulles Transit Partners, which consists of Bechtel and Washington Group International. The $2.7 billion project was originally awarded by VDOT under the Virginia Public-Private Partnership Act, rather than by using conventional competitive bidding based upon a detailed specification. As a result, the contractor is allowed to both design and build the project with no upper cap on its cost. Problems could arise from the arrangement where MWAA is supervising the design and construction but ultimately WMATA must operate the Silver Line.^[45] The contract provides for price escalation of $3 million to $6 million a month for delays.^[46] VDOT transferred the contract to MWAA when MWAA took over the project in November 2008.

Opening of Phase 1

The original schedule planned for revenue service to begin in 2013. The contractor reported to MWAA on February 7, 2014, that construction was complete. MWAA had fifteen days to review the documentation and decide whether it agreed, but on February 24 they announced that the contractor had failed to meet seven of twelve criteria outlined in the contract.^[47][48]

On March 19, 2014, MWAA announced additional delays in the project due to public address speakers and a communications cable that did not meet code and did not offer a new completion date. They hoped to turn it over to WMATA by April 9, 2014.^[49][50] WMATA requires an additional 90 days for testing and training.^[51] The system then underwent 90 days of testing and staff training. This suggested, at the time, that the line could open as early as July 4, 2014.^[52] On May 27, 2014, WMATA was handed over control of the line, with service to begin "within 90 days".^[53] Finally, on June 24, 2014, it was revealed that the official opening date for the first five stations had been set for July 26.^[49][54]

 

Pennant given to users of the Silver Line on its grand opening, July 26, 2014.

After a set of speeches and announcements prior to opening, which were televised on local cable television station News Channel 8, and attended by the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, Metro General Manager Richard Sarles, the entire Metro board of directors, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray, and other regional politicians, a ribbon cutting took place at Wiehle–Reston East, and shortly after noon on July 26, 2014, the five new stations were opened for passenger service.^[55][56][57]

Although the Silver Line attracted riders, its average weekday boarding was 17,100 during its first year of operations instead of the projected 25,000 riders.^[58]

Effect on the Metro map

Metro's iconic rail map, in distribution since Lance Wyman and Bill Cannan (Wyman & Cannan) designed it in 1976, takes – according to some observers – a "pop art" approach to representing its subway network.^[59] The Metro rail map uses thick strokes to mark its radial lines. To fit in the current space and make use of the iconography as currently proportioned, the map relies upon the fact that no more than two lines overlap at any single location.^[60] The addition of the Silver Line creates a three-line overlap from Rosslyn to Stadium–Armory, a fact that led WMATA to publicly announce in 2010 that it was considering a new map design.^[61] A number of unofficial attempts by graphic designers to redraw the Washington Metro map to include the Silver Line have done so by thinning the strokes throughout.^[62]

In 2003, predating Booth's attempt, WMATA released a professionally designed graphic that displayed the Silver Line on an unofficial map that resembled the current version, but with thin lines. The interplay between Metro's unofficial proposal and those of other designers received attention in a number of press outlets.^[59][62][63] A poster displaying a map of similar design has been hanging in DC Councilman Jack Evans' office for a number of years, but received scant attention until 2008.^[64] Wyman, one of the original designers of the map, was confirmed as the layout specialist who would be redesigning the map by The Washington Post on June 4, 2011.^[65]

A thick-line version of the map, released as part of Metro's Rush Plus plan, showed the Silver Line spurring off the Orange Line between the Ballston and East Falls Church stations in a northwesterly direction, with five unlabeled stops (the Phase 1 stations).^[66] The final map released for the Silver Line's Phase 1 opening features the stations shared by the three lines as normal stations, with the dots signifying stations located on the colored line in the center and small white stubs extending from the center dots into the adjoining colored lines.^[67]

Phase 2: Dulles extension

 

Unofficial Washington Metro system map with the Dulles extension

While construction of Phase 1 to Wiehle–Reston East was under way, the funding and planning of Phase 2 through Dulles Airport continued. This included the adoption of a special taxing district by the Town of Herndon^[68] and a public planning forum.^[69] Early cost estimates for Phase 2 had been $2.75 billion; however, a group of consultants increased the estimate in 2010 from $3.44 billion to $4.1 billion.^[70]

On April 6, 2011, the MWAA Board voted 9 to 4 to build an underground station located 550 feet (170 m) from the airport terminal rather than an above-ground station 1,150 feet (350 m) away from the terminal. The underground station would be more convenient to travelers, but would come at an additional cost of $330 million and would extend the construction time of the project, delaying the expected opening to mid-2017.^[71] Republican former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell opposed the decision to build a more expensive underground station and threatened to withhold support for the project. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood offered to mediate the dispute.^[72] On March 7, 2012, the projected $3.8 billion cost for Phase 2 was reduced to $2.7 billion with the elimination of the underground station at Dulles Airport and other cost savings.^[73]

The extension of the Silver Line to Dulles and Loudoun County was in jeopardy until July 3, 2012, when the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 4 to extend the line to Dulles Airport and into the county.^[74] On April 25, 2013, the Phase 2 contract was issued at a cost of $1.177 billion.^[75] On August 20, 2014, the United States Department of Transportation announced that Phase 2 would be funded with a $1.28 billion Transportation Infrastructure Financial Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan. This delivers part of an approximately $1.87 billion combined commitment of TIFIA loans for Phase 2, which represents the largest TIFIA assistance for a single project in the program's history.^[76]

Cracks were discovered in some concrete support girders in July 2015, causing work to be temporarily halted.^[77] By July 2016, 30% of the Phase 2 project had been completed. The contractors reported that significant progress was made with regard to the structure of the line.^[78] By March 2017, completion of Phase 2 construction had reached 56% with work on the rail yard at Dulles Airport reaching 46%, 76% of deck spans being poured, and all aerial guideway girders over the Dulles Access Road near Saarinen Circle being set in place. MWAA reported that crews would soon begin installation of pedestrian bridges at the five stations under construction in the median of the Dulles Access Road and the Dulles Greenway.^[79]

By January 2018, it was reported that 76% of Phase 2 construction was completed.^[80] However, a few months later it was discovered that multiple sections of cement walls of the new Metro stations were poorly designed, making them prone to water infiltration. Construction contractors took action to fix the problem and said it would not impact the extension's projected 2020 opening.^[81] The contractor Capital Rail Constructors (CRC) and the supplier Universal Concrete pledged to fix the problem, and CRC also committed to spraying the concrete with a special sealant every 10 years as needed. Later, in May 2018, the federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia unsealed allegations by a former employee at Universal Concrete Corporation that precast concrete used in five of the six Phase 2 Silver Line stations had been produced from aggregate from a different quarry than the one specified in construction contracts.^[82] Officials took four core samples from each of the five affected stations for microscopic testing to determine whether the panels complied with project requirements.^[82] That July, the governments of Virginia and the United States sued Universal Concrete for providing false records and defective materials.^[83] In September 2018, it was revealed that about 400 of the concrete rail ties on Phase 2 were defective, in that they caused the rails to bend outward. However, Metro and CRC were not able to agree on a solution before that December.^[84]

Despite these controversies, progress of the extension's construction steadily approached completion throughout the rest of the year, reaching 78% in June,^[82] 86% in September^[85] and 92% by January 2019.^[86] A month later, it was deemed that the extension would be ready for testing that would last for several months, starting with two recently retired 5000 series railcars towed by a diesel to clean the third rail while it is disabled, before energizing it to allow for more dynamic train testing.^[87] Despite reports of trouble that prevented early test trains from going so far,^[88] testing eventually continued throughout the expansion and into Dulles Airport in March.^[89] The following month, progress of construction reached 95%.^[90]

In June 2019, an updated estimation of Phase 2's completion was made, stating that it could be ready for service at about the third quarter of 2020.^[91] In August 2019, MWAA announced that Phase 2 would open around mid July 2020 but WMATA expressed some doubts.^[92] Towards the end of the year, after considering the pace of the work being done and efforts to address outstanding issues, Metro officials then announced that the second phase may not be ready for service until about September 2020.^[93] During a Metro board meeting in December 2019, officials floated the idea of fully replacing the defective concrete panels provided by the MWAA during construction, instead of just repairing them. Should these plans go through, Phase 2's launch date may be pushed back by another year from September 2020.^[94]

By early February 2020, it was reported that construction was 98% complete.^[95] However, by the end of March 2020, while determining a budget for the 2020–2021 fiscal year (and having taken the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration), Metro re-evaluated the timetable for the second phase's launch and anticipated it would be ready for service on April 1, 2021.^[96]

From March 26, 2020, until June 28, 2020, trains were bypassing Greensboro, McLean, East Falls Church, Virginia Square–GMU, Clarendon, Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, Federal Center SW, and Morgan Boulevard stations due to the local impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the Washington D.C. area.^[97][98][99] All stations reopened on June 28, 2020.

On April 23, 2020, WMATA announced that Silver Line service would be suspended beginning on May 23, 2020, in order to rebuild stations west of Ballston–MU station and to complete the second phase of the Silver Line. This was in part due to the historically low ridership numbers for the transit agency due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, traffic free highways, and WMATA wanting to get around the clock maintenance done; it would be easier for work to be done without any riders or trains interfering with the workers. They offered local bus service from Wiehle, Greensboro, Spring Hill, Tysons, McLean, and East Falls Church to Ballston. Originally, WMATA planned on reducing Orange and Silver Line trains while continuously single tracking at East Falls Church instead of a full closure.^[100][101] Later that summer, while the Silver Line was closed, work began on integrating Phase 2's computerized control systems with those of the rest of the Metrorail system, a crucial step towards its completion. Phase 2's train control systems were finally integrated with that of the Metrorail system by the end of August and three more days of closures took place in November and December for final dynamic testing.^[102] On June 24, 2020, WMATA announced that Silver Line service would resume three weeks early when trains are able to bypass East Falls Church station.^[103][104] All Silver Line service resumed on August 16, 2020, when Silver and Orange Line trains were able to bypass East Falls Church.^[105] East Falls Church reopened on August 23, 2020.^[106]

In September 2020, the Metro Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that more cracks were discovered in five of the six new stations on the second phase and wants the concrete panels to be replaced before the WMATA Board accepts responsibility and opens the new extension. In light of ongoing issues, as well as budget cuts resulting from declining ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Metro pushed back the opening of the Phase 2 extension first to July 2021,^[107][108] and on December 15, 2020, to Fall of 2021.^[109]

On December 14, 2020, WMATA announced that Blue Line service would be suspended between February 13 to May 23, 2021, in order to rebuild the platforms at both Arlington Cemetery and Addison Road. Silver Line trains would run in place of the Blue Line every 12 minutes during the weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends while bypassing Addison Road.^[110] In early 2021, construction completion of Phase 2 reached 99 percent.^[111] As of March 2021, Phase 2 was projected to open to passenger service in early 2022.^[112]

On November 4, 2021, MWAA declared the work on the rail line to be "substantially complete"; however, WMATA estimated that it could take five months of testing and other preparations before passenger service could begin.^[113] The expansion took another major step towards completion and opening for service the following month with the completion of the rail yard,^[114] followed by initial tests of the full Phase 2 route days later. WMATA took control of the expansion in mid-January and is conducting a final round of testing for several months before it can be opened for service.^[115] After all the tie-in procedures were completed, WMATA took control of all remaining work to be done for Phase 2 and conducted a final round of testing before it could be ready for service. In January 2022, the opening was to be ready for service in May 2022 after four months of testing.^[116] In early March 2022, Phase 2 was projected to open in July 2022.^[117] However, on March 24, 2022, general manager Paul Wiedefeld announced that the projected opening would be delayed once again and declined to give an estimated date of completion.^[118]

In June 2022, interim general manager Andy Off announced that WMATA was moving closer to announcing a completion date and expected to takeover the Phase 2 project in the next coming weeks.^[119] On June 23, 2022, WMATA announced that it had taken over control of the Phase 2 project from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.^[120] Final testing of Phase 2 was scheduled to occur throughout early October via the actual running of empty trains throughout its course, and Metro expected all safety certification for this expansion to be completed around the same time before it finally opened for service.^[121] On September 22, Metro's board of directors voted unanimously in a meeting to authorize current general manager Randy Clarke to determine the opening date for Phase 2.^[122] Simulated service testing began operating along the Phase 2 tracks between October 3 and 17, 2022.^{[123][124][125]}

Following these simulated runs, WMATA announced that the extension would likely open before Thanksgiving, with one final impediment towards opening of service being a shortage of available 7000-series trains that could service it after a derailment near the Rosslyn station a year prior put most of them out of service, with plans to restore them hampered by conflicts with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.^[126][127]

The extension opened on November 15, 2022, with an opening ceremony held at Dulles International Airport station.^[128]

Closures

On June 3, 2023, service was temporarily suspended between McLean and Ballston-MU stations for track replacement and resumed on June 26, 2023.^[129][130]

Route

The Silver Line has two primary goals. The first is to link Washington, D.C. by rail to Dulles International Airport and the Northern Virginia edge cities of Tysons, Reston, Herndon, and Ashburn. The second is to spur urban development in Tysons and reduce overall reliance on highway traffic in the business district, Virginia's largest and the 12th-largest in the country. The district's area is comparable in size to downtown Washington, D.C., but is rather insulated from its surrounding neighborhoods and its streets have no existing grid pattern.^[131] The Silver Line also improves public access to the Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of National Air and Space Museum located near Dulles Airport; after the opening of the first phase of the Silver Line, Fairfax Connector began running shuttles to the museum from Wiehle–Reston East.^[132]

The pre-existing portions of the Silver Line opened as the Orange and Blue Lines on July 1, 1977, from Stadium–Armory to Rosslyn, on December 11, 1979, from Rosslyn to Ballston, November 22, 1980, from Stadium–Armory to Addison Road, June 7, 1986, from Ballston-MU through East Falls Church and December 18, 2004, from Addison Road to Downtown Largo. Unlike all prior segments of the Metrorail system, which were designed and constructed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Silver line was designed and constructed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and is operated by WMATA. The first phase of the project was funded 43% by $900 million of federal funding, 28% by a special tax district on commercial property proximate to the Silver Line route and 28% by a $0.50 toll increase on the Dulles Toll Road (State Route 267, SR 267).^[41] Funding for the second phase of the project is shared by Loudoun County, Fairfax County, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the MWAA.^[41]

While the Silver Line's eastern terminus was originally planned at Stadium–Armory, the plan was changed in 2012 for the line to instead originate at Downtown Largo because Stadium-Armory's pocket track is too short for trains to turn around.^[133] Traveling westward through the District of Columbia, the Silver Line shares the Blue and Orange Line tracks. It continues through Arlington along the Orange Line and branches off immediately east of the Orange Line's West Falls Church station. The new tracks run in the median of the Dulles Connector Road (SR 267) to an elevated bridge, which takes them over SR 123. Two elevated stops along the west side of Route 123 serve the national headquarters of Capital One, SAIC and two enclosed Tysons Corner shopping malls. The tracks then enter a tunnel which emerges in the median of SR 7. Two elevated stations above SR 7 serve the western section of Tysons. The elevated track then swings back into the median of the Dulles Access Road and Phase 1 terminated at Wiehle-Reston East.^[134]

In Phase 2, the Silver Line continues west in the Dulles Access Road's median until the airport. Along the way, four additional stations were built with platforms in the median of the road and a faregate and pedestrian bridges to parking areas elevated above the highway. In anticipation of the Herndon station being built, in 1999 Fairfax County constructed a 1,750-space parking garage with ramps to Dulles Access Road's toll lanes and this facility was used for bus commuters on an interim basis during Phase 2 construction. The garage drew criticism because of alleged construction flaws.^[135] As originally planned, upon reaching the airport the track enters a tunnel which follows the path of the arrivals driveway of the airport terminal to a station located close to the terminal. The track leaves the tunnel near the airport hotel and economy parking lots and heads north parallel to the main runways. A storage yard and maintenance facility branches off to the west occupying the airport's buffer zone north of the end of its major runways. The final two stops are in the median of the Dulles Greenway, serving the Ashburn suburb.^[134] Hence, the line is expected to draw both airport traffic and commuters from the far western suburbs of Washington. D.C.. Buses previously provided these users with limited public transportation. In contrast, the Silver Line will eventually provide trains once every six minutes during rush hours and once every fourteen minutes during non-rush hours.^[136]

Metro's new 7000-series cars were ordered at a price of $3 million per car,^[137] 64 of which are for Silver Line service.^[137] The contract was signed on July 2, 2010, for 428 cars.^[138]

 

Panoramic view of Silver Line Phase 1 project under construction between the Tysons Corner station on SR 123 at Tysons Boulevard and the overpass on the Capital Beltway (I-495).

Stations

Stations are listed by their approved names.^{[139][140][141][142]}

Station	Code	Opened	Other Metro Line(s)	Notes
Ashburn	N12	November 15, 2022		Western terminus Planning names: Route 772, Ryan Road
Loudoun Gateway	N11			Planning names: Route 606, Morgan Road
Dulles International Airport	N10
Innovation Center	N09			Planning names: Route 28, Herndon – Dulles East
Herndon	N08			Planning names: Herndon–Monroe, Herndon – Reston West
Reston Town Center	N07			Planning name: Reston Parkway
Wiehle–Reston East	N06	July 26, 2014		Previous western terminus Planning name: Wiehle Avenue
Spring Hill	N04			Planning names: Tysons West, Spring Hill Road
Greensboro	N03			Planning names: Tysons Central 7, Pike Seven
Tysons	N02
McLean	N01			Planning names: Tysons East, Tysons McLean, West Park
East Falls Church	K05	June 7, 1986		Transfer station for the Orange Line (Western)
Ballston–MU	K04	December 11, 1979
Virginia Square–GMU	K03
Clarendon	K02
Court House	K01
Rosslyn	C05	July 1, 1977		Transfer station for the Blue Line
Foggy Bottom–GWU	C04			This station is also called Foggy Bottom-GWU/Kennedy Center as seen on the Silver line westwards.
Farragut West	C03
McPherson Square	C02
Metro Center	C01	March 29, 1976		Transfer station for the Red Line
Federal Triangle	D01	July 1, 1977
Smithsonian	D02
L'Enfant Plaza	D03			at L'Enfant Transfer station for the Yellow and Green Lines
Federal Center SW	D04
Capitol South	D05
Eastern Market	D06
Potomac Avenue	D07
Stadium–Armory	D08			Transfer station for the Orange Line (Eastern)
Benning Road	G01	November 22, 1980
Capitol Heights	G02
Addison Road	G03
Morgan Boulevard	G04	December 18, 2004
Downtown Largo	G05			Eastern terminus

Future

Wolf Trap station was originally proposed as part of Phase 1 between Spring Hill station and Wiehle-Reston East station, but that station was excluded from the project due to profitability concerns.^[143]

A study published in 2013 overseeing a long-term plan for the system subsequent to the Phase 2 extension plans to Ashburn included a possible three-station extension of the Silver Line northwest to Leesburg, which is the seat of Loudoun County.^[144] The stations from northwest to southeast are VA 7 Bypass, Crosstrail Blvd and Belmont Ridge. The same study included either adding an infill station between Tysons Corner and McLean, or renaming the former, to allow transfer with a loop line that would parallel the Capital Beltway, named the "Beltway Line". This station would be named Beltway and 123.

In December 2019, WMATA began to study changes to the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines to relieve congestion at Rosslyn station. Each proposed option would involve the construction of a new Rosslyn II station that would be connected to the existing Rosslyn station, allowing one of the three lines to be separated from the other two lines, increasing capacity of the station. Two of the options proposed would involve that line being the Silver Line. In one option, from west to east, the Silver Line would run express from West Falls Church to the Rosslyn II station, with a single intermediate stop at a new Ballston II station. Then, the Silver Line would run along new tracks to a new station at Georgetown, followed by several new stations under M Street NW to Union Station. The Silver Line would then travel north-east to new stations in Ivy City, Port Towns, Hyattsville, and finally to new College Park II and Greenbelt II stations. In the second option, from west to east, the Silver Line would remain unchanged in Virginia until reaching the Rosslyn II station, after which point it would travel along new tracks to Georgetown, followed by several new stations under M Street NW to Union Station. Then, the Silver Line would travel north-east through Ivy City, Port Towns, Landover Hills, and finally intersect the Orange Line at New Carrollton.^[145][146]

See also

•  Transport portal
•  Trains portal

• Second Avenue Subway (New York)
• Purple Line (Maryland)
• Red Line Extension (Chicago)

References

1. "About". Silver Line Metro. from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
2. Holeywell, Ryan; Lippman, Daniel (April 2012). "The 5 Biggest U.S. Infrastructure Projects, Plus 5 at Risk". Governing. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
3. Neibauer, Michael (March 9, 2012). "30 Years: Construction Begins on Dulles Metrorail Extension". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
4. . Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved August 12, 2006.
5. Lynton, Stephen (July 17, 1983). "Metro's Behind Schedule, but Expansion is in View". The Washington Post. p. B1.
6. "Metro to Have Eight Major Routes in District, Suburbs: Plan Is Result of Ten Years of Study, Discussions, Revisions by Areas". The Washington Post. March 2, 1968. p. B7. ProQuest 143458136.
7. Eisen, Jack (June 10, 1969). "Metro Link To Dulles Is Spong's Aim". The Washington Post. p. A9. ProQuest 143579965.
8. Eisen, Jack (December 19, 1969). "Senate Votes Study On Fast Rail Link To Dulles Airport". The Washington Post. p. B5. ProQuest 143676469.
9. "D.C.-Dulles Metro Use Is Estimated". The Washington Post. September 12, 1971. p. A15. ProQuest 147983506.
10. Chapter 560 of the 1995 Acts of the Assembly. Commonwealth of Virginia.
11. . MWAA. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
12. Layton, Lyndsey; Shear, Michael D. (August 1, 2003). "Metrorail Plan May Be Tough Sell for Va.: Officials See Possible Difficulties in Gaining U.S. Funds for Extension to Reston Area". The Washington Post. p. B1. ProQuest 409611748.
13. Shear, Michael D.; Ginsberg, Steven (March 27, 2006). "Toll Road To Fund Rail Line To Dulles". The Washington Post. p. A01.
14. "Recommendation Paper to the Dulles Corridor and Finance Committees" (PDF). October 2009. p. 5. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
15. "Airports Authority Board Approves Toll Rate Increases on Dulles Toll Road" (PDF). November 4, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
16. "Exhibit 3 to MWAA Toll Rate Increase Hearing" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2009.
17. Freeman, Sholnn (November 5, 2009). "Airport board raises rates for Dulles Toll Road: Commuters' objections fail to derail plan to help finance Metro extension". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
18. Thorp, Gene (April 26, 2006). "Rail Tunnel Graphic". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
19. MacGillis, Alec (March 24, 2006). "Cost Dooms Metro Plan For Tunnel At Tysons". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
20. MacGillis, Alec (April 26, 2006). "Tunnel Back On Table for Dulles Rail". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
21. MacGillis, Alec (May 16, 2006). "Tunnel Decision Delayed 2 Months". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
22. MacGillis, Alec (July 27, 2006). "Wolf, Davis Say Tunnel May Delay Dulles Rail". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
23. (Press release). American Society of Civil Engineers. July 31, 2006. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
24. MacGillis, Alec (September 7, 2006). "No Tunnel For Tysons, Kaine Says". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
25. . TysonsTunnel. December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
26. Carter & Burgess, Inc. (January 22, 2007). (PDF). p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
27. Tucker, Matthew O. (March 7, 2007). (PDF). Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
28. Tayloe, Monty (November 27, 2007). "Tysons Tunnel sues FTA". Fairfax Times. Retrieved January 6, 2008.^{[dead link]}
29. "Letter from Tatyana Schum  – formerly with TysonsTunnel". dcurbanmon.com. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
30. (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. January 24, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
31. . WRC-TV NBC 4, Washington, D.C. January 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 1, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
32. . WTOP News. January 29, 2008. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
33. Gardner, Amy (April 30, 2008). "Dulles Rail Set to Get Federal Approval". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
34. Gardner, Amy (December 4, 2008). "Silver Line To Dulles Wins Crucial Federal Okay". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
35. Gardner, Amy (March 10, 2009). . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
36. Kravitz, Derek (November 9, 2010). "Metro stop's location could mar view of Dulles". The Washington Post. p. B5.
37. "Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Newsletter". November 2012.
38. "FHWA - Center for Innovative Finance Support - Project Profiles". www.fhwa.dot.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
39. Flook, William C. (March 23, 2009). "Commuters, employers prep for Tysons traffic nightmares". WTOP. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
40. "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
41. "Frequently Asked Questions". Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
42. "Two Year Lane Closing on Southbound Route 123 Starts Feb. 22" (PDF). MWAA public notice. February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
43. Rein, Lisa (December 4, 2009). "Extensive testing in new safety plan for Metro bridge". The Washington Post. p. B4. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
44. Rein, Lisa (July 2, 2010). "Aging pier footings pass safety tests for Dulles Metrorail Project". The Washington Post. p. B4. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
45. Assistant Inspector General of Surface and Maritime Programs, Department of Transportation (July 27, 2007). . Archived from the original on July 2, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
46. Kravitz, Derek (August 5, 2007). "Costs to Rise for Metrorail to Dulles". The Washington Post. p. C4. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
47. Aratani, Lori (February 7, 2014). "Contractor says Silver Line is complete; MWAA now has 15 days to decide". The Washington Post. photograph by Matt McClain. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
48. Aratani, Lori (February 24, 2014). "Metro Silver Line faces another delay". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
49. Aratani, Lori (March 19, 2014). "Problems with speakers, cable add to Silver Line delays". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
50. Schumitz, Kali (March 19, 2014). "The scramble to complete the Silver Line: MWAA officials still not prepared to share timeline for completion". Fairfax Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
51. Cushman & Wakefield. "Silver Line". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved March 26, 2014. Construction of the five Metro stations was recently completed and developers are working on software testing. The system will go under 90 days of testing and staff training.
52. Smith, Max; Ash, Ari (April 4, 2014). "Silver Line on track to open by July 4". WTOP. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
53. "Metro takes control, Silver Line could open in 90 days". ABC 7. May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
54. "Silver Line Service". Silver Line Metro. from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
55. "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
56. "After fanfare, long-awaited Silver Line debuts shortly after noon". WJLA. Associated Press. July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
57. . DCist. July 26, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
58. Lazo, Luz (July 27, 2015). "Year-old Silver Line is celebrated as a catalyst for change in Tysons Corner". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
59. DePillis, Lydia (October 21, 2010). "Metrobusted: D.C.'s subway system needs a new map. Is anything worth saving?". Washington City Paper. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
60. Alpert, David (October 7, 2008). "Brown Line: We don't need a new color". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved February 2, 2011. As several commenters mentioned, the thick lines take up a lot of room and, with the Silver Line [and Brown Line], we'd have six lines going through L'Enfant. Metro can alleviate this by thinning out the colors, but that's still a lot.
61. Tuss, Adam (October 5, 2010). "Metro prepping map for makeover". WTOP-FM. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
62. Malouff, Dan (February 19, 2010). "The Booth Map: Redesigning WMATA's map". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
63. Hammond, J.D. (October 26, 2010). "Fixing WMATA's Metrorail Map". The Washington Examiner.
64. Alpert, David (September 5, 2008). "2003 WMATA expansion map". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
65. Hedgpeth, Dana (June 4, 2011). "After more than 30 years, Metro map is being redesigned by creator, Lance Wyman". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
66. . WMATA. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
67. (PDF). Silver Line Metro. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
68. Kravitz, Derek (December 22, 2009). "Self-tax allowed for N.Va. businesses to fund Metro stations". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
69. Hosh, Kafia A. (July 19, 2010). "Development near Herndon's future Metro station topic of public forum Monday". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
70. Kravitz, Derek (September 16, 2010). "Silver Line costs soars for 2nd phase". p. B1.
71. Hosh, Kafia (April 7, 2011). "Dulles to get underground Metro station". The Washington Post. p. B1. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
72. Fabel, Leah (May 10, 2011). "LaHood offers to mediate Dulles Rail funding fight". The Washington Examiner. p. 5.
73. . Railway Track and Structures. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
74. Jacobson Moore, Erika (July 3, 2012). . Leesburg Today Media Services. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
75. "Airports Authority Intends to Award Phase 2 Construction Contract to Capital Rail Constructors" (Press release). April 25, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
76. "U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces $1.28 Billion Loan for Phase Two Silver Line to Dulles" (Press release). Washington. August 20, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
77. Aratani, Lori (August 27, 2015). "Crews resume some girder work on Silver Line, phase 2". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
78. "Phase 2 Construction Reaches 30 Percent Completion". dullesmetro.com. Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. July 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
79. "Construction Passes 56 Percent During Very Mild Winter". dullesmetro.com. Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. March 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
80. Waseem, Fatimah (January 18, 2018). "Silver Line Phase 2 Construction is Nearly 76 Percent Complete". Reston Now. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
81. Artani, Lori (April 25, 2018). "Silver Line officials rush to replace defective panels at five Phase 2 stations". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
82. "Phase 2 Rail Construction Hits 78 Percent". dullesmetro.com. Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. June 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
83. "Virginia, U.S. sue company behind defective Metro Silver Line concrete". Washington Post. July 10, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
84. "New problems for the Silver Line Phase 2: Officials say rail ties are flawed". Washington Post. December 12, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
85. "Dulles Metro Update". MWAA. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
86. "Dulles Metro Update". MWAA. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
87. Wanek-Libman, Mischa (February 6, 2019). "Test trains begin on Silver Line Phase 2 to Dulles". Mass Transit magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
88. Tuss, Adam; Paz, Christian (February 6, 2019). "First Silver Line Test Train Only Made It 1,000 Feet Out of Station". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
89. Taylor, Dan (March 21, 2019). "Metro Test Trains Spotted Near Reston, Herndon". Patch.com. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
90. Parsons, Jim (April 24, 2019). "Concrete Quality Is Latest Setback for Virginia Rail Line". Engineering News Record. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
91. Smith, Max (June 13, 2019). "Construction on Silver Line extension hits a new snag". WTOP. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
92. Smith, Max (August 6, 2019). "First potential opening date set for Silver Line into Loudoun County". WTOP. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
93. Pascale, Jordan (November 25, 2019). . DCist. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
94. "Silver Line Extension Could Maybe, Possibly Open in September?".
95. Smith, Max (February 6, 2020). "Silver Line to Dulles looks done, but may not open until 2021". WTOP. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
96. Smith, Max (March 30, 2020). "Metro sets fare hikes, bus cuts in budget — with coronavirus caveat". WTOP. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
97. (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
98. "Metrorail stations closed due to COVID-19 pandemic". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. March 23, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
99. "Metro to reopen 15 stations, reallocate bus service to address crowding, starting Sunday". WMATA. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
100. "Metro to use upcoming low-ridership summer to maximum effect, expands Orange, Silver line shutdown". www.wmata.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
101. George, Justin (April 23, 2020). "Metro extends summer shutdown to include the Silver Line to take advantage of pandemic slowdown". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2020. "The change to the shutdown schedule, which begins Memorial Day and lasts through LaborDay, means there will be no Silver Line service."
102. Taylor, Madeline (August 24, 2020). "Silver Line Extension Clears Major Hurdle". RestonNow. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
103. "Silver Line service will return August 16, along with reopening of six stations in Fairfax County". www.wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
104. Pascale, Jordan. . DCist. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
105. "Metro to add more buses, trains and extended hours as part of Covid-19 Recovery Plan beginning Sunday, August 16". www.wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
106. "Metro announces reopening of East Falls Church and Arlington Cemetery stations on Aug. 23". WJLA. August 17, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
107. "More cracks were found at Silver Line stations. Here's what needs to happen before Metro opens Phase 2". Greater Greater Washington. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
108. "Metro forced to make budget cuts, Silver Line expansion delayed". LocalDVM. September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
109. "Silver Line Phase II Pushed to At Least Fall 2021". Reston Now. December 15, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
110. "Metro announces travel alternatives during spring platform reconstruction work". www.wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
111. Fields, Scott (January 26, 2021). "Silver Line Phase II On Track for Fall Opening Despite Metro Financial Concerns". Reston Now. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
112. Aratani, Lori (March 5, 2021). "Silver Line's second phase should reach 'substantial completion' by Labor Day, project director says". Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
113. <Silver Line extension to Dulles inches closer to completion after years of delay, The Washington Post, November 4, 2021
114. Artani, Lori (December 1, 2021). "Silver Line extension takes a large step forward with completion of rail yard at Dulles Airport". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
115. Potter, Bruce (December 14, 2021). "Trains running on Silver Line extension as testing begins; opening date not set yet". Inside NoVa. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
116. Waseem, Fatimah (June 22, 2020). "Silver Line Extension Takes Big Step Toward Completion". RestonNow. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
117. "Silver Line extension opening date pushed once again to summer 2022". FFXnow. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
118. "'Extreme disappointment' — Metro revises plan to bring back 7000 Series cars; Silver Line delayed". WTOP News. March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
119. "Metro's Silver Line extension moves closer to finish line". Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
120. "Silver Line Extension transferred to Metro's control". wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
121. Murillo, Mike (September 20, 2022). "Metro trains to start test runs on new phase of Silver Line". WTOP. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
122. Waseem, Fatimah (September 22, 2022). "Metro board takes key step to setting opening date of Silver Line Phase II". FFXNow. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
123. "Simulated service for Silver Line Phase Two to begin next month but opening date uncertain". FFXnow. September 8, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
124. "Your new Silver Line stations coming soon with a new Metrorail map". www.wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
125. "Next Phase of Silver Line to Open Soon". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
126. Waseem, Fatimah (October 19, 2022). "BREAKING: Silver Line Phase II could start 'in time' for Thanksgiving, but more trains needed, Metro says". FFXNow. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
127. "Metro approved for more trains, plans to open Silver Line by Thanksgiving". Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
128. "Metro launches Silver Line Extension with opening ceremony; welcomes customers to #RideSilver to six new stations" (Press release). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. November 15, 2022.
129. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/transportation/metro-to-close-4-orange-silver-line-stations-in-virginia-for-weeks-impacting-travel-to-dulles-airport/3359208/
130. "Metro to reopen two Orange and Silver line stations, second phase of Orange Line work continues through July 16". WMATA. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
131. (PDF). WMATA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
132. Thomson, Robert (June 19, 2014). "New bus to the air and space museum in Virginia". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
133. Kahn, Nikki (December 5, 2012). "Metro details Silver Line service changes". The Washington Post.
134. . MWAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
135. Turque, Bill (January 27, 2008). "Authorities Cringe as Va. Garage Crumbles". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
136. (PDF). WMATA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
137. Tuss, Adam (March 22, 2010). "Metro's oldest rail cars will be rolling out of service". WTOP-FM. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
138. Rein, Lisa; Kumar, Anita (July 2, 2010). "Metro's directors back $300 million accord with Va". The Washington Post. p. B4. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
139. . April 10, 2012. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
140. Hosh, Kafia (March 29, 2011). "Fairfax OKs names for new Metrorail stations". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
141. Hosh, Kafia (March 30, 2011). "Fairfax names new Metro stations". The Washington Post. p. B5.
142. Neibauer, Michael (April 27, 2015). "Loudoun Silver Line station names finalized with Metro board approval". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
143. Yates, Steven. "Ask GGW: Why is there no Silver Line station at Wolf Trap?". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
144. "Regional Transit System Plan (RTSP)" (PDF). planitmetro.com. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. December 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
145. https://www.wmata.com/about/board/meetings/board-pdfs/upload/4A-Blue-Orange-Silver-Capacity-Reliability-Study.pdf^{[bare URL PDF]}
146. Denham, Hannah (September 7, 2021). "Here's how Metro could transform the Blue, Orange and Silver lines in the coming decades". Washington Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 25, 2022.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Silver Line (Washington Metro)

KML is from Wikidata

  Media related to Silver Line (Washington Metro) at Wikimedia Commons

• Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Project