WMATA: Silver Line Phase 2 Advances, Slated for Operational Testing

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority targets a late-summer handoff of the Silver Line Metrorail’s second phase to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The Airports Authority has been managing construction of the 23-mile extension, formally called the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project, from Reston to Ashburn, Va. The 11.7-mile, 5-station Phase 1 opened for revenue service in 2014, connecting East Falls Church with Tysons Corner and Reston. (See map below.) The 11.4-mile Phase 2 extends the line from the eastern edge of Reston, west to Washington Dulles International Airport and to Ashburn in eastern Loudoun County, Va. It includes six new stations and a rail maintenance facility. Capital Rail Constructors is building the rail line and stations under contract with the Airports Authority, and the rail yard and maintenance facility, located on more than 90 acres of airport land, are being built by Hensel Phelps/Stantec.

Once the Airport Authority certifies “substantial completion” of the project and hands it off on Sept. 6 (Labor Day), WMATA will perform “further testing, training and operational demonstrations, which would then lead to [WMATA] setting a future date for passenger service,” according to the Airport Authority. Phase 2 was originally scheduled to open in 2018.

“We understand the concerns caused by construction delays, and we thank our project partners and contractors for their commitment as we work together to deliver a safe, reliable and durable rail line to serve the traveling public,” said Charles Stark, Airports Authority Senior Vice President of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. “Recent progress on outstanding issues has put us in a position to establish a target date for substantial completion and will enable Metro to solidify its plans for final testing, training and starting passenger service.”