All systems are go for Saturday’s opening of Phase 1 of the Silver Line, Metro officials said in Monday’s weekly press conference call.
There are still a few punch list items remaining — among them, application of heat tape on rails as a cold-weather precaution and Certificates of Occupancy for three stations.
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the heat tape, along with outstanding drainage issues, is the responsibility of contractors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which constructed Phase 1. Those items can be done after service begins, he said. He also said he expects the Certificates of Occupancy for the McLean, Tysons Corner and Spring Hill stations to arrive this week.
“From a systems perspective, everything is running as designed and we see no issues,” Stessel said. “The last step is a couple of regulatory documents. I see no reason they will not be in hand in short order.”
Construction of the Silver Line suffered many delays as it neared the end of the five-year building period. As recently as June 9, Metro was expressing frustration at the slow pace of the work. Prior to that, MWAA and Metro reached an agreement in April that allowed MWAA to complete remaining items after the project was handed over to Metro — and avoid paying potential fines for every day the project was delayed.
Now it is just a matter of employees and trains getting used to adding thousands of riders to the rail system every day.
The Silver Line began simulated service on Sunday, with trains running every 12 minutes and without any issues, said Stessel. The trains are running on schedule but without passengers. Passenger service begins at noon on Saturday.
On Monday morning, trains ran every six minutes on a regular weekday rush hour schedule, also with no problems.
“This week is about familiarizing employyes with operation of trains on the new segment,” said Stessel. “Station managers were at their posts this morning. They opened the stations, even though they are not open for passengers. Crews will also be out prepping stations for opening day — powerwashing, painting and putting finishing touches on facilities.”
Some Blue Line riders are affected by additional wait times due to the addition of Silver Line cars, but Stessel said increased wait times affect only 10 percent of Metro riders.
“Silver Line changes mean more service and a lesser wait for 37 percent of Metro riders,” he said. “Thirty-three percent (mostly riders on the Red Line and Green Line) will see no change.”
Plans for Saturday include a ribbon cutting and remarks from local dignitaries at 10 a.m. Passengers will be able to board the first trains at noon. Comstock will also have a public reception on the Reston Station plaza from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More Silver Line opening news:
Reston’s future as a transit-oriented community officially gets started next week, when the first Silver Line Metro train departs from the Wiehle-Reston East station.
But for Restonians and other nearby residents, accessing the station is nearly important as the riding the trains. Visitors got a look on Saturday at where the bikes will go, where the buses will drop off and depart, and other logistics at a Fairfax County open house.
Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, who was one of many local dignitaries who worked for many years to get rail to Reston, says the seven-level, 3,300-space garage and Comstock’s mixed-use development above it is a great example of a public-private partnership that will benefit the entire community.
The county and Comstock teamed to build the $90 million parking structure, which will feature a bicycle repair room, parking for 200 bikes and 10 bus bays. It is the only station on the five-stop, 11-mile Silver Line Phase 1 that features parking. Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the Silver Line for at least five years, when Phase 2 will take passengers to Reston Parkway, Herndon, Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.
Hudgins says she hopes residents will look at the many ways to access the Metro station.
“Yes, we are celebrating the garage,” she said prior to a ceremonial ribbon cutting. “But we want our neighbors to get out of their cars and get on Metro. “A lot of folks can ride their bikes here if they chose. We’ve improved bus services.”
Representatives from Fairfax Connector, Fairfax Advocates for Better Biking, Metro, Washington Flyer and other transportation-related groups were on hand to answer questions from potential Metro users. On the plaza above the garage, visitors could check out the construction of Comstock’s BLVD apartments.
Some of the open house visitors were making plans on how Metro will fit into their lives on a daily basis. Others said they plan to take it occasionally to get into D.C.
Bob Whiteman of Oak Hill said he moved to Reston in 1980, and even then his Realtor told him “a train to Dulles would be here in five years.”
“I believed [rail] would never happen,” he said. But now that he is two years from retirement, the federal employee said he will most likely stick to his usual commute.
“It is actually cheaper to carpool downtown and pay for parking,” he said.”But I will take Metro at some point, like during a snowstorm.”
Denver Lovett, a retiree who has lived in Reston since 1974, said he is looking forward to the convenience on a lot of levels.
“I won’t have to drive to the Vienna Metro at Nutley,” he said. “When my daughter comes to visit from New York, she can just ride Metro here from downtown. It is going to make the trip so much better. Hopefully traffic around the station won’t be too bad.”
The garage officially opens on Saturday, July 26, the same day as Silver Line trains start running. Parking at Wiehle-Reston East will be $4.85 a day; $65 a month for reserved parking. Spaces in the bike room will be $65 annually (with a $10 charge for the key fob). For more details, read this previous Reston Now story.
Metro is still planning to open the Silver Line on July 26 even though work remains unfinished by Bechtel contractor Dulles Transit Partners.
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said on Monday that several items DTP should have completed by now are not finished.
One area — the application of heat tape on the third rail — is to be done by the end of July according to the post-operational readiness agreement. Stessel says the heat tape work has not even started.
“It has been disappointing to us to see that the contractor has not been taking advantage of every available work window,” he said. “They could have done much more.”
Stessel said DTP has also not resolved water leaks at several stations. He said that the heat tape, which prevents freezing so it isn’t urgently needed in July, can be applied after opening.
“Our goal has been to get anything that required track access out of the way so it does not affect passenger service,” said Stessel. “Unless they step up their game, we will have them do that during non revenue hours.”
Meanwhile, the Tri-State Oversight Committee has completed its inspections and found no issues, Stessel said. Certificates of Occupancy should be in place next week.
The opening of the $2.9 billion, 11-mile Phase 1 of the Silver Line has been delayed by several months. Many of the delays this spring were due to unfinished items. MWAA (which oversaw construction of Silver Line Phase 1) and Metro reached a special agreement in April to allow the turnover of the project to Metro with unfinished items, provided DTP got the work done prior to passenger service.
As recently as June 9, Metro was expressing frustration at the slow pace of work.
In other Silver Line news:
Simulated Silver Line Service begins Sunday. Trains will run on the same schedule that they will operate after July 26. The trains will not be available for passengers. However, passengers can ride the trains from East Falls Church to Large Town Center as part of Orange Line service. Beginning Monday, July 21, trains at the far end of the Orange Line will run every six minutes during rush hour.
The Metro website has been updated. The online trip planner now includes updated schedule information to include the Silver Line fares and schedules.
Metro alerts have been updated for Silver Line users. If you get Metro Alerts, you can now pick Silver Line info (i.e., delays, issues) to be sent to you.
The first train on the Silver Line will leave Wiehle-Reston East at noon on July 26.
When Metro’s Silver Line project received approval for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans last May, it seemed as though funding challenges for the line’s Phase 2 were solved.
But that money may now be in jeopardy, and Rep. Gerry Connolly is urging his fellow Congressmen to act quickly to reach a solution.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has notified all states that restrictions will be placed on their federal highway funds starting Aug. 1 because the Highway Trust Fund, which funds the TIFIA loans, is bordering on bankruptcy. Some experts have estimated the fund needs an infusion of more than $6 billion to move forward.
“The urgency for Congress to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund grows with each passing day,” Connolly said late last week. “Road, bridge, and eventually mass transit improvements in every state are at risk of grinding to a halt in a matter of weeks in the heart of the summer construction season unless we act responsibly to address this challenge.”
While Phase 1 of the $5.6 billion rail line — which is slated to open July 26 — received $900 million in federal funding, Phase 2 originally received none. Many observers, including citizen advocacy group Reston 2020, predicted a large spike in tolls to make up the difference.
Tolls have risen the last three years, but with TIFIA loans in place they would remain frozen for five years, MWAA officials said last spring. Phase 2 is also slated to receive $300 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Phase 2 will run from Reston’s Wiehle Avenue to stations at Reston Parkway, Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn. Phase 2 is scheduled to open in 2018.
The Silver Line’s $1.9 billion is to be largest loan in the TIFIA program’s history. Sen. Mark Warner said earlier this spring that the final approval is “great news for the future economic growth of Northern Virginia.”
The Highway Trust Fund is financed through the federal gas tax, which is currently 18.3 cents per gallon, but that surcharge has not been adjusted since 1993 and the tax has lost nearly 40 purchasing power. In recent years, Congress has had to transfer money from the General Fund to keep the Trust Fund solvent.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates Trust Fund expenses will exceed revenue starting in August. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the Trust Fund needs an infusion of $6.6 billion to meet its obligations through December.
In Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected by the trust fund shortfall, said Connolly. Here are some of the other effects if the federal funds fall through, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation:
- 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold
- 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced
- 44 smaller transit systems would not be able to maintain service
- 350 other projects would grind to a halt
- 43,000 jobs would be lost
“Roads and bridges are crumbling in the commonwealth and in every other state,” said Connolly. “Our transportation network serves as the backbone of our economy, and it’s only a matter of time before that decay begins to negatively affect our communities and their economic competitiveness.”
Connolly recently cosponsored legislation with Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) to close an offshore corporate tax loophole to replenish the Trust Fund.
Lynn Bowersox, Metro’s assistant general manager for customer service, communications and marketing, answered questions from future Silver Line readers recently in an online chat hosted by The Washington Post.
After five years of construction and more than six months of recent delays, the Silver Line will open on Saturday, July 26, Metro officials said last week. The first train will leave the Wiehle-Reston East station at noon.
Here are some of the chat highlights.
Q: Is this line similar in nature to the MARC, but it just happens to run parallel to the Blue Line in some parts, use the same rails and stations to the Blue & Orange lines?
A: The Silver Line will look and feel just like the existing Metrorail lines. There are five new stations in the first phase — four in Tysons Corner and one in Reston. The line will serve these five new stations, and then connect them via the existing Orange and Blue lines with about 2 dozen other stations from East Falls Church, through Downtown DC, to Largo.
Q: How long will a commute take from Herndon into the city at 7:30 a.m. peak rush?
A: Herndon is part of Silver Line’s second phase, which will open in a few years. If you’d like to check travel times from the Wiehle-Reston East station (closest to Herndon), you can do that here.
Q: Has Metro taken into account the crowds and problems on the Orange Line that will be created by running a full week of non-passenger Silver line testing starting July 20th? Orange line trains will drop back to their planned intervals when the Silver line starts, but there will be no Silver line to supplement. So we will have all the bus riders and people that would otherwise be rerouted from WFC in particular, waiting for trains at least 6 minutes or more apart. It will be a long week for commuters.
A: During the week of simulated service, those “Silver Line” trains will carry passengers between East Falls Church and Largo Town Center. They will be labeled as Orange Line trains through that segment. So, that week, stations like East Falls Church, Ballston and Court House will actually see a service increase.
Q: What percentage of Silver Line riders do you anticipate will be former Orange Line Riders (those for whom the Silver line will be more convenient) as opposed to new riders?
A: About 25-30 percent will be existing (Orange Line) customers. The rest are expected to be new riders to the system.
Q: Will there be parking at Wiehle when the Silver Line begins service? Driving by this weekend, it did not look like the garage was near completion.
A: Yes it will be ready, opening at 9:30 a.m. on July 26. For details, you can visit the LAZ Parking website at lazparking.com. (Reston Now editor’s note: The garage has been complete for nearly a year. What you see under construction is the future BLVD apartments that are located on top of the parking garage.)
Q: Why doesn’t the Silver line just end where it connects with the Orange line and trains turn around to head back the other way towards Reston East (and eventually Dulles and beyond)?
A: I believe this option was studied as part of the planning/environmental work that was done before the line was constructed. Such an option would not attract as many riders, would result in a less convenient travel experience, and would have the effect of creating crowded platforms at East Falls Church.
Q: Will the Silver Line opening during the summer months while a percentage of people who normally commute are on vacation help or hurt as the bugs are worked out of the system? Fewer passengers might mean that fewer people are delayed if there are issues but fewer people might also mean that it won’t get a real stress test from peak passenger demand.
A: I think it will definitely help for the reasons you’ve noted in your question. We know from experience (e.g. Rush Plus) that commuting habits are slow to change. It gives us an opportunity to ramp up to full ridership over the next year.
See the full chat transcript on the Washington Post site.
Photo: Silver Line commemorative SmarTrip card/Credit: Metro
Metro officials said on Monday they “remain confident” that all punch list items will be completed before Silver Line service begins on Saturday, July 26.
Lynn Bowersox, Metro assistant general manager for customer service, communications and marketing, says four items were closed out in the last week. However, about 20 punch list items (down from 35) still need to be completed, she said. Many are multistep items, she added.
“We are working closely with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the FTA [Federal Transit Administration] and the Tri-State Oversight Committee to complete the punch list items, obtain the certificates of occupancy and finish safety and security reviews. We remain confident the work will be completed.”
After months of delays, Metro last week finally set an opening date for service on the 11-mile, $2.9 billion Phase 1 of the Silver Line, which will run from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue.
Bowersox said Metro and public safety officials successfully completed their final safety exercise on Sunday. The first responders practiced an emergency drill on the elevated tracks near the Spring Hill Station.
Metro is now looking ahead to the opening day schedule. Here are some things to know:
There will be a grand opening and ribbon cutting with local officials at the Wiehle Reston East Station at 10 a.m.
If you want to be one of the first riders, you are encouraged to board at McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro or Spring Hill. Those stations will open at 11:30 a.m. The first train will leave Wiehle-Reston East at noon. It will arrive at Spring Hill at 12:08 p.m., Greensboro at 12:10 p.m., Tysons Corner at 12:12 p.m. and McLean at 12:14 p.m, then continue on to regular stations along the Silver and Orange lines.
On opening day in Reston, Fairfax Connector buses will take people to the Wiehle-Reston East parking garage and to points on both the North and South sides of the station. The 3,300-space garage will open at 9:30 a.m. on July 26. Parking will be free that day as it will be on all weekends.
There will be a ribbon cutting and transit fair at Wiehle-Reston East on Saturday, July 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors can check out the facilities, including the 200-space bike room.
If you want ensure you are one of the first Silver Line riders, subscribe to the Silver Line Bulletin, where you will be entered into a sweepstakes to be among the inaugural riders.
Metro will also be issuing a commemorative SmarTrip. The card will cost $10 and it will be loaded with $8 of fare value, said Bowersox. Cards will be available at all stations and online beginning July 26.
Photo: Silver line Commemorative SmarTrip card/Credit: Metro
The Silver Line is opening on July 26. Want to be one of the first riders?
Metro is holding a sweepstakes to randomly select 10 lucky winners to participate in the grand opening ceremony and ride on the first Silver Line train.
Each winner and a guest will receive reserved seating at the opening event, a ride on the first train, and an unlimited Metrorail one-day pass for travel to and from the inaugural activities.
“We know there are many people who have been following this project and are anxious to be among the first to ride on the Silver Line,” says Lynn Bowersox, Metro Assistant General Manager. “This is one of the ways for the public to participate in the grand opening and an opportunity for Metro to say thank you to our riders.”
Here is how to enter: Visit silverlinemetro.com/
Metro officials say they will have more details about the opening ceremony next week.
The long-awaited Silver Line will carry riders to four stops in Tysons Corner and one in Reston, at Wiehle-Reston East. The $2.9 billion Phase 1 is more than six months behind schedule.
With the Silver Line opening on July 26, Metro has unveiled three new television ads to spread the word about the 11-mile extension that will bring rail to Tysons Corner and Reston.
The 15-second commercials — that have a little sarcastic spin to them — will begin airing on local TV later this week, encourage residents to “look alive, good times are ahead. The three subjects are apparently very bored Northern Virginians who can look forward to life-changing good times and increased access to employment, entertainment, and shopping without the hassles of traffic or the expense of gas and parking with the Silver Line.
“Now that opening day is in sight, it’s time to get a little excited,” Lynn Bowersox, Metro Assistant General Manager, said in a statement. “These ads are intended to showcase the benefits of the Silver Line and get the word out about the opening date.”
From Metro:
Metro has been conducting outreach to educate current and prospective Silver Line riders across the region for several months, distributing more than 100,000 pieces of information at stations and community events, sporting venues and area festivals. The information includes a Silver Line brochure and an updated Rider’s guide featuring the new system map.
A special website, silverlinemetro.com, has detailed information regarding the five new stations, parking and biking, fares, and points of local interest.
“The campaign moves us from ‘how to ride’ to ‘why to ride’,” said Bowersox.
In addition to the broadcast ads that will air on local television stations in English and Spanish, print ads will appear in July in five languages in community papers, business publications, and online news sites. Movie theater and radio promotions will roll out later this summer, as will post cards mailed to homes near the new stations. Metro will also utilize transit advertising space in its stations and on its buses this summer to promote the Silver Line, Bowersox said.
Metro’s Silver Line will at long last begin service on Saturday, July 26, Metro officials said on Monday.
Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles says he is satisfied with the progress contractor Bechtel has made in fixing remaining issues, and the 11-mile extension from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle-Avenue will soon be open for business.
MWAA still needs to obtain Certificates of Occupancy from the commonwealth as well as some final test results, said Sarles. There will also be a public safety drill at the Spring Hill Station this weekend and a week of simulated service beginning July 20.
“There is an unlikely possibility that something can pop up between now and then,” Sarles said of the target date of July 26. “But would not be announcing this is a target date if I did not feel we were there. … We look forward to welcoming passengers.”
Metro will host an inaugural ceremony on July 26. All five stations will be open, and the first passengers will leave Wiehle-Reston East at noon that day, Metro officials said.
The wait has been a long one for area Metro riders. Work began on Phase 1 of the rail extension more than five years ago. This is Metro’s first new line since 1991.
While no official opening date was ever set, initial forecasts were for the Silver Line to open in late 2013 or January of 2014.
However, construction delays and issues have pushed it back more than six months. As recently as two weeks ago, Metro officials were saying they were disappointed in the progress that Dulles Transit Partners, the Bechtel division that built Phase 1, were making in completing a list of remaining fixes on the $2.9 billion Phase 1. Read More
Now that the Silver Line is in the final stretch towards opening, Metro and Fairfax Connector want to familiarize residents with bus routes that will serve the stations.
The opening of Phase 1 Metro’s $2.9 billion rail extension that will run from East Falls Church to Reston’ Wiehle Avenue is more than six months behind schedule.
However, Metro officials said on Monday that fewer of 10 punch list items need to be completed. If that gets done promptly they will set an opening date early next week. That means the first Silver Line riders may be boarding as soon as July.
Wiehle-Reston East will be the end of the line until at least 2018, when Phase 2 is slated to be completed. In Phase 2, the rail will go to Reston Parkway, Herndon, Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County.
Until that happens, Wiehle will be a busy hub. It is the only Phase 1 station with parking. More than 3,000 spaces are in the parking garage at the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue. Parking will cost $4.75 a day. There is also parking for more than 200 bicycles.
Despite the parking, Metro and Fairfax County transportation officials are encouraging Metro users to take a bus to the station.
Things to know:
The Silver Line will be serviced by several bus providers. Metro bus will provide service to and from the McLean and Tysons Corner stations; Fairfax Connector will take riders to all five stations; Potomac and Rappahannocok Transportation Commission will provide service to the Tysons Corner station; and Loudoun County Transit will provide service to Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations.
Fairfax Connector has added new routes, made changes to existing routes and eliminated some routes in preparation for the Silver Line’s opening. To see if your route is affected and to see which bus route is most convenient for you, visit www.silverlinemetro.com.
Buses will also play a critical role in connecting riders to Dulles, said Jack Requa, Metro’s assistant general manager of bus services. Options to Dulles include the 5A bus from L’Enfant Plaza in D.C. (with stops at Roslyn and Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride); Fairfax Connector buses 981 and 983 will depart Wiehle-Reston East with stops at Herndon Park and Ride and the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Museum; and the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority will run the Washington Flyer Silver Line Express from Weihle-Reston East to Dulles.
Fairfax Connector routes 505, 981 and 983 will also go from Wiehle-Reston East to Reston Town Center. Buses that formerly carried passengers from Reston stops to Blue and Orange line stations will now go to Wiehle-Reston East. Visit Fairfax Connector’s website to see all area routes.
If Silver Line contractor Dulles Transit Partners finishes the work on the final “seven or eight” items this week, an opening date for service will be set on Monday, says Metro General Manager Richard Sarles.
“We are in the final stretch,” Sarles said in a call with reporters today.
A week ago, Metro Deputy General Manager Rob Troup said DTP, the Bechtel unit hired by Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA) to build the 11-mile Phase 1 rail extension from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue, had only completed about half of the items that must be done before passengers can ride.
Metro obtained control of the Silver Line May 27, starting a 90-day testing and training period. However, MWAA and Metro agreed in April that certain items could be completed after the handover but before passenger service begins.
There has been at least one report that the Silver Line will begin service the last week of July. While the Silver Line is more than six months behind schedule, an opening date for service has never been set. Silver Line officials would not confirm the July speculation on Monday. However, that may turn out to be correct if progress is made this week.
“We have date we plan against, but when you set a firm date, it is based on progress you have made,” said Sarles. “If the is done [this week], my level of confidence will be high enough to establish a firm date for revenue operation.”
Among the items to be completed: obtaining certificates of occupancy; finishing painting tunnel handrails; testing of fiber optic cable; and testing of intrusion and fire alarms, said Sarles.
There will be a public safety drill on June 29 at the Spring Hill Station. There will also be a week of simulated service before passengers can ride the Silver Line.
Metro’s Board of Directors on Thursday voted to give Metro Executive Director Richard Sarles the authority to set the opening date for the Silver Line rail extension to Reston.
But the wait for that opening date will go on for a while longer. The transit agency will continue its 90-day testing and training period that gets the 11-mile addition ready for passengers. Metro began the 90-day period on May 27.
Metro officials said earlier this week they are concerned by the slow pace by Dulles Transit Partners, the contractor for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that built the $2.9 billion Phase I. MWAA and Metro agreed in April that a list of 33 items could be finished after rail line was handed over the Metro.
They also refused to confirm a report by WAMU that the Silver Line would open July 28.
Metro Deputy GM Rob Troup said Monday only 4 or 5 items have been addressed. At a the Dulles Corridor Rail Association’s spring meeting in Reston Thursday night, MWAA Project Director Sam Carnaggio said “we are 25 percent through that list, despite what you may have read.”
“I have confidence we are almost there,” he said.
The Dulles Corridor Rail Association honored Pat Nowakowaski, the former Silver Line executive director who left the post last month to head the Long Island Railroad, at its annual meeting in Reston later on Thursday.
“This was a great project, a great job, and I wanted to be here until the end,” he said, adding he is confident that MWAA will complete the remaining items soon.
The DCRA reception took place in a large, open space that will eventually be Reston Station’s retail center.
Thus far, there are no signed tenants for the space, which sits atop the Wiehle-Reston East Station’s 3,300-space parking garage. The parking garage is a joint project from developer Comstock and Fairfax County. Comstock spokeswoman Maggie Parker said the company hopes to have retail tenant information soon.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11) says the opening of the Silver Line, whose Phase I will run from Tysons Corner to Reston, will mark an important milestone in turning the Dulles corridor into “the most important corridor in the nation’s capital except downtown itself.”
“People talk about the Arlington-Ballston corridor as being [an important business center],” he said. “This corridor is seven times the size. When we began talking about rail to Dulles, this area was 4 percent of the [Gross Domestic Product] for the region. Now it is 35 percent.”
Phase 2, which will run from Wiehle Avenue to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County, is expected to open in 2018.
Carnaggio said Thursday that design work on the second phase is 55 percent complete.
Reston Now readers had a lot to say about Metro’s Silver Line this week.
Metro is in a 90-day training and testing period for the 11-mile rail extension that will run to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue. But with no opening date set — and Metro’s frustration with Dulles Transit Partners’ progress on post-operational readiness repairs — potential riders in our community are getting restless.
Here is what reader commented on Reston Now this week:
I am a patron of transit services in the WDC area. I have also been an activist for better transit service in the WDC area. I am a prospective patron of the Silver Line. I have been more and more exasperated with the cost overruns and particularly the delays of the Silver Line.
DTP [Dulles Transit Partners] and Bechtel are behind schedule on half the items,” Metro deputy general manager Rob Troup said in a conference call with reporters on Monday. “We expected them to be further along.” (Monday June 9th 2014.)
Mr. [Metro Deputy GM Rob] Troup said that only 4 items on the punch list have been closed out or done so far.
I am downright angry now.
I’ve a good mind to go Bechtel’s Reston Office and demand to talk with
someone in charge re: the foot-dragging by them and the contractor on part one of the Silver Line.I demand that WMATA obtain a schedule of work to be done on the Silver Line from Bechtel and the contractor and then pressure Bechtel and the contractor to pick up the pace on the finishing work on the Silver Line. … I am growing impatient. My patience is limited. I want to ride the Silver Line into Washington by August 7th. This to me is non-negotiable.
Beware my wrath in September if the Silver Line is not up and running safely. I know how to organize people and I’ll organize protests. Picketing, Street-Theatre and an invasion of Bechtel’s Reston office.
Said another reader:
I’m still trying to figure out if the Silver Line “opening” is a joke, a mirage, or a nightmare.
There was also concern over the cost commuters will pay if they take the Silver Line to downtown DC daily. Advocacy group Reston 2020 analyzed what commuters will pay and found a large increase from the current system of taking a Fairfax Connector bus to a Blue/Orange line station.
Among the comments:
So my commute now costs $5 more per day and it’ll still take me 45 minutes to get to work. Tell me why this is a good idea again?
Also:
-
If you did Reston to Metro Center via the Toll Road, that would cost you $3.50 in tolls plus $6.50 in gas each way — $20 a day. Thus a key question would be whether your employer provided free parking or not. If it did then one might well prefer to drive rather than use the $16.55 public transit option or certainly the $20.45 option.
-
As a Reston-to-downtown commuter it is disappointing because I know that my overall commute will also be longer as a result of the rerouted buses to Wiehle Ave Station and the longer Metro ride. I get to pay 40% more to spend 30% to 40% more of my time in transit.
-
This is proving to be one more government project that over promises and under delivers. Mass transit was sold as safe, reliable, and economical!?!?! These costs hide the general revenues, toll road fees, and other costs we have already incurred.
The $2.9 billion Silver Line Phase I is more than six months behind schedule. Phase II design work is underway. That phase, which will run from Wiehle Avenue to Reston Parkway, Herndon and Dulles International Airport, among other stops, is slated to open in 2018.
One report, citing union sources, has Phase I slated to open July 28. Metro officials have not confirmed that, however.
Have something to say? Join the conversation by posting in the comments below.
Commuters who plan on replacing a bus-Metro combo with a straight shot on the new Silver Line should plan on paying more to get to work.
After Metro announced its peak and non-peak Silver Line fares last week, advocacy group Reston 2020 crunched the numbers and found some commuters may pay twice as much to get to Downtown D.C.
Some of the highlights:
- Current rail and bus users will see a nearly 40-percent increase over current round-trip costs (from $10.60 to $14.80 per day). Annually, the total will be $2,960.
- For those who park in the Wiehle garage rather than ride the bus to the station, daily costs will increase 56 percent (to $16.55). That works out to $3,130 a year.
- Costs for riders with a reserved parking space in the garage will nearly double (rising to an average of $20.45 per day, a 92 percent increase). They will face a total annual cost of $4,090.
See the entire analysis on Reston 2020’s blog.
The anticipated opening of the Silver Line rail extension this summer has meant a hiring blitz for Metro. The organization has added 460 new employees in recent weeks, Metro deputy general manager Rob Troup said.
After months of delays, the Silver Line’s Phase 1 — the 11-mile extension from East Falls Church to Reston’s Wiehle Avenue — is tentatively slated to open by summer’s end, though Metro has not set an opening date.
Metro began a 90-day testing and training period on May 27. Troup said Metro’s testing and training is proceeding on schedule. Metro conducted a public safety exercise at Wiehle-Reston East 10 days ago.
Troup said on Monday Metro is concerned that Dulles Transit Partners, the division of Bechtel contracted by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to construct the $2.9 billion Phase 1, is behind schedule on its remaining punch list items. DTP has only completed “about 4 or 5” of the 33 items, and all must be finished before passengers can board the trains, Troup said.
New Metro hiring breaks down to 302 new employees in maintenance; 102 in operations; 41 transit police; 10 in IT; 2 in customer service; 3 in finance. Additionally, 48 train operators and 23 station managers have already been hired.
Not all new employees will work on the Silver Line, Troup added.
Metro will conduct simulated service for a week prior to opening. No passengers will ride the trains during the training runs, said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel. Trains will run on the Blue and Orange Lines from Largo Town Center to East Falls Church, but at East Falls Church they will go out of service and run on the Silver Line from East Falls Church to Wiehle-Reston East.
Metro will conduct a second public safety drill at the Spring Hill Station on June 29, Stessel said.
