Metro Silver Line Extension With 6 New Stations Opens With Fanfare

DULLES, VA — Rail service is now available to and from Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County as Metro's Silver Line extension opened Tuesday. Federal, state and local officials, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, joined Metro leaders to celebrate the opening.

The Silver Line extension comes with six new stations — Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn. As the new stations open at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Silver Line trains will end at Ashburn rather than Wiehle-Reston East.

With the opening, Metro has 97 stations serving DC, Maryland and Virginia. Metro estimates 420,000 people live within five miles of the six new stations.

The Dulles International Airport station connects to the baggage claim level of the main terminal and Parking Garage 1 through a pedestrian tunnel with moving walkways. Commuter parking, bike racks and bike lockers are not provided at the location.

Other stations — Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Station, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn — have bicycle parking. Commuter parking is available at the Herndon, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn stations.

Construction started on the second phase in 2014, the same year the first phase opened between Tysons and Reston. According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the second phase was initially supposed to be completed in 2018. However, it was faced with construction delays and exceeded its budget by $250 million, the Washington Post reported. The airports authority attributed delays to new environmental regulations, changes in the project scope and safety requirements, supply chain issues and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and construction impacts like excessively hard rock in the project path.

The $3 billion project received a large share of funding from Dulles Toll Road revenue, as well as from the airports authority, Virginia, Fairfax County and Loudoun County. Much of the increased costs over the budget were covered by toll revenue, and a share came from Fairfax County, Loudoun County and the airports authority.

Nevertheless, officials expressed optimism about the long-awaited opening at Metro's ribbon cutting event at the Dulles International Airport station.

Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, noted space for transit was set aside when Dulles was built with an access road 70 years ago. He said many people contributed to the Silver Line extension's success, including Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) in their terms as Virginia governor, and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), a former Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman. As governor, Kaine helped negotiate the deal to construct the Silver Line between the airports authority, commonwealth and localities.

Potter also recognized workers on the ground who contributed to the Silver Line extension over more than a decade.

"Now we're going to hand it off to WMATA. It's WMATA's job to make sure they run a safe, reliable, efficient system," said Potter. "And they need support. They need financial support. They need support from the business community. We have to get transit to these stations, buses to the stations. We have to build and effectively use the land around those stations to contribute to the economy."

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the extension helps DC workers get to jobs at Dulles, connects Virginia residents to DC jobs and helps bring back airport travelers to the region.

"Metro is the economic engine of this region. We cannot grow without a safe and strong Metro, and DC is here to support it," said Bowser.

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phyllis Randall said the "macro" impact of the Silver Line extension is getting cars off the road, job opportunities and more diverse residential options near transit. But she said the "micro" impact on individuals is more important.

"This Metro will allow the father who's working two jobs to get home in time to see his kid's soccer game," Randall said. "This Metro will allow the mom, the single mom, to get home in time to have dinner with her kids and tuck them into bed. ... This Metro will allow the grandma to get to her grandson's play to watch him be the best potted plant she's ever seen in any play."

Supervisor Matt Letourneau, the Dulles District supervisor in Loudoun County and a Metro board member, noted the significance of the board voting 5-4 for the county to join the Silver Line. Letourneau noted a majority of feedback in Loudoun County was supportive of the Silver Line, but he said there was strong, organized opposition.

"At the time, we argued that development around the stations would create new revenue and benefit the entire county, and we were right," said Letourneau. "Since 2013, the assessed value of properties around Metro in Loudoun County has grown by 168 percent. That's over 100 percent higher than other parcels in the rest of the county."

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said he likes to call the expense of the project an investment. McKay noted the economic development impact of Metro in the county, from commercial offices to residential developments.

"We focus so much on the cost of things, we don't think about the cost of not doing things," said McKay. "The cost of not doing this, think what a different place this area would be if it weren't for Metro."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) pointed to $3 billion in development is in progress in Reston alone due to Metro's presence.

"We're going to see the kind of smart growth approach building around Metro stations in a way that will help our region, help all three of the DMV parts, and frankly we now have that gateway for international travelers to our nation's capital," said Warner.

In addition to Metro's ribbon cutting at Dulles, Fairfax County is hosting ribbon cuttings Tuesday afternoon at the Reston Town Center and Innovation Station with information on new bus connections. Loudoun County officials participated in a ribbon cutting for the Ashburn station Tuesday afternoon, and the public is invited to a celebration event at Ashburn station from noon to 3 p.m. on Nov. 19. The Town of Herndon is holding its own ribbon cutting for the Herndon station at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

See more information on Metro's Silver Line extension here.