New Rail Line Connects D.C. Area to Dulles Airport

A long-awaited rail project opening November 15 will connect the Washington, D.C. region to Dulles International Airport, report Justin George and Luz Lazo for the Washington Post.

“While four years behind schedule, the $3 billion project will bring the first rail connections between the Washington region’s largest economic powerhouses — downtown D.C. and Tysons — the area’s international airport and the nation’s wealthiest county.” The 11.5 mile extension includes six new stations, bringing passenger rail to Loudon County.

The project, originally slated to open in 2018, “was bogged down by shifting storm water management requirements, falsified testing of troublesome concrete panels and a related $1 million settlement, the conviction of a subcontractor’s former manager on a wire fraud charge and a work stoppage over cracks in the concrete girders that support elevated tracks near the Dulles Airport station.”

The Silver Line will run every 15 minutes, with headways expected to drop in the next six months. According to the article, “Trains eventually will operate every 10 minutes during rush hour, every 12 minutes during midday, evening and weekends, and every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m.”

The source article provides more detail about the new service, connections to other Metrorail and bus services, and fares. The authors also mention that Metro will discontinue some bus lines once the Silver Line is in service.