Officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said Wednesday that they expect to complete the first phase of the Silver Line rail extension in November.
Much of the work for the Metro Silver Line is focused on the new stations, like this one on Route 123 in Tysons. (Robert Thomson – The Washington Post)
The announcement by MWAA CEO Jack Potter comes after the authority announced in July that there would be an eight-week delay in completion of the rail line. Originally, MWAA officials said they planned to complete the rail line and turn it over to Metro officials for testing in September. Passenger service on the rail line could begin in January.
MWAA officials blamed the delay on additional testing that must be done on the rail line’s safety systems. On Wednesday, Pat Nowakowski, executive director of the rail project, said that contractors must also complete work on the rail stations and test communications systems before turning the project over to Metro officials, who will do their own testing.
The first phase of the $5.6 billion rail project will have four stops in Tysons and end at Wiehle Avenue in Reston. Construction of the second phase, which will include a stop at Washington Dulles International Airport, is expected to begin next spring. Preliminary engineering work, however, has already begun.
