A new stretch of the Silver Line, which would take riders to Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, Virginia, and beyond, could be near completion.
Metro鈥檚 Interim General Manager Andy Off told the transit agency鈥檚 board that Metro could soon take control of the new tracks, stations and rail yard, built as part of the Silver Line鈥檚 second phase of construction.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to announce that we believe we鈥檙e in a position where we鈥檒l be able to declare operational readiness within the next several weeks,鈥� Off said.
When the rail line reaches operational readiness, Metro will take control from The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority overseeing the rail line extension construction.
Off said for Metro to take control, a lot still needs to take place, including training the metro employees and contractors who will work at the stations and the new rail yard near the airport.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be basically rehearsing the operation for a number of weeks,鈥� Off said.
草莓传媒 that the end is in sight comes after many project delays. While Off said Metro might take control of the extension in the coming weeks, he hasn鈥檛 set a hard date on when riders will be able to board trains to the airport. He said it might be more than three months after Metro takes over the line before services will be up and running.
鈥淲e expect it, it may be slightly longer primarily due to the yard and the complexity that adds,鈥� Off said.
