Some day, maybe. Photograph by Flickr user DearEdward.
Northern Virginia commuters waiting to hear when they might finally be able to ride the Silver Line can keep waiting, with yet another setback to the massively delayed addition to Metrorail.
At a meeting today of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is responsible for building and testing the Silver Line, the project’s leader said every public-address speaker along the 11 miles of track built so far needs to be replaced.
As a result, the Silver Line’s planners now have no estimate for when they might turn the troubled project over to Metro, and continued delays to the new line are eating into the transit authority’s budget. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel tells Washingtonian that the agency projected revenue of $2 million a month from Silver Line ridership in the 2014 fiscal year. But as the Silver Line has continued to miss its deadlines—in late 2013 planners were still promising a January launch—Metro is being forced to re-assess its financial outlook.
“It puts pressure on our operating budget,” Stessel says. Metro says it continues to “work cooperatively” with the airports authority on the Silver Line, the first phase of which will connect DC with Reston, but does not know when it will get the keys to start running trains.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Silver Line Planners Say They Can’t Project When Trains Will Start Running
Yet another delay to the way-overdue Metro addition.
Northern Virginia commuters waiting to hear when they might finally be able to ride the Silver Line can keep waiting, with yet another setback to the massively delayed addition to Metrorail.
At a meeting today of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is responsible for building and testing the Silver Line, the project’s leader said every public-address speaker along the 11 miles of track built so far needs to be replaced.
As a result, the Silver Line’s planners now have no estimate for when they might turn the troubled project over to Metro, and continued delays to the new line are eating into the transit authority’s budget. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel tells Washingtonian that the agency projected revenue of $2 million a month from Silver Line ridership in the 2014 fiscal year. But as the Silver Line has continued to miss its deadlines—in late 2013 planners were still promising a January launch—Metro is being forced to re-assess its financial outlook.
“It puts pressure on our operating budget,” Stessel says. Metro says it continues to “work cooperatively” with the airports authority on the Silver Line, the first phase of which will connect DC with Reston, but does not know when it will get the keys to start running trains.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Here’s Why You Might’ve Heard Extremely Loud Fighter Jets Over DC Friday Morning
Elon Musk’s Plan to Get Commuters From DC to Baltimore in 15 Minutes Appears to Be Dead
You Can Now Rent Picnic Boats at the Wharf
Arlington’s Famed Inner Ear Studios Could Close by the End of the Year
Big Changes at Nationals Park for 2021: What You Need to Know If You Want to Go
Washingtonian Magazine
March 2021: The Influencers
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Video From Fall Real Estate Market Update With Local Leaders
Washingtonian Real Estate Virtual Happy Hour
Videos from Washingtonian’s Wellness Day
Washingtonian Wellness Day
More from News & Politics
Arlington’s Famed Inner Ear Studios Could Close by the End of the Year
Your Dog Might Eat a Lot of the Cicadas. What Happens Next?
Elon Musk’s Plan to Get Commuters From DC to Baltimore in 15 Minutes Appears to Be Dead
Here’s Why You Might’ve Heard Extremely Loud Fighter Jets Over DC Friday Morning
Photos: Inside the New Concourse at National Airport
Some DC Colleges Will Require Students to Be Vaccinated by the Fall
GOP Politicians Have Repeatedly Been Bamboozled by Satire. Are We One Onion Article Away From Total Chaos?
DC Is Launching Walk-Up Vaccination Sites for Seniors