Saturday, April 30, 2011

Northern Virginia Regional Commission Supports Above-Ground Dulles Rail Station

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) has voted unanimously to support Loudoun and Fairfax Counties and the Commonwealth of Virginia in opposition to the decision to build an underground Metrorail station at Dulles International Airport.

The NVRC is asking the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board of Directors to reconsider its vote in favor of an underground rail station at Dulles. The resolution asks that MWAA “either choose the most cost-effective, aerial option or fund this improvement without funding from the Counties, Commonwealth, or Dulles Toll Road.”

“I am pleased that the members of the NVRC have added their voices to those of us who are calling on MWAA to reconsider its decision regarding the Dulles rail station and to choose the most cost-effective aerial alternative,” said Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York.

The NVRC resolution follows a joint letter signed by Chairman York, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova, and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton asking the MWAA Board to reconsider its decision. The letter urged the MWAA Board to continue to work with its funding partners and to continue to evaluate the more cost-effective aerial, or above-ground, station. The selection of the underground station will add approximately $300 million to the project cost and bring the total cost for Phase 2 to $3.5 billion. This will raise Loudoun County’s total contribution to the project to $300 million.

The NVRC is a regional council of fourteen member local governments in Northern Virginia, including Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William Counties; the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park; and the Towns of Dumfries, Herndon, Leesburg, Purcellville, and Vienna.

The resolution is available online at www.loudoun.gov/nvrc-resolution.

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