Silver Line to Get Nearly $2 Billion in Federal Loan

Washington Post picture

The Washington Posts reports that the Silver Line project will receive a low-interest, long-term federal loan of nearly $2 billion to help pay for the second phase of the project that will extend the new line to Dulles International Airport and farther into Loudoun County.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has signed the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan, the largest in the history of the federal program, Virginia’s congressional delegation announced Thursday.

Read the complete Washington Post article.

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Agreement Moves Silver Line Opening to Summer

Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles today announced an agreement with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the agency responsible for construction of the Silver Line, that will move the line closer to opening day. 

Under the agreement, Metro will allow the Airports Authority additional time to complete certain items after the project is turned over to Metro, but prior to the start of passenger service. Without the agreement, the Airports Authority would have been required to complete all items before Metro takes control, meaning an opening date that would be later in the year.

The Airports Authority is still required to address all priority items – those that affect reliability or require significant track access – prior to handing the project off to Metro.

The Silver Line’s opening date will be set by the Metro Board of Directors after the project is in Metro’s control.

Read the complete Metro press release for more information.

See the agreement (PDF)

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Four Teams Selected to Compete for Silver Line Rail Yard and Maintenance Facility

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced yesterday that four teams have been selected to bid in the competitive procurement process to design and build Package B of Phase 2 of the Silver Line project. Package B consists of the design and construction of a rail yard and maintenance facility to be built at Dulles International Airport.

The teams selected to compete for the contract are listed below in alphabetical order, along with their equity members:

• Capital Rail Constructors Clark Construction Group. (LLC Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. and Hensel Phelps Construction Co.)
• Metrorail Constructors Group  (JV Turner Construction Co., Southland Industries and Freestate Electrical Construction Co.)
• Skanska USA Southeast Co. 

The teams were selected following a "request for qualifications information," a process intended to emphasize design and construction experience and professionalism.

For more information about the Dulles Rail Project and the Dulles Toll Road, visit www.mwaa.com.

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Metro Garages Pulled From Dulles Rail Project

Leesburg Today reported that to help ensure that there will be federal funding for Metro's Silver Line project, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors last week voted to remove the cost of constructing the three parking garages associated with Loudoun’s stations on Metro’s Silver Line extension, and find another way to finance them.

According to today's article, "During 2011 negotiations on the Memorandum of Agreement between local and federal entities on the Metrorail project, the cost of constructing the parking garages was taken out of the Phase 2 construction program in an effort to cut the project’s overall price tag. Loudoun and Fairfax counties agreed to seek alternative funding for the parking garages, including forming public-private partnerships with area landowners and developers, or paying for them through local capital project budgets. If the funding could not be found, the costs would revert to the overall Metro project."

In meetings with the U.S. Department of Transportation this summer to discuss the potential to secure additional funding through the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or TIFIA, to help offset the overall costs of the Metro construction project, the federal agency told Loudoun representatives the final decision to remove the garages would have to be made before the application could be submitted.

Read the full story here.

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Silver Line Phase Two Includes Partial Project Labor Agreement

From the Ashburn Patch...

Last summer, the idea of a Project Labor Agreement became a hot button issue during planning for Phase Two of the Metro Silver Line. Its proponents said the agreement, which would have given an incentive to companies that used unionized labor, would protect workers. 

Opponents of the agreement felt that it would put companies based in Virginia, which is a Right To Work state, at a disadvantage, and would result in the contract being given to an out-of-state company. The Project Labor Agreement was eventually removed. 

A year and a half later, the Washington Post reports that there is a PLA in place for some work on Phase Two. 

Read the full Patch article.

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Airports Authority Announces Delay in Silver Line Completion

The Ashburn Patch reported this morning that additional tests are needed on Phase One of the Silver Line, focusing on software updates related to the Automatic Train Control System, before the project can be turned over to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Patch reports "the contractor is in the process of making the changes to ensure the proper performance of the train control system. Once completed, the contractor will produce a summary of the changes made for review and approval by WMATA and the Airports Authority."

This will be followed by re-testing to make sure the system is functioning properly and meets performance specifications. The Airports Authority is awaiting a definitive schedule from the contractor for the additional activity.

The additional activity is expected to take several weeks to complete. Substantial completion of the project will be determined as results from the testing are obtained.

Read the complete Ashburn Patch article for all the details.

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Governor Still Needs Convincing On Silver Line Funding

If Virginia lawmakers want to approve more state funding for the $6 billion Silver Line rail project to Dulles Airport, they still have to convince one of the most powerful politicians in the state, that according to a WAMU report.

Governor Bob McDonnell will not commit to asking the legislature when it convenes next month to approve more dollars for the Silver Line. Tolls on the Dulles Toll Road may rise dramatically over the next three decades partly because the state has committed only $150 million so far toward the financing of the Silver Line.

McDonnell blames the agency overseeing the Silver Line, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, for his hesitance to seek additional state funding.

Read the complete WAMU article. 

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Silver Line Could cost Metro Millions More Than Expected

The Washington Post reports that Metro may have to spend millions more than anticipated to operate the new Silver Line because trains will have to travel farther east than planned, according to two people with knowledge of the problem.

Transit officials originally expected eastbound Silver Line service to end at the Stadium-Armory stop, according to the two sources. But officials have since concluded that the tight turning space near the station would make it difficult for trains to reverse course there. Instead, trains will travel five additional stops to Largo before turning around to head back toward Virginia.

The change could cost Metro $4.5 million a year more to operate the line, according to the two people familiar with the problem and the plan to deal with it. The individuals spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

The Post adds that the extended distance will require 20 to 30 more rail cars, which can be pulled from existing stock but will require Metro to ramp up maintenance on the existing fleet to ensure they are ready, sources said. The plan will also require additional personnel.

Read the complete Washington Post article. 

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Rep. Wolf Wants Virginia to Gain Control of MWAA Board

The Washington Post reported that Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) unveiled a bill Tuesday that would give Virginia control over the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, as the board overseeing construction of the Silver Line remains mired in controversy that has also impacted the Virginia Senate race.

Wolf’s bill would cut the size of the board from 13 members to nine, with six of them appointed by the governor of Virginia. Maryland, the District and the federal government would appoint one member apiece.

Even if it passed the House, the legislation stands little chance of becoming law, given the opposition of Maryland and the District. But the measure is a clear sign that Virginia officials have grown frustrated with what Wolf calls a “chaotic, dysfunctional” board.

Read the full Post article.

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Washington Post Editorial: Saving the Silver Line - and the Airports Authority

Did you see the editorial Sunday in the Washington Post about the Silver Line and the Airports Authority? Interesting read.

The Authority that controls Dulles International and Reagan National airports has proved regrettably lax at governing itself. That failing has now led Ray LaHood, the U.S. transportation secretary, to appoint a federal watchdog to oversee it. The appointment comes at a critical moment, for unless confidence in the airports authority is restored, it could jeopardize completion of the most important infrastructure project in the Washington area, Metro’s $6.6 billion Silver Line extension to Dulles.

Read the full Washington Post editorial.


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Rail to Loudoun a "Billion Dollar Opportunity"

Did you see yesterday's article about the "Billion Dollar Opportunity" rail to Loudoun County project in the Loudoun County Economic Development website? If not, here's some of the key highlights:

The Silver Line gives you transit access to the one million workers living within a 20-mile radius. Your company would also be one or two rail stops away from Washington Dulles International Airport, which connects Loudoun to 80 percent of the world’s economies.

A study conducted by Robert Charles Lesser & Co. Real Estate Advisors shows that the Loudoun Metrorail stations will result in an additional 1.4 million square feet of office space development; 670,000 square feet of retail development, and almost 300 more hotel rooms.

In addition to expanding available commercial real estate, officials expect Metrorail to dramatically boost county employment.

Fifty-four percent of all regional jobs are within a half mile of rail stations, according to a 2010 study by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The Metro will give Loudoun businesses better access to the regional workforce, which has the highest education level in the U.S.

Another advantage of locating near the new Loudoun rail stations is lower rent than is available in built-out jurisdictions further up the rail line.

Read the full article here. Thoughts or comments? Let us know below.

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Silver Line Worth $386 Million in Taxes for Loudoun County

Loudoun County could receive up to $386 million in tax revenue from Metro's new Silver Line if the county's Board of Supervisors supports the project's extension beyond Dulles International Airport, according to an updated fiscal report, the Washington Examiner reports.

The second phase of the Dulles Rail project, which would add three Metro stations to Loudoun County, would attract 4,837 housing units, 1.4 million square feet of office development, 670,000 square feet of retail and 294 hotel rooms by 2040, a consultant hired by the county reported.

The promise of economic development in the outer Washington suburb is one factor the county board is weighing as it considers whether to commit at least $264 million to help build the Silver Line, another $16 million annually to maintain the line and millions of additional dollars in interest on money borrowed by the county to build it.

The county would also have to build three parking garages at the stations at a cost of $38 to $52 million each.

Read the complete Washington Examiner article.

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Metro Launces Survey for New Silver Line Station Names‏

Metro today launched an online survey to collect public input on station names for the new Silver Line, which will extend Metrorail service to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County through the Tysons Corner, Reston and Herndon areas of Fairfax County.

The survey—available at wmata.com/silversurvey—will remain open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, and includes proposed station names for the eight Silver Line stations in Fairfax County. Phase 1 of the Silver Line, currently under construction, includes five new stations that are expected to be named this summer. Customers taking the survey are also asked about their opinion on station names for three Fairfax County stations in Phase 2.

Read more in this WMATA press release.

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Silver Line to Dulles - But What About Parking?

Patch.com has a story today about the planned Silver Line to Dulles, and what it means for parking. The story by Dusty Smith is interesting and detailed. An excerpt is below; read the full article at Patch.

As the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s contractor works to finalize the preliminary engineering of constructing Metro’s planned Silver Line to Dulles, and Ashburn, there are various aspects of the project worth considering, such as convenience and the maximization of economic development.

The Loudoun Board of Supervisors — which recently raised questions about the value of rail compared to the investment — will have 90 days after receiving the preliminary engineering information, which will include the latest estimated cost, to decide whether the county’s in or out. Up to now, successive county boards have consistently voted in favor of the project.

Among the more apparent concerns for supervisors to consider, particularly to anyone who has ever tried to drive in and park at an existing Metro station: available, convenient parking.

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10 Reasons Why Loudoun County Will Get Metrorail

From the Ashburn Patch...

Controversy over the location of a proposed Metrorail station at Dulles Airport has raised the possibility that the extension of the Silver Line to Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County might be scrapped altogether.

Over the past few weeks, the discussion among local, regional and federal officials has broadened in focus, from the location of the rail station to the need to reduce the overall cost of the project.

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott K. York, among others, has raised the possibility that Loudoun County might withdraw its support from the project if costs to Loudoun taxpayers and toll road users are not reduced. This would certainly kill the extension of Metrorail into Loudoun County, and perhaps the extension of the Silver Line to Dulles.

I doubt that it will come to that. Here are 10 reasons why I believe Loudoun will eventually get the Silver Line.

Click here to read the complete Ashburn Patch article and all 10 reasons author Jim Barnes thinks Loudoun County will get Metrorail.

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Loudoun Economic Development Commission Backs Aerial Rail Through Dulles

According to the new Ashburn Patch, the Loudoun Economic Development Commission endorsed changes to the second phase of Metro's Silver Line project Friday, with the body's chairman saying the project is necessary to preserve Loudoun's rural west.

"Representatives from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the entity responsible for constructing the line, described proposed cost-saving measures during an EDC meeting on Oct. 1. They highlighted the importance of Loudoun's continued involvement in funding the project, which would run from the Wiehle Avenue station now under construction in Reston through the airport and on to Ashburn.

"Late last month, project representatives announced an updated cost estimated, pushing the anticipated cost of phase two from to $2 billion to $3.83 billion. The new information about costs started a 90-day review period during which the Loudoun Board of Supervisors must decide whether to continue with plans to fund the project."

Read the complete article.

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