The Silver Line's long road ahead

Dulles Rail Still Has Miles to Go, Hurdles to Clear - The Post
A lot still needs to happen for the Silver Line to get built and there are a few ways and a number of people who will try to stop it.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 6:12 AM | |

Lazarus Metro line roundup

EDITORIAL - Dulles Rail's Revival - The Post

Its resurrection is a triumph of common sense over dogma and suggests that, contrary to the general impression of the state of governance in Washington, rational outcomes remain possible when grown-ups put their heads together. More specifically, it is a testament to the wisdom and perseverance of officials at Metro, which would operate the 23-mile extension; the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which would manage its construction; Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), who spearheaded the lobbying with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to reverse what had seemed like the feds' unequivocal rejection; and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).

Let us hope this cooperation continues on what may be a bumpy ride on the way to making this Metro line happen.

Metro Extension Plan Revived, But Officials Include Conditions - The Post
Dulles rail project gets federal reprieve - The Wash. Times
Rail decision thrusts Tysons development back to forefront - The Wash. Examiner
The details on how this came together and some information about what still needs to happen for it to keep going. The biggest sticking point will be addressing the current Metro system woes and find the funding to fix them. It is not over yet, not by a long shot and may in fact just be getting started.

After Months of Lobbying, Business Leaders Can Celebrate - The Post
The revival of the Silver Line is a cause for celebration in business circles.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 12:47 PM | |

More details on Dulles Corridor Metro

Dulles Rail Gets Federal Approval - The Post
As expected (since this morning at least), USDOT announced today that it is now supporting the proposal to build the Silver Line along the Dulles Corridor.

In a letter to Kaine and in a 10 a.m. conference call with the governor and Virginia congressional leaders, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the $5 billion project had finally met the Federal Transit Administration's standards for cost efficiency, construction and expected ridership. The project will now move into the final design phase, a major step toward receiving $900 million in federal funding.

"As a result of the collaboration between federal and state officials, the project sponsor and other project stakeholders, the financial stability and oversight of the project has improved," Peters wrote to Kaine in a letter obtained by The Washington Post. "Cost reductions have been verified and mechanisms have been established to enhance inter-organizational cooperation, technical capacity and project management."

Good news, but this isn't fait accompli just yet:

Still, Peters went on, "much work remains" to make the project right. Today's approval comes with conditions that must be met if the project is to receive federal funding. Without that money, state and local officials have said that the project would die, ending the possibility of a long-sought rail connection between the nation's capital and its major international airport. Supporters say the line would ease congestion through Virginia's biggest jobs corridor and keep the economy humming with the transformation of suburban Tysons Corner into a thriving downtown.

Among the conditions, Peters said in her letter, is a sweeping demand that Virginia and the Metro system guarantee the capital investment necessary to maintain and operate Metro. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority recently identified $489 million in "urgent unfunded capital needs," Peters said.

Virginia better not drop the ball on this one.

There is a chat about the decision going on right now on washingtonpost.com.

EARLIER: Silver line back on track?!

UPDATE 6:30 a.m. Thursday: I will be posting more about this topic after 12 p.m. today, so check back later.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 12:41 PM | |

Silver line back on track?!

Dulles Rail Set to Get Federal Approval - The Post
Apparently, Virginia and the U.S. Department of Transportation has found a way to make the Dulles Corridor Metro project, tentatively called the Silver Line, meet the "Federal Transit Administration's standards for cost efficiency, construction and expected ridership." It appears U.S. DOT secretary Mary Peters overruled FTA. Good job, Peters that was the correct decision.

This is excellent news, I am glad that we can finally get started on a project that is long overdue.

Now, we get to see the tunnel vs. elevated argument start up again. I would love to see it underground, but I don't see that happening at this point.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 5:16 AM | |

Busy sports night in D.C., plan accordingly

There are three sporting events (Nats, Wizards, United home games) going on in the District tonight, so there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Nats Express parking will be in Lot 7 at RFK, not Lot 8 because D.C. United has a home match.
  
• A few stops along the Green Line may be crowded, especially Gallery Place/Chinatown
  
• Single-game parking can be bought online at the Nationals Way to Go page. There are apparently plenty of spots available. I think selling parking online is an excellent way at handling traffic management too.
  
• There is no need to get all worked up about this or the Nationals attendance right now. I know that goes against our instincts as cynical, overreacting Washingtonians, but this whole thing is all going to work itself out. Just allow a little extra time and enjoy.

All told, there will probably at least 55,000 fans at three different venues tonight. Go Nats! Go Wiz! Go United!

Washington Nationals, Washington Wizards, DC United, metro, parking, DC

Labels: DC United/MLS, Metro, Nats/MLB 2008, Transportation, Wizards/NBA

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posted by WFY @ 6:01 AM | |

As the Silver Line slowly dies, TysonsTunnel throws in the towel

Tysons Tunnel Supporters Withdraw Lawsuit - WTOP
I have not seen much news about the Silver Line (Ashburn to West Falls Church via Dulles & Tysons) for some time now. Today, the news broke that TysonsTunnel.org has decided to drop its lawsuit against U.S. Department of Transportation because of the expected denial of $900 million of funding.

Gov. Tim Kaine needs to get this project back on track and resubmit it to USDOT next year when a different administration is involved.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 12:52 PM | |

This just in: Take Metro to ballpark

District to Limit Visitor Parking Near Ballpark - The Post
Stadium's plan discourages driving - The Wash. Times
MARC FISHER - Seriously. Take Metro. - The Post
If you are not a season ticket holder with a parking pass don't expect to drive to the ballpark area, take Metro (rail or bus) instead. If you really want to drive, you can park at RFK Stadium and take a shuttle bus to Nationals Park.

JDLand.com's Near Southeast DC Redevelopment site has a section about Stadium Transportation and Parking that is worth a look.

Team Still Feels The Love From An Old Friend - The Post
Chico struggles during first outing - The Wash. Times
LHP Matt Chico emerged from last night's outing vs. Florida (a 3-3 tie) without giving up a run, but threw only 16 of 32 pitches for strikes.

RHP Garrett Mock, acquired with Chico in the LIVAN! trade, pitched two innings, giving up an unearned run. He is not expected to make the majors this spring.

Chico was the latest player featured in an washingtonpost.com video:




For Johnson, An Exhibition Of Pure Joy - The Post
Johnson avoids another collision - AP/Florida Today
1B Nick Johnson played his first competitive baseball game since Sept. 23, 2006 last night. Johnson told 3B Ryan Zimmerman that he "Slept in my uniform last night." He also fielded a fly ball much like the one that resulted in his collision with RF Austin Kearns. By the way, Jim Bowden is already hinting a trade of either Johnson or Dmitri Young.

Nats Lose First Battle Over New Stadium - WTOP
The District defeated the Nationals in arbitration over "ancillary items at the new stadium, such as golf carts, fork lifts, and medical and office equipment." That will save the city $4.2 million. I don't understand why the team was trying to get that from the city.

Do you wonder what it is like to be a sports photographer?


washingtonpost.com's Nationals RSS feed made its monthly/quarterly appearance in Google Reader at 1:18 a.m. this morning. I had 41 total headlines dating back February 10.

Labels: Metro, Nats/MLB 2008, Transportation, Video

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posted by WFY @ 5:51 AM | |

Two Silver Line stories

Dulles Rail faces new bids - The Wash. Examiner
Del. Dave Albo, R-Springfield and Del. Joe May, R-Leesburg inserted language into a budget bill that would force the first leg of the Silver Line to be rebid. Given the shady way the project was put together, that sounds reasonable.

This was from Saturday:

2 Top Republicans Try to Jump-Start Dulles Rail Plan, Raising Some Hopes - The Post
An encouraging sign:

Minority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) sent Transportation Secretary Mary Peters a letter this week, saying: "It is vitally important that this project move forward. Open dialogue between Virginia and the Department of Transportation will make certain that lawmakers are best able to alleviate the burden of increasing traffic congestion and transportation demands across the entire national capital region."

It is good to see someone from outside of Virginia getting involved too.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 12:39 PM | |

Chat transcript: Pearlstein on Silver Line

Somehow I missed a chat hosted by Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein about the Dulles Corridor Metro project. It is quite an interesting and presents several points of view, though Pearlstein favors building it through a Metro line above other modes and wants it to go through Tysons. Pearlstein also outlines how he wants the project saved in his Wednesday column.

You may recall he wrote a column in 2006 praising Tysons' Messy Vitality that I thought was silly and so did Robert K. Lewis.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport, Steven Pearlstein

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 5:50 AM | |

Navy Yard Metro update

Crews Pick Up Pace to Renovate Metro Station - The Post
An update on the Navy Yard Metro station expansion.

The station renovation is a $20 million project, paid for with federal funds, with an excavation of 65 feet and installation of elevators, ticket kiosks and eight more turnstiles, bringing the total to 13.

After falling behind in August, the pace has put it back on schedule:

Work on the station started 13 months ago and initially moved slowly. City construction permits were delayed, and in August the project was two months behind schedule, said Mamoud Hosseini, president of Clark Civil, a division of Clark Construction. Clark Civil is renovating the station while another division works on the building overhead and another builds the ballpark.

Now, Hosseini said, the station renovation is back on schedule, with all of the inside work to be finished by the end of this month. Work is also proceeding at street level, where the kiosk, ticket machines and turnstiles are to be installed.

BREAKOUT: Game Day Strategy

Labels: Metro, Nats/MLB 2008, The District, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 5:19 AM | |

Is the Purple Line in trouble too?

Dulles Rail Problems With FTA Worry Md. - The Post
With the FTA showing reluctance to fund Virginia's Silver Line, Maryland officials are concerned that mass transit projects like the Purple Line won't be funded either.

As for the Silver Line, proposed to connect West Falls Church to Ashburn, it isn't dead yet, according to Dr. Gridlock's Get There blog.

Also, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority took issue with the FTA's suggestion (WTOP) that it couldn't handle building the Silver Line.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport, Purple Line

Labels: BeltwayLand, Maryland, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 5:58 AM | |

Kaine wants specifics from FTA

U.S. Input Sought to Save Rail To Dulles - The Post
Gov. Tim Kaine, in an open letter (PDF), has asked the Federal Transit Administration to identify specifics on how to get the $900 million funding. He should have asked for this days ago.

WMATA head John Catoe disagrees with FTA's assessment that Metro can't handle another line.

House of Delegates speaker William Howell wants to start the project over from scratch. He is a proponent of bus rapid transit.

Kaine presses for Dulles rail project - The Wash. Times

Kaine: Changes could save Dulles Rail - The Wash. Examiner

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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posted by WFY @ 8:43 AM | |

Friday's Silver Line stories

Would it surprise you to learn a source close to Governor Tim Kaine has told WTOP that the governor knew the were storm clouds over the Dulles corridor rail project last summer? Perhaps the governor has been playing politics since the FTA voiced no confidence in the project recently. Shocking.

The Wash. Examiner says there is pessimism that the current project can be salvaged enough to get $900 million in federal funding.

WMATA reaffirmed that it still supports the project too.

The state needs to get its act together and push hard with the next administration for some federal funding. It seems pretty clear this isn't going to happen until then.

Metro, WMATA, Silver Line,Mass Transit, subway, Tyson's Corner, FTA, MWAA, Dulles Airport

Labels: BeltwayLand, Metro, Silver Line, Transportation, Virginia

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