TysonsTunnel.org, Sierra Club sue for underground Silver Line

Groups to sue over Metro's expansion - WTOP
A potential delay to the Silver Line, already being constructed through Tysons Corner, has emerged:

The group, TysonsTunnel.org, has been pushing for an underground route through the area. It is teaming up with the environmental group, Sierra Club, to file the suit.

A national watchdog group is expected to join the suit.

Scott A. Monett, president of TysonsTunnel and the vice chair of the Sierra Club's Great Falls group, won't name the watchdog group, but does say it's a "good governance group."

Again, too little too late. While I would have preferred an underground Metro line through Tysons Corner for long term cost and aesthetic concerns, I can live with an above ground one. The mobilization for making sure the Silver Line was a tunnel came years too late. This suit, if it does not get thrown out, will just add years to the construction and millions to the cost.

Silver Spring seems to do just fine with the Red Line elevated through it, so I think Tysons will too. Crystal City gets by with having an airport and at-grade railroad adjacent to it as well and nobody seems to mind.

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posted by WFY @ 10:00 AM | |

How the Silver Line Metro is going to be built

Metrorail Heading In a New Direction - The Post
Details of what the Silver Line construction through Tysons Corner is going to be like over the next several years. It won't be much fun, but the payoff is huge.

Also: Map

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posted by WFY @ 2:48 PM | |

Metro Rail to Tysons -- Silver Line now official!

Officials Formalize Funding for Dulles Metro Extension - The Post
At long last, the Silver Line, a Metro corridor between Arlington and Tysons Corner is official!

...the real action will start in a matter of days about 15 miles to the west, where demolition of roads and bridges and heavy construction of overhead piers will become an unwelcome fact of life during the next six years for commuters and residents of McLean, Tysons Corner, Vienna and beyond. The result, boosters say, will be worth it: a public transit system serving the region's primary international airport and Virginia's most prosperous jobs corridor.

Today's ceremony at the Transportation Department's headquarters near the Washington Navy Yard featured a roster of local, state and federal luminaries seeking to revel in -- and take credit for -- the project's success. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and former senator John Warner (R-Va.) were among those attending.

Emphasis added by me. This is long overdue and much needed. The next few years in Tysons may not be fun to commute to and from but it is not like it is right now.

The second phase of the project from Whiele Ave. to Ashburn still has some hurdles to clear.

New Metrorail Line Really Coming - Dr. Gridlock, The Post

Project Web site: Dulles Metrorail Project
I like the headline and the tone of this blog post which includes the backstory of the last year -- make sure you read it.

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posted by WFY @ 12:16 PM | |

Silver Line gets final USDOT approval

U.S. Transportation Chief Backs Dulles Rail Project - The Post
The Silver Line is very, very close to being official.

After a series of regulatory setbacks in 2008, rail to Dulles was revived last month when the Federal Transit Administration discarded long-standing skepticism about the project's cost and management and sent it on to Peters for final action. Yesterday's news marks what state, local and congressional boosters said is the government's irreversible approval of the project.

All that remains for a sixty day comment period in Congress and then presumably the project is officially underway. Planned completion of the first phase of the line, between Whiele Ave. in Reston and West Falls Church is 2013. It will be thirty years too late, but better late than ever.

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posted by WFY @ 12:05 PM | |

FTA officially says yes to Silver Line

Federal Regulators Sign Off on Dulles Rail Extension - The Post

The Federal Transit Administration approved the extension, which now heads to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and the Office of Management and Budget for final sign-off. Approval from the FTA, where regulators had attacked the proposal as too expensive and poorly managed, is widely viewed as a critical moment for a project that local and state officials say is crucial to relieve traffic and spur economic growth at Tysons Corner and along the Dulles corridor.

Feds approve first phase of Dulles Rail project - WTOP
This is great news for our region, this is a badly needed project. Hopefully Peters and OMB will sign off soon and the construction can really get going.

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posted by WFY @ 6:11 AM | |

It will be elevated through Tysons Corner and in the median of the Dulles Toll/Access Road for the rest of the way, except at the airport I believe.

# posted by  WFY : Thursday, December 04, 2008 12:19:00 PM  

Schrag on Silver Line reversal

Recently, I reached out to George Mason University history professor Dr. Zachary Schrag for commentary on the Federal Transportation Administration's decision to continue funding the Dulles Corridor Metro line. He was kind enough to provide some commentary:

At this point, the history of the Silver Line has been marked by such tangles of planning, engineering, architecture, finance, and politics that it rivals in complexity the decision to build the original Metro system. I am not going to write a book on the subject, but I hope someone else takes up the challenge.

Schrag wrote The Great Society Subway about Metro. In it, he argued that building the Orange Line to Tysons in the first place might have made more sense.

PREVIOUSLY

Schrag on Dulles-Tysons Metro situation
2006 INTERVIEW: Q & A: The Great Society Subway

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posted by WFY @ 5:51 AM | |

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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posted by WFY @ 5:16 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.

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posted by WFY @ 12:52 PM | |

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.

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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.

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posted by WFY @ 5:50 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.

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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

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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.

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posted by WFY @ 12:25 PM | |

Not too much Silver Line news

Governor at center of two transit disputes - The Wash. Times
Speaker of the House William J. Howell claims to have been ignored when he warned the the Dulles Corridor Metro project was flawed. He was opposed to involving the Metropolitan Washington Aiports Authority in the project and in favor of private financing that may have included "selling the rights" to collect tolls on the Dulles Toll Road. Howell wants "the General Assembly should push for the oversight authority to investigate how the state got in this position" which sounds like a good idea, provided its mandate is to figure out how to get the project back on track, not to merely place blame.

Anti-Transit Bias May Be Hurting Dulles Rail - AP/WTOP
This is a pretty good summary of where the Tysons-Dulles Corridor situation is right now and how it got here.

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posted by WFY @ 6:00 AM | |

More Silver Line news

The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce has set up a petition Web site -- www.dullesmetrorailnow.org

The Wash. Examiner editorializes against the project.

Jim Moran probably didn't help matters (WTOP) by acting like, well Jim Moran.

Times Community Newspapers coverage:

Rumors and uncertainty fill the void left by teetering Metro project

Northern Virginia's future hinges on rail talks

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posted by WFY @ 12:03 PM | |

Wednesday's Silver Line update

Kaine Raises The Specter Of Higher Dulles Tolls - The Post
If the Federal Transit Administration denies $900 million for the Dulles-Tysons Metro expansion, increased tolls on the Dulles Toll Road could be one way of making up the shortfall. Governor Tim Kaine says he doesn't want to support that though.

Kaine thought Dulles was deal on track - The Wash. Times
Yet another article about how Gov. Kaine feels blindsided by the FTA. We know, stop taking about it and figure out how to get this done.

Metro official accuses project heads of failure to fix flaws, letters show - Th Wash. Examiner
A WMATA official expressed concerns about the Silver Line twice since November.

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posted by WFY @ 5:50 AM | |

I don't believe Greenway tolls are part of the Silver Line funding mechanism. That road is a public/private partnership that is different from the Dulles Toll Rd. There have already been toll increases on the Toll Rd. to pay for the Silver Line.

# posted by  WFY : Wednesday, January 30, 2008 9:14:00 AM  

Hope or tease for Silver Line? USDOT grants "cooling off period"

Va. Gains Time to Save U.S. Funding for Dulles Rail - The Post
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has announced a cooling off period for the FTA and Virginia regarding Tysons-Dulles Metro extension. One source close to the governor suggested that "There is a glimmer here. It may be a temporary cessation of hostilities. It may be a pathway to getting this thing approved." The lead contractor has also agreed to add an extra 30 days to the escalation clause that was to kick in on Friday, Feb. 1.

FTA Agrees To Extend Deadline On Dulles Decision - WTOP

Kaine given more time on rail rebuttal - The Wash. Examiner

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posted by WFY @ 5:45 AM | |

Monday updates on Tysons-Dulles Metro

The fallout from the FTA's show of no confidence in the existing Dulles corridor Metro plan continues to generate coverage.

Private Interest In Rail To Dulles - The Post
The Carlyle Infrastructure Fund is mentioned as a potential private investor. Private financing of public transportation has the FTA's endorsement.

Dulles Rail proponents fending off blame - The Wash. Examiner

EDITORIAL - Tysons turnabout - The Wash. Times

Politicians Scramble to Save Dulles Rail Project - WTOP

The Post's Get There blog wonders what Plan B winds up being and notes

"the Federal Transit Administration said it doubted whether the Washington airports authority could manage the project. Let's take that concern as valid for a moment.

If the airports authority, which is managing the multi-billion dollar expansion of Dulles Airport, can't manage construction of a Metrorail line, who could?

How about Metro?

No. After Metro built out the five rail lines as planned, it got out of the rail construction business. It no longer has a department that could immediately turn its attention to the task of building a new rail line across the District or the suburbs."

Today's Roads & Rails chat was focused on this issue as well.

Here is the MWAA project Web site: dullesmetro.com

Even though I rarely refer to this as the "Silver Line" (I don't know if that is an official name or merely an anticipated one) I have gone ahead and created a category for Dulles Corridor rail called "Silver Line."

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posted by WFY @ 12:50 PM | |

A solution for Tysons-Dulles Rail

Given the events of last week, I think that Virginia officials, WMATA and MWAA need to visit this guy:


You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.

Falling that, they need to get better organized, be more specific about who is doing what and wait for the next administration. Hopefully that one won't be looking to excuse itself from the traditional government role of building infrastructure.

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posted by WFY @ 5:51 AM | |

Latest on Dulles corridor Metro

Contradictions Surface in Dulles Rail Talks - The Post
Virginia: You blindsided us!
FTA: No we didn't!

They need to get past that and figure out how to make this happen. It might have to wait until the next administration is in office.

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posted by WFY @ 10:02 AM | |

Schrag on Dulles-Tysons Metro situation

This morning, I asked Zachary Schrag, assistant professor of history at George Mason University and author of The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro, if he had any comments on the letter FTA chief James Simpson sent to Governor Kaine about the Dulles-Tysons Metro extension. Dr. Schrag responded:

In June 2007, James S. Simpson told the APTA Rail Conference, "we have one shot at building these projects; so we need to build them right and we need to build them to last. Perhaps by thinking big again, we can develop the kind of national consensus we need to assure that we get the kind of cities, and nation, that we want, and find the resources to pay for them."
Remarks: James S. Simpson, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, APTA Rail Conference, June 4, 2007

I find little of that approach in his January 24 letter to Governor Kaine. What does Simpson think Tysons Corner should look like a century from now? What does he think Loudoun County should look like a century from now? Unless he explain what kind of metropolitan area, and what kind of nation he wants, I don't see how he can evaluate the Dulles Line proposal.

Thank you for you input Dr. Schrag.

EARLIER TODAY:
FTA to Dulles corridor Metro: DROP DEAD

2006 INTERVIEW:
Q & A: The Great Society Subway

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posted by WFY @ 12:23 PM | |

FTA to Dulles corridor Metro: DROP DEAD

Dulles Rail Project All but Dead - The Post
Virginia officials are saying the Federal Transit Administration has blindsided them with the announcement that the Metro expansion on the Dulles corridor is not likely to receive $900 million of federal funding. The Post obtained the letter FTA chief James Simpson sent to Governor Tim Kaine (PDF).

Not surprisingly, a Post editorial wonders why the FTA took so long (after many millions of dollars were already spent) to announce its intentions. It also raises the question of how much administration ideology played a part (The Post) in the FTA's handling of the Dulles corridor Metro.

These recent developments are bad news for Northern Virginia and greater Washington D.C. There has been failure at just about every possible level along the way. Hopefully, this is just a setback, albeit a large one, to bringing mass transit to the 17th largest business district and 16th busiest airport in the country.

More from The Wash. Times: Years of planning, investment unravel at likely death of Dulles Rail

UPDATES:

Post columnist Marc Fisher chimes in on Raw Fisher.

Eric McErlain wonders what happens to all of that toll revenue that was suppossed to fund the project on Off Wing Opinion

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posted by WFY @ 6:16 AM | |

Tysons-Dulles Metro in jeopardy

Dulles Rail Project Verging on Collapse - The Post
The details are still emerging, but it appears the Silver Line linking West Falls Church to Ashburn via Tysons and Dulles is in serious jeopardy. The Federal Transit Administration is very reluctant to provide $900 million in funding for this much needed project.

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posted by WFY @ 7:42 PM | |

FTA getting cold feet about Tysons-Dulles Metro

Federal Qualms Leave Dulles Rail at Risk - The Post
Concerns over the contractor chosen to build the Silver Line, connecting Loudoun County and West Falls Church via Dulles Airport and Tysons, has put the project in jeopardy. Oddly enough, the contractor in question is not named in the article, but looking at a previous story on the subject indicates the contractor is Bechtel. Unfortunately, Bechtel was the primary contractor on Boston's Big Dig, notorious for massive cost overruns. Maybe shrouding the whole process in secrecy has backfired.

I am really annoyed that this is going on. I'm mad at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which plans to build the line. I'm mad a Virginia for not being upfront throughout the process and I'm mad at the federal government for dragging their feet too.

I do thank Adrian Fenty, mayor of Washington D.C. and Martin O'Malley, governor of Maryland, for supporting the project (The Wash. Examiner) though.

I think and hope this project is an "when, not if" situation, but I'm getting frustrated.

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posted by WFY @ 5:36 AM | |