After years of delay, the Silverline extension to Dulles, Virginia, is expected to open on Nov. 15
VA's $3 billion metro extension adds more than 11 miles of track, 6 new stations
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After decades of planning and years of delays, the D.C. region's Metrorail system will open a long-awaited extension to Dulles International Airport in about two weeks.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Monday that the second phase of its Silver Line extension into Loudoun County and the northern Virginia airport will open to passengers on Nov. 15.
The $3 billion extension adds more than 11 miles of track and six new stations. It has been plagued by cost overruns and criminal charges against contractors who falsified records to try to hide faulty concrete.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It was originally scheduled to open in 2018, but faced numerous delays.
Construction on the Dulles Rail Yard continues on July 26, 2017, in Dulles, VA. The Metrorail system extension to Dulles International Airport is finally expected to open in the next two weeks. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The opening comes at a time where the Metrorail system continues to face a significant drop in ridership from its pre-pandemic levels, as well as an anticipated budget gap.
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In recent weeks, Metro officials had said they could not open the new line until safety regulators allowed the system's 7000 series rail cars to return to use. They had been pulled from service after a derailment. Regulators approved a plan last week to return enough of the cars to service ahead of Thanksgiving to allow the Silver Line extension to open.