WMATA's Silver Line: Phase ll
- Thread starter The Davy Crockett
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With the target completion date of July 2018 for the primary construction contract, you just have do your best to stay alive until the fall of 2018! Only a short 56 years after Dulles Airport opened for business. And in 2018, odds are good that someone will stand up at a public information meeting prior to the opening of Phase 2 and complain about how they rushed building the Metro out to the airport. 
The progress of the construction for Phase 1 of the Silver Line through Tysons and out to Wiehle Avenue has been impressive to observe over the last several years. The construction is officially 94% done as of the June Newsletter (has several photos). The May newsletter has some better wider view photos for those interested. MWAA claims that Phase 1 is still on schedule for completion of construction in September 2013 which would leave it up to WMATA to get testing and spin-up completed to start service in December 2013.
The start of revenue service on the 11.6 mile long Phase 1 Silver Line will be a noteworthy event because how long has it been since we added 11 miles of heavy rail rapid transit in the US? Been more than a few years I think.
The progress of the construction for Phase 1 of the Silver Line through Tysons and out to Wiehle Avenue has been impressive to observe over the last several years. The construction is officially 94% done as of the June Newsletter (has several photos). The May newsletter has some better wider view photos for those interested. MWAA claims that Phase 1 is still on schedule for completion of construction in September 2013 which would leave it up to WMATA to get testing and spin-up completed to start service in December 2013.
The start of revenue service on the 11.6 mile long Phase 1 Silver Line will be a noteworthy event because how long has it been since we added 11 miles of heavy rail rapid transit in the US? Been more than a few years I think.
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
The pics in the links are great.
Having friends and family along the Dulles Corridor, I've had the pleasure of watching the construction on Phase 1 progress while driving by during off-peak hours. I think the nearly finished product looks great and the architecture, while clearly different than the original, maintains a certain familiarity.
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This is more about Phase 1 of the Silver Line, but the July newsletter for the Silver Line project has been posted. The newsletter is titled the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project, so they will continue the series of newsletters for the Phase 2 construction. The not so good news is the completion date for Phase 1 has been extended by "approximately" 8 weeks, so a December 2013 start of revenue service for the Silver Line is likely to slip into 2014.
The photo I find interesting is of the platform for the Tysons Corner station which shows the view from the elevated track platform height. the McLean, Tysons Corner, and Spring Hill stations in Tysons are elevated well above ground level on either side of the highest point in Fairfax county. These will be Metro stations with a view.
The photo I find interesting is of the platform for the Tysons Corner station which shows the view from the elevated track platform height. the McLean, Tysons Corner, and Spring Hill stations in Tysons are elevated well above ground level on either side of the highest point in Fairfax county. These will be Metro stations with a view.
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
It sure is sounding like 2014 before the fare gates open and Silver revenue runs start rolling in. Hopefully it will just be 8 weeks!
I've wondered for a long time why Tysons One didn't make use of the view it has with a panorama restuarant or some such.
The September 2013 newsletter for the Silver Line project has been posted. Has photos of the work approaching completion at several of the new stations and several of the early survey work for Phase 2 of geotech boring samples. The start of service date for Phase 1 has indeed slipped to early 2014 as that date timeframe is stated in WMATA board meeting presentations this week.
The September 2013 WMATA board meeting was a busy one with the announcement of an additional order of 220 Series 7000 cars and the news that new fare gates will be ordered and installed starting in 2014 that will also take payment from properly equipped credit cards and smartphones. One of the presentations at the board meeting was on the Silver Line Marketing Plan. Turns out that the market awareness of the Silver Line is only 45-55%. The viewgraph part of the presentation document has first year ridership projections for each station, headways, and photos of the 5 new stations.
The September 2013 WMATA board meeting was a busy one with the announcement of an additional order of 220 Series 7000 cars and the news that new fare gates will be ordered and installed starting in 2014 that will also take payment from properly equipped credit cards and smartphones. One of the presentations at the board meeting was on the Silver Line Marketing Plan. Turns out that the market awareness of the Silver Line is only 45-55%. The viewgraph part of the presentation document has first year ridership projections for each station, headways, and photos of the 5 new stations.
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Thanks for the links! Nice photos, as always. Its great to see a train at a station, even if it is not on a revenue run yet! I'm looking forward to riding on some nice crisp, clear days this coming winter. I like the 'new/old' design - almost retro mid-century modern in looks. (Retro-Metro?
)I had heard about the low numbers for market awareness and they surprised me. I know I've been known to occasionally foam at the mouth, but how can people live in the area where the Silver Line is going, and have no clue?... Well, maybe on second thought those numbers seem about right!
It just seems that with all the heck raised about rising tolls on the Access Road, the traffic delays, the visibility of the project while under construction, the media coverage, etc., etc., those numbers would be higher.I hope the distance between the airport and the station don't discourage ridership. Treadway people movers will help a lot, but there will be a huge need for one to be in service in each direction at all times. If folks have to walk that distance it will certainly discourage them from becoming repeat customers. Considering Metro's history with escalators being out of service, I think that three 'moving sidewalks' should be installed at the Dulles Station so that one of them can be 'out of service' if need be. An added expense, yes, but considering how much less is being spent for that station than was originally planned, it seems like pennies. (Just my two cents.
hboy: )
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On the marketing end, I see that the SilverLineMetro.com website is up. T-shirts and coffee mugs touting the Silver Line are probably in the works. And,hey, the SilverLineMetro website has the new Metro map as a PDF file.I hope the distance between the airport and the station don't discourage ridership. Treadway people movers will help a lot, but there will be a huge need for one to be in service in each direction at all times. If folks have to walk that distance it will certainly discourage them from becoming repeat customers. Considering Metro's history with escalators being out of service, I think that three 'moving sidewalks' should be installed at the Dulles Station so that one of them can be 'out of service' if need be. An added expense, yes, but considering how much less is being spent for that station than was originally planned, it seems like pennies. (Just my two cents.
There are moving sidewalks in the tunnel from the Daily Parking Garage #1 to the terminal. The Metro station will go between the parking garage building and the hourly parking lot over the existing pedestrian tunnel. The odd thing about the moving sidewalks is that they maybe cover about 1/2 of the total walking distance. Big gap in the middle between the 2 sets of moving sidewalks. Then the moving sidewalk ends short of the Y-split leading to the escalators and elevators up into the 2 halves of the terminal. Dulles is not a compact airport, so there is a lot of walking to get through the airport to the gates, regardless of where the Metro station ended up.
I would expect the airport will provide a golf cart shuttle or two to run during peak periods between the elevators from the Metro station and the base of the escalators leading up into the terminal to those who need the assistance.
This is Phase 1 news, but I figured I might as well put it in this thread. Perhaps a moderator could rename this thread WMATA's Silver Line, so it can be used for catchall discussions and updates of both phases of the DC Metro new Silver Line.
It appears that the start of revenue service for Phase 1 is now expected to begin in February, 2014. WTOP article: Officials: Silver Line will carry passengers in February. DC Metro has always started service on new segments on Saturdays, so unless there is an unexpected delay, DC Metro will add 11.5 miles and 5 stations to the system on a Saturday next February.
There are 2 news reports videos available on YouTube, both around 2 minutes long showing stations nearing completion.
WJLA ABC7 from August: The New DC Metro Silver Line (shows the views that we will have with the elevated stations in Tysons)
WAMU from late September: MWAA Previews New Silver Line Phase 1 Stations.
It appears that the start of revenue service for Phase 1 is now expected to begin in February, 2014. WTOP article: Officials: Silver Line will carry passengers in February. DC Metro has always started service on new segments on Saturdays, so unless there is an unexpected delay, DC Metro will add 11.5 miles and 5 stations to the system on a Saturday next February.
There are 2 news reports videos available on YouTube, both around 2 minutes long showing stations nearing completion.
WJLA ABC7 from August: The New DC Metro Silver Line (shows the views that we will have with the elevated stations in Tysons)
WAMU from late September: MWAA Previews New Silver Line Phase 1 Stations.
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The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Sounds like a good idea to me.
Nice videos! I'm glad the Silver Line was built above ground where one can see the sky and clouds. The 'silver lining' to this is how good it looks!
I'm looking forward to 'wasting' a day riding it. I might even use the excuse of meeting one of my sisters at the "Wiehle - Reston East - And Soon-to-be More Points West" (In keeping with Metro's penchant for overly long station names) station for lunch.
Two things I noticed on the videos:
First, they are already painting the concrete. This was a bone of contention with the original design, as the stations were envisioned to be unpainted. When Metro decided to paint some due to staining from water leaking into the stations - I believe Farragut North was the first to be painted - there were some unhappy people.
Second, (I'm joking) I see the escalators are ready to go, as they are in Metro's normal operating 'stationary' mode! :giggle:
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Ryan
Court Jester
Yep, if I'm free on opening day, I'll definitely "waste" a day riding out there and back. If not then, soon after.
I need to work on closing the gaps so I can say that I've aced the system. I just have a few short segments (that are widely scattered, of course!).
I need to work on closing the gaps so I can say that I've aced the system. I just have a few short segments (that are widely scattered, of course!).
I think the segment along Rt. 7 in Tysons should have been built underground using cut & cover techniques. The elevated segment along Rt. 7 looks a bit like a roller coaster when you look at it lengthwise. The plans are for high density development along Rt. 7 there and the elevated tracks in the middle of Rt. 7 won't fit that well with the high density a decade or two from now. Also, by putting the Rt. 7 segment underground, they could have left a wide median strip where a future light rail line could run from a stop above the Greensboro Station down the Rt. 7 corridor/axis towards Falls Church, Bailey's Crossroad, and then to a TBD Blue/Yellow line station. But what is done is done. Elevated concrete railway it is.Nice videos! I'm glad the Silver Line was built above ground where one can see the sky and clouds. The 'silver lining' to this is how good it looks!
I'm looking forward to 'wasting' a day riding it. I might even use the excuse of meeting one of my sisters at the "Wiehle - Reston East - And Soon-to-be More Points West" (In keeping with Metro's penchant for overly long station names) station for lunch.
The views from the platforms of the 3 elevated stations in Tysons could be interesting. Likely to be able to see some DC landmarks from the McLean and Tysons Corner stations.
WMATA did a good job in trimming the bloated station names several years ago with the new maps and rules on primary name length. Well, except for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which they left alone. The end of Phase 1 will be just the Wiehle - Reston East station. Don't know if it might be renamed Wiehle Ave - Reston for consistency someday after Phase 2 opens.
Yeah, it probably would have been better to cover the Metro line, but having just visited Chicago, it seems that high density development and elevated transit can peacefully coexist.
I just drop a few ace bandages whenever I ride the DC Metro; that way I can say that I've aced the system.
Litterbug! :lol:
Ryan
Court Jester
Is that your bagbandage?
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Its okay. It doesn't phase me.
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
While putting the Silver Line underground would certainly have had its merits, it also had its issues:
First is cost. The 'folks in Richmond' would have balked, just like they did when they looked at the costs of putting Phase II of the Silver Line underground at Dulles Airport. IMHO putting it underground at Dulles would have been preferable because it would have meant a much shorter walk from the main terminal to the trains, but that plan was derailed as being too costly. I think putting Phase 1 underground along Rt. 7 would have proven so costly that the funding for Phase 2 could have become problematic. Of note too is the organization which pushed hardest for the underground option was funded largely by the large land owners in the Tysons Corner environs. It seemed to me that these 'Richie Richs' were looking out for their own interests, not the common good, and were trying to enrich their property values and thus themselves, through taxes and tolls payed by people of much more modest means.
Second, as reported earlier, there is an amazing lack of awareness that the Silver Line project exists in the local area. Out of sight would have meant even greater 'out of mind.'
Third, as Joe says, above groung heavy rail coexists pretty darn well with high density development in downtown Chicago.
Fourth, it is usually so much nicer looking out the window when one is above ground. And as afigg notes, the Tysons area has some sweeping views. (Of course, on the downside, it will likely be pretty chilly in the winter when there's a cold wind blowing, especially with the present and future tall buildings. (Hmmm - With the malls at Tyson's already named Tysons I & Tyson's II, how about Tysons Corner: Windy City II?
)
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Dropping bandages on the Metro...when did WMATA hire you?
As to putting it underground: I actually like the mostly-above-ground portions in the suburbs, since you get a view rather than spending up to an hour looking at a mix of underground stations and blackness. Even if there's not much to look at, a little sky is better than no scenery at all.
jis
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And it is way way cheaper to build too. A preponderance of the new systems being built are for that reason built preferably on surface or elevated, with tunneling reserved for only those portions where nothing else can be made to work.
The large land owners in Tysons, aka the real estate developers, are footing part of the cost for the Silver Line through special tax assessments. They were looking at the longer term view of the benefits of placing more of the route through Tysons underground, even if it was mostly self interest for expected profitable future high density development.
We managed to build 50.5 miles of the 106 mile Metro system underground without breaking the bank. The Silver Line will run through a 1500' long tunnel under the highest point in Fairfax County making the turn from Rt. 123 to Rt. 7. I think it would not have been that expensive to dig out a ~2 mile underground segment along Rt. 7 in the median (which was cleared out anyway for the elevated tracks) using cut and cover. But, the original PE stage design went with elevated tracks when not as many people were paying attention and once that was set, it was too difficult to change w/o risking the entire project.
The debate / fight over the location of the route and station at Dulles Airport was a different situation because it would have cost an estimated $600 million more to have a station closer to the terminal. With the amount of parking structure reconstruction and utility relocation needed for the closer in station, the price tag could have easily gone up. It came down to $600+ million and an extra 6 months in construction to save 600' in walking distance (with most of that on existing moving sidewalks). Not a surprise that the lower cost option won.
BTW, I see they have updated the funding breakdown of the Silver Line project on the Dulles Metro website to incorporate the additional funding from the state of VA. What it shows is that the project cost is now down to $5.5 billion due to the bid for the primary Phase 2 construction contract coming in several hundred million below the original estimate. During the debates over funding Phase 2, there were people claiming the entire project cost would spiral to $7 or $8 billion. Worth noting that the federal government is only providing $900 million for Phase 1 for 16% of the total; the rest of the funding is state or local or Dulles toll road drivers.
A
Andrew
Guest
How deep is this tunnel in Fairfax County?
The Davy Crockett
Engineer
WHAT tunnel? :blink:
Some folks need to read with less speed and cite when they write. :giggle:
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