After five years of construction marked by multiple delays, Washington's Metrorail system opened the first phase of its new Silver Line, extending public transit service to Reston, Va., within about five miles of Dulles Airport. (Click here or on the image for a larger view of a system map.)
The 12-mile segment features five new stations in northern Virginia, including one at the Tysons Corner shopping complex. The Metro is expected to be extended to Dulles, one of the largest U.S. airports without a transit link, in 2018.
Construction on the second phase is expected to begin this year.
As an interim measure to close the gap, Dulles Airport launched the Silver Line Express bus service to transport passengers from the new Wiehle-Reston East station to the airport.
The bus offers free WiFi, baggage storage and one-way fares of $5. When combined with Metrorail fares, a trip on the Metrorail system between Dulles and any point on the Metro's lines costs $11 or less, compared with a taxi fare of about $62 for a ride from Dulles to the Capitol.
Buses operate every 15 minutes during weekday peak hours, every 20 minutes off-peak and on weekends.
Since its opening in 1976, Metrorail has grown to include six lines, 91 stations and 117 miles of track.
The 23-mile Silver Line marks the first extension of the Metrorail system since 2004 and the first to be accorded a new color since the Green Line in Washington and Prince George's County in Maryland opened in 1991, according to Metro, formally known as the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The new line connects with the Orange Line on the existing Metro system, which is the nation's second-busiest transit network after New York.
The federal government recently announced a loan of $1.2 billion to help with construction of the second phase of the Silver Line, which will go to Dulles and beyond.
The government had already contributed approximately $900 million to the construction of the first half of the Metro Silver Line.
The new loan is designed to help defray costs of the $3 billion extension to the airport, according to a statement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
"When completed, the 23-mile Silver Line will help residents and visitors get where they need to go safely, quickly and affordably," Foxx said. "It's the kind of project we'd like to see more of. One way to do that is if Congress will support our Grow America Act to provide long-term funding for transit systems, roads and bridges nationwide."
Phase 2 will include six rail stations, including five at ground level and one elevated, nine entrance pavilions and pedestrian bridges, aerial guideways through the airport and 89,000 feet of track, according to the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority.
All in, the cost for the construction of the entire Silver Line is $5.6 billion. Funding beyond the government's investment and the new loan is being covered by revenue from toll increases on local highways serving the airport area. (The airport's access roads remain toll-free.)
Follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.