Washington DC: Rail transit

[OhioGuy]

A couple updates from the DC area this week:

WTOP: Phase 2 of Metro’s Silver Line delayed again

The long-delayed opening of Metro’s Silver Line extension to Dulles International Airport and beyond has been pushed back again.

Last month, it was estimated that the 11.4-mile, six-station extension would open this spring. But a new projection was announced at Tuesday’s meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ transportation committee.

When Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who chairs the committee, asked when Phase 2 of the Silver Line would open, Martha Coello with the county transportation department gave a laugh before answering.

“That’s the million-dollar — billion-dollar question at this point. We believe early summer,” said Coello.

Mass Transit Magazine: Maryland Purple Line receives $1.7 billion replacement TIFIA loan

Maryland’s 16.2-mile Purple Line project was approved for a $1.7 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan through the Build America Bureau. The project had previously been approved for a $874.6 million TIFIA loan in 2016; this loan replaces and restructures the previous loan.

The past year has seen the project that will provide an east-west light-rail connection between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, progress under a complex of umbrella of events that saw a new contractor enter the project, increasing costs and an opening date that slid into 2026.