WASHINGTON — After months of delays, the Silver Line is finally taking a big leap closer to opening in Northern Virginia.
The contractors building Phase One of the Dulles Rail Project say they have reached “substantial completion” Friday of the new stretch from East Falls Church to Wiehle-Reston East.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says they will immediately begin their 15 day review of the project to confirm that has reached “substantial completion.”
Once they do that, they can turn the project over to Metro for the first time.
Metro says it has up to 90 days from accepting the project to begin running passenger service.
Metro will run its own tests and train employees before opening the line, and several safety certifications are also required.
If Metro used the full 90 days, the Silver Line would open in late May, but several people connected to Metro have indicated that they hope not to need the full testing and training period.
Metro loses about $2 million each month that the Silver Line is not open.
When it does open, Silver Line trains will run from Wiehle-Reston East to East Falls Church via the four new stations in Tysons corner. The trains then follow the Orange Line tracks to Stadium-Armory, before following the Blue Line tracks to Largo Town Center.
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