WASHINGTON — Gov. Terry McAuliffe is looking for more details about Northern Virginia’s long-delayed Silver Line at a meeting with leaders of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Tuesday.
The agency is responsible for building both phases of the rail project that will eventually connect downtown D.C., Tysons Corner and Dulles International Airport.
The meeting comes nearly three weeks after the contractor building the first phase of the project to Wiehle-Reston East Station said for a second time that Phase 1 is “substantially complete.”
MWAA representatives rejected the initial claim of substantial completion in February after multiple problems were found, including flaws with a communication link and a potential fire hazard with hundreds of new speakers.
MWAA is nearing its contractual deadline to decide on the most recent claim of substantial completion.
Sources familiar with the project tell WTOP they expect the agency to approve the project by the end of the month.
The approval is a crucial step in the process of handing over the project to Metro.
Metro has said it could be up to 90 days after the rails are handed over before the line opens to passengers, but sources tell WTOP the line could open in as few as 60 days after the handover.
The sources say passengers could be boarding Silver Line trains between Wiehle- Reston East and Largo Town Center around July 4 as long as all testing and training goes as planned.
Related Stories:
- Metro’s Richard Sarles: No promises on Silver Line
- WTOP exclusive: Silver Line on track to open by July 4
- Metro Silver Line project director resigns
- Silver Line contractor: Work is complete
Follow @WTOP and @WTOPTraffic on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
