The long-awaited opening of Metro's Silver Line expansion is finally here. Commuters and travelers in the D.C. area are now able to take Metrorail into Loudoun County, Virginia — including a stop at Dulles International Airport.
A train carrying local leaders and officials departed the Dulles Airport station around midday Tuesday; the crowd aboard cheered as the cars began to move.
The extension of the Silver Line adds another 11.4 miles of track west and northwest of Reston, extending to Dulles and ending in Ashburn, Virginia. In all, six new stations opened Tuesday: three in Fairfax County and three in Loudoun County.
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The extension — also referred to as "Phase 2" of the Silver Line — comes after multiple delays but is opening just in time for Thanksgiving travel. The first stretch of the Silver Line, which included five stations, opened in 2014.
"I never doubted we would do it; there have been delays along the way that have surprised me and infuriated me and frustrated me, but none of them ever made me doubt we would get there, because the idea just makes so much sense," Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D) said.
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There was excitement all through the day Tuesday. In the morning, Dulles International Airport was lit red, white and blue in anticipation.
Then, the ribbon finally — finally — was cut on the decades-in-the-making Metro extension to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.
“For me, today is also most important, really most importantly, because of the reason we really exist at Metro, and that’s serving our customers,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said at the ceremony. “They will have a better way, as the chair said, more convenient, greener, more affordable way to get to around, to get to work, to get to school, to get to shopping, to get to health care, entertainment and this amazing airport, which is a gateway to the world.”
Metro also offered customer giveaways on Tuesday.
'You Guys Ready to Ride?': Celebratory Mood on First Silver Line Trains to and From Dulles
On some of the first trains, the mood was full of energy, with riders cheering and sharing big smiles. A young passenger named Malcolm was able to recite entire Metro lines, including the Red Line, from memory.
"I'll tell you all the stations," he said, and listed them all: "Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen...."
Malcolm had to be here for this opening day, which also included a Who's Who of transportation leaders at the ceremony inside the Dulles station.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg shared funny tales about struggling to get to Dulles in the past.
"And I think all of us in the DMV have that experience of a friend saying that they're coming to Washington; they're flying in, and you're so excited — 'I can’t wait! I’ll be there to greet you when you come!' And then there’s that little pause: 'Wait a minute, which airport did you say you're going to be coming to?"
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser took the chance to sit at the controls of a Metro train to check it out.
"I have family in Ashburn, and I’m thinking I’m going to introduce my daughter to the Silver Line on a little excursion to go visit," she said.
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke fired up the first crowd of passengers when the new miles of track officially opened.
"You guys ready to ride the Silver? Then we are going to make an announcement," he said to cheers from the crowd.
Dulles International Airport Manager Richard Golinowski said the Silver Line extension will allow customers and employees to get to the airport more efficiently. He said it could help the airport attract low-cost airlines.
"Our low-cost carriers across the globe are very excited about having this new mode of transportation to the airport," he said. "As you know, especially in Europe, people love to come to the airport and take the train into the city, and that's what we have now with the Silver Line."
Golinowski said customers who take Metro to Dulles will walk about five minutes from a parking garage to terminal. He said the walk will be comfortable, easy and within enclosed air-conditioned spaces.
Silver Line Expansion Was Long-Awaited
The opening of Phase 2 was pushed back multiple times due to issues with concrete and cracks in buildings and other problems.
Then Metro had to negotiate its way through yet another snag in planning. In September, Metro's board voted to give new General Manager Randy Clarke the authority to set an opening date — but at the time, Clarke warned it would be vital to get more of Metro's sidelined 7000-series railcars back on the tracks.
"It's just a simple math equation," Clarke said in September. "We need x amount of trains to deliver x amount of service, and now we are adding even more miles of track for new service — so we need to bring more trains back to the system."
Earlier this month, Metro announced it had gotten approval to bring more of those railcars back to the tracks, provided they perform rigorous safety inspections. That cleared the way for Clarke to set the long-awaited opening date for the Silver Line extension, and Metro announced an opening date of Nov. 15.
Where Are the New Silver Line Metro Stations?
The Silver Line extension runs west and northwest from Fairfax County into Loudoun County, Virginia.
It continues from the previous end-of-the-line station, Wiehle-Reston East, and travels through Reston and Herndon to Dulles International Airport and beyond, ending at Route 772 in Ashburn, in eastern Loudoun County.
The new stations are:
- Reston Town Center (12023-A Sunset Hills Road, Reston)
- Herndon (585-A Herndon Parkway, Herndon)
- Innovation Center (13747-A Sunrise Valley Drive, Herndon)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (44920 Saarinen Circle, Sterling)
- Loudoun Gateway (22505 Lockridge Road, Sterling)
- Ashburn (43655 Ashburn Metro Drive, Ashburn)
Four of the new stations — Herndon, Innovation Center, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn — have commuter parking, Kiss & Ride drop-off locations, bike racks and bike lockers. In addition, Innovation Center and Herndon have secure bike storage rooms, repair stations and bottle-filling stations.
The Reston Town Center station does not have commuter parking available, but it does have bike racks and bike lockers, and Capital Bikeshare stations are planned for the future.
Dulles International Airport does not have parking specifically for Metro commuters, but short- and long-term parking are available around the airport. However, no bike parking is available on-site.
How Much Will It Cost to Ride Metro to Dulles Airport? How Long Will It Take?
It depends on what time you're traveling and the distance you're covering. Fares cost more during peak times and if you have farther to travel.
Overall, Metrorail fares range from as low as $2 to as much as $6. During peak hours (5 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.), fares range from $2.25 to $6. During off-peak hours, they're $2 to $3.85. On weekends and weekdays after 9:30 p.m., Metro charges a flat fee of $2 for a one-way trip.
You can use Metro's Trip Planner tool to calculate your fare cost.
Here are some examples of what it might cost you to ride Metrorail to Dulles on a weekday, depending on where you're coming from, and when (based on our use of Trip Planner):
- Bethesda to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 72 minutes
- Capitol Heights to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 77 minutes
- Greenbelt to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 100 minutes
- Hyattsville Crossing to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 96 minutes
- Metro Center to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 53-54 minutes
- Rockville to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 87-90 minutes
- Rosslyn to Dulles: $3.85 off-peak; $6 peak — 45 minutes
- Reston to Dulles: $2.60 off-peak; $3.25 peak — 12 minutes
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