Residents now can ride the Silver Line to Dulles International Airport following Tuesday’s opening of six new rail stations.
Besides the airport, the Silver Line extension will stop at Ashburn, Downtown Largo, Innovation Center, Herdon and Reston Town Center. The 11.4-miles of track have been decades in the dreams, visions and plans of area legislators and riders.
“We are here 60 years later. Sixty years it took for this day,” declared U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly from Virginia during Monday’s opening ceremony.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg offered “my congratulations to everyone who kept fighting for years and years and years, knowing how much it would help the people of this region.”
He added, “The Silver Line extension is going to make life more affordable, give people better access to jobs throughout the region, reduce the time that drivers sit in traffic on our roads, and provide a level of convenience getting to Dulles Airport that has been a long time coming.”
The extension enables Metro now to stop at a total of 97 stations on a 128-miles system through Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
“Our customers have been waiting for this day to come. We’ve heard the excitement from people who took the first train in 1976, and people who became transit enthusiasts from their first ride as a child. For them, and for the region, the completion of the Silver Line means a better, greener more affordable way to get to work, school, shopping, entertainment and events, as well as easy access to Washington Dulles International Airport, a gateway to the world,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke.
✨ICYMI✨
Yesterday, @wmata celebrated the opening of the Silver Line Extension, connecting customers to6️⃣new stations, adding1️⃣1️⃣miles of track to the @Metrorailinfo system, and providing access to @Dulles_Airport
▶️https://t.co/8iT8KnL3Mq@MontgomeryCoMD #MDTraffic 📷wmata pic.twitter.com/Wy9SLXpBas— MCDOT (@MCDOTNow) November 16, 2022
Today, we're thrilled to celebrate the opening of Metro's Silver Line Extension that provides people in the D.C. area a new, affordable way to get around and connect to Dulles International Airport, helping boost the regional economy and support local jobs. pic.twitter.com/DJSmC4L3W8
— U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) November 15, 2022
Metro launches Silver Line Extension with opening ceremony; welcomes customers to #RideSilver to six new stations on #YourMetro. https://t.co/Oa3OaKE93q pic.twitter.com/qrtJJMOKOK
— Metro Forward (@wmata) November 15, 2022
