Metro says it is ready to open the next phase of the Silver Line to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County, Virginia, in time for the busy Thanksgiving rush, but it doesn’t have enough trains to do so at this point.
Because Metro has not been permitted to return its full fleet of troubled 7000-series railcars to the tracks, opening 11 more miles of track on the Silver Line with the current number of trains in use would increase wait times and crowding and could lead to dangerous conditions.
Phase 2 of Silver Line in Virginia Will Extend to Dulles Airport & Beyond
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Metro's Silver Line extension — also referred to as "Phase 2" of the Silver Line — will add another 11.4 miles of track west and northwest from the Wiehle-Reston East station.
When it opens, the extension will add six new stations: three more in Fairfax County and Metro's first-ever stations in Loudoun County, including that long-awaited stop at Dulles International Airport.
The opening of Phase 2 has been pushed back multiple times. While the exact opening date still hasn’t been announced yet, Metro previously said that it expects the extension to open in fall 2022. However, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke has said it will be vital to get more of the currently sidelined 7000-series cars back on the tracks.
"It's just a simple math equation," Clarke has said. "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."
But First, Metro's Waiting for More 7000-Series Railcars to Return
Metro is asking its top safety watchdog, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, for permission to return its entire fleet of 7000-series railcars, which would allow the Silver Line extension to open and ease crowding conditions across the system. Metro believes it has taken "tens of thousands" of measurements on its 7000-series railcars without any indication that there are wheel movement issues.
More than a year ago, a 7000-series railcar derailed outside the Arlington Cemetery station. It was later discovered that one of the wheels had moved outward from that train. It was later discovered that this wheel migration issue had happened with other 7000-series railcars, dating back several years.
Metro has gradually been allowed to return some of those 7000-series railcars back to service, but has yet to have access to its full fleet — something the transit agency says is critical to get the Silver Line open and continue to run current service levels.
Safety Commission Says It's "Deeply Concerned" About "Incorrect" Statements From Metrorail Officials
On Wednesday morning, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) provided this response to News4: "It is concerning to the WMSC that Metrorail may not be interested in carrying out its safety responsibilities, even going so far as to have senior leadership suggest at a public WMATA Board Meeting that Metrorail will only mitigate known safety issues if ordered to do so."
The commission's statement continued: "The WMSC is deeply concerned about Metrorail senior leadership's incorrect statements that a failure to follow procedures in place to control known hazards such a wheel migration does not lead to unsafe conditions. These statements are expressly contrary to logic and sound safety practices, as well as, more specifically, Metrorail’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) and the WMSC Program Standard. If controls in place to ensure the safety of passengers and workers are ignored, then those controls do not provide the intended level of safety for Metrorail passengers and employees."
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