Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials announced Wednesday that construction contractor Hensel Phelps has achieved substantial completion on the 90-acre Rail Yard and Maintenance Facility at Dulles International Airport. The announcement marks another significant milestone for the Silver Line Phase 2 project to extend the Washington region’s Metrorail public transit system to Dulles International Airport and farther into Northern Virginia.
“The completion of the rail yard and maintenance facility is critical to completing the Metrorail Silver Line to Dulles Airport and beyond. We are now one step closer to making that happen,” said John E. Potter, president and CEO of the Airports Authority, which is overseeing construction of the project. “In addition to serving the Silver Line, the new maintenance facility also will bring hundreds of new jobs to Northern Virginia.”
The rail yard, located on Dulles International Airport property along Old Ox Road, will enable trains to undergo maintenance and repairs and provide storage for the trains and a range of spare parts for train and track maintenance.
Substantial completion means major construction is complete and allows operational readiness testing to begin, during which the project team will demonstrate the rail yard’s functionality, as a key step toward delivering the new rail yard to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operates the Metrorail system.
In November, the Airports Authority announced substantial completion of Phase 2’s six stations and mainline tracks built by Capital Rail Constructors, a joint venture led by Clark Construction Group and Kiewit, under a separate contract.
Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened in 2014, extending Metrorail service from East Falls Church to the eastern edge of Reston and prompting major transformations in the Tysons and Wiehle Avenue areas. Those same trends are beginning along Phase 2, with changes already underway in Reston, Herndon and Ashburn and at Dulles International Airport. The Silver Line’s goal is to help ease traffic congestion by providing alternative routes and easier commuting times, as well as improve access to regional entertainment, shopping and Dulles Airport.
<><><><><>
A 24/7 emergency hotline is available for Phase 2 Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project construction-related issues: 844-385-7245.
For general project information: www.dullesmetro.com or 571-730-9117.