The current design for heavy rail through Tysons, even with four stations along Routes 7 and 123, will not service the majority of Tysons.  This design is intended to benefit a few politically well connected land owners, such as West*Group, a major Connolly campaign contributor and SAIC, Connolly's employer.

For the majority of Tysons land owners, a very robust circulator system will be required. Clark Tyler, chairman of the Tysons Task Force has been preaching that the current design will not work without such a system and also believes that such a system must have dedicated right-of-way so it can maintain a regular schedule. Such a system renders heavy rail through Tysons irrelevant.

The current proposal is fatally flawed and should die.

I've said it before, a fifty to one hundred year mass transit design should not be driven by short-sighted real estate interests who control our elected officials.  

an Arlington perspective.  Right now, the Orange Line is close to capacity at rush hour.  Now, this "Silver Line" is supposed to run from West Falls Church on the Orange Line, meaning that thousands more commuters will try to shove their way onto packed Orange Line trains.  How's that going to work exactly?   The problem is that there's almost no room for additional capacity on the Orange Line, yet this "Silver Line" project doesn't appear to take that into account.  That's a disaster waiting to happen.  Arlington representatives should be fighting this thing tooth and nail unless money is also provided for additional capacity on the Orange Line.

were ostensibly intended to increase WMATA's revenue, I believe they were also implemented to decrease rush hour ridership, since Metro is over-capacity during peak hours.

Turns out that the West Falls Church stop will not be a transfer point to the Orange line as some have been saying.  The intended end point for the Silver is the Stadium/Armory station.  So overcrowding of Orange line cars may not be effected by the Silver.  However...

The congestion question still remains - with the "tubes" near capacity with trains when the Blue and Orange meet at Rosslyn, how the hell will the rail lines support a 50% increase in traffic?  As it currently stands, a disabled train or medical emergency can easily back up the morning commute by 15 - 20 minutes.  Throw in an additional 50% more trains and it will cause total gridlock.

this map, the transfer is actually at East Falls Church.  That should work REALLY well!

you want to go from somewhere near Franconia Springfield to Dulles by Metro, you'd have to:

a) Drive to Franconia Springfield and park, god knows how long that will take

b) Catch the blue line to Rosslyn

c) Attempt to transfer to the Silver Line to Dulles.  Watch several packed trains go by.

d) Perhaps 30 minutes later, finally squeeze onto a Silver Line train to Dulles.

e) Reach page 100 of War and Peace.

f) Arrive at airport, find that you've missed your flight and that there won't be another one until tomorrow.

g) Get back on Silver Line heading towards Rosslyn...etc.

a transfer point is at East Falls (sorry, got my Falls Churches mixed up) but the Silver still goes all the way to the Stadium/Armory station.  Since most of the Silver line riders will either transfer to Red at MetroCenter or be off the train by about Federal Center SW, I can't imagine why they'd get off the Silver and onto the Orange when the Silver goes to the same place.

I wasn't aware that the Silver Line was going to go all the way to Stadium-Armory.  So....here's a question, then:  given how two lines (Blue and Orange) already share one track, often causing delays at places like Rosslyn, how the heck are we going to add ANOTHER line to this mix and expect Metro to function smoothly?  I mean, it's not like we can lay another track of build another tunnel under the Potomac or anything.  This looks like a disaster waiting to happen, if you ask me.

That's what I've been asking.  The inside of the trains may or may not be stuffed, but with limited track options and ZERO chance of expanding the tracks under the city, we will have train gridlock.

Choke Point Slows Orange Line Trains: Potomac Tunnel Nearing Capacity

"It's very frustrating," said Ken Clendenin, a paralegal who is a regular rider, before backing away from another train packed shoulder to shoulder. "Sometimes I have to let two or three pass. But what are you going to do?"

The Orange Line crowding stems from what may be the most significant choke point in the region's Metrorail system: the narrow tunnel beneath the Potomac River. It serves Orange and Blue Line trains shuttling between Northern Virginia and Washington but is wide enough for just one track in each direction.

OK, now, add the Silver Line to this mix and what do you get?  I'd like to hear from Arlington officials about this...seems to me that Arlington's getting totally screwed here.

Reroute every other blue line train directly to lefant plaza (following the yellow line route)

http://www.examiner.com/a-8572...

This might help a bit but it would of course increase blue line traffic on the trains actually going to Rosslyn and Rosslyn tunnel use would still increase by 25% from 4 trains per cycle (2 Orange 2 Blue) to 5 trains per cycle (2 Orange 1 Blue 2 Silver)

Well, I'm glad someone has actually spent some time thinking about this problem.  Kudos to Metro.

But reading their proposal, they are cutting Blue line service in half.  I thought they'd be just bypassing a number of blue stops (Arlington cemetery through Smithsonian... cough cough... don't these cover the primary tourist destinations?) and the blue train would pick up and finish off the blue route.  But it appears they're just turning every other Blue line train into a Yellow line train (except for the Van Dorn and Springfield stops).  I don't think the Blue is as crowded as the Orange is now, but it will be after this change.

Plus, as you say, it's still a 25% increase in tunnel traffic.  

increase capacity on Metro.  That will take billions MORE dollars, none of which are forthcoming.  What amazes me is that THIS WASN'T TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT in considering the Silver Line.  What. The.  #%#@^@*!

The money is already there

By the time the silver lane is running there will be 8 car trains everywhere

Also remember that the new car designs can handle up to 25% more passengers per car so you are talking as much as a 50% increase in throughput going from an old 6 car design to a new 8 car design

Bottom line though I think (I agree with you) that the Silver Line is not a good idea in its current form

The silver line will usurp all of the "tripper" trains.  These are empty cars that are injected onto the Orange line at West Falls Church. These trains are the only reason many Arlington riders can board during rush hour, since the trains are full by the time they make it into Arlington.

I actually know people who get off packed trains in West Falls Church and wait for one of these tripper trains so that they can get a seat and be more comfortable.

The General Assembly letter came a day after a Washington Post story headlined, "Federal Qualms Leave Dulles Rail at Risk."  The Feds should have qualms.

And it shouldn't just be the FTA taking a very close look at this ill-conceived deal -- it should be the news media  too!  They've given Governor Kaine, Pierce Homer, et al
a free ride so far.  Those incompetents have royally screwed things up, and have the nerve to point fingers at others.  They're trying to push through an agreement that even Gerry Connolly says is bad.  The Feds are apparently the only people being responsible now.

And, to top it off, now streets are being torn up in Tysons "at the request of the airports authority by [Bechtel and Washington Group], basically to keep the
contractors busy so the cost penalties were not incurred."  The part in quotes is, incredibly, straight from the mouth of Pierce Homer!

If all of this weren't so important and sad, it would be funny.

Maybe it's not too late, though...because there
is a solution: Competitively bid the project, with the option for the tunnel that EVERYONE says is best.

This crap politicians spout about any delay killing the whole project is just that -- crap.  I've been hearing that a 6-month delay would kill rail to Dulles more than a year-and-a-half.  Negotiations have been going on for years.  It is ludicrous to think that another minor delay, to do this the right way, will kill everything.

The media should start to inject a little reason into this...and paint a true portrait about how it's been screwed up so far.  The public, weary of all the
back-and-forth on this issue, still doesn't have a clear picture of what's really going on...and how badly they are being served.  

that the current project does not go to Dulles Airport, only to Wiehle Avenue.

There is currently no money allocated for extending service to the airport. At this time, the project is more aptly called "Tysons Rail." I continue to believe that detouring the heavy rail line through Tysons was a mistake, considering that a dedicated-right-of-way circulator system is still needed to service the entire 1700 acres that encompasses the Tysons Corner Urban Center.

Detouring through Tysons was designed to guarantee top dollar real estate values for a few politically well-connected landowners like West*Group and SAIC whose property abuts the proposed stations.  And phase I was designed to go to Wiehle Avenue so that toll road money could be used to finance the Commonwealth's portion of the costs.

You want to know why that was ultimately done... because otherwise the line wouldn't get built do to low ridership numbers

have at last come clean, as highlighted in a recent Washington POST article: they do not want the government to be involved in any mass transit expenditures because they feel the "free market" will do the job if it's really such a good, marketable idea. Once again the ideologues of rank conservatism stab us all in the back.

It appears to me that if Bush wants to stimulate the economy in a sensible and productive way, the federal government would engage in massive expenditures on America's infrastructure, including this project and, for example, repair of highways and bridges, rather as FDR did during the Great Depression. Look how many jobs could be generated, how many small businesses as well as Big Boys would make a profit.  We might even restore some of America's lost factories. That's the sort of trickle down that might work (rather than tax cuts for global corporations).

Inspector General's report:

*Significant Cost Increase:  States that project costs have increased significantly ($1.5 to $2.7 billion) and project completion has been delayed significantly (4 years) in the last 2 years implying that budget and schedule are already out of control (and the project has not even really started).

* No Competition:  Points to the "timing of the contract award" and "no competition" on the contract as primary factors for the significant cost increases and delays.

* No Fixed-Price:  Points to the fact that there is no comprehensive fixed-price contract for the project.

* Questionable Cost-Effectiveness:  Notes that the project had a hard time meeting FTA cost effectiveness standards last year when the project cost was $2.065 billion and may have an even harder time now that the project cost is $2.7 billion.

* FTA Reevaluation:  Recommends that the project be evaluated consistent with current FTA policy - in particular, excluding "user benefits" previously counted (possibly making it even harder to meet FTA standards).

* Review Must Be on Merits:  Rejects the rationale (of some) that the considerable expenditures to date on the project should weigh as a factor in making decisions on future funding awards - i.e. just because so much money has been spent on the current approach does not mean that more must be spent on that approach . . . the big dollars are still ahead.

* Big Dig:  Likens the project to the "Big Dig" and even names Bechtel as a party involved in those troubles, raising collateral questions about MWAA's management capacity for the project.

* Funding Concerns:  Notes the heavy reliance on Dulles Toll Road revenues and questions the project financial plan, especially the ability of the Toll Road revenues to support the project costs and maintain the road.

* Tunnel Feasibility:  Notes that the ASCE panel reported that the large bore tunnel under Tysons was "feasible and potentially cost-effective" and notes "strong pressure from the public, local government officials, and citizens groups to build a tunnel."

This project's engineering should be revisisted and then the funding sources reevaluated.  What is creating all of the pressure to act now is that everyone is despearate to fund the last $800M via the FTA.  

However, the Wilson Bridge's last piece of funding came via an earmark secured by Chuck Robb.  

Our elected federal representatives could push for an earmark on this project if they chose.  $800M is not a huge earmark in the federal world.

Sen. Ted Stevens can get a bridge to nowhere.  I'm not clear why this option isn't being discussed.  

Let's not underestimate the power of politicians who want a legacy they can put on their bios/tombstones/etc.  And frankly, there's no bigger legacy than this Metro to Dulles project -- the biggest public works project in Virginia in decades.  What amazes me is how (relatively) little attention this issue has gotten from Virginians as a whole; obviously, Virginia politicians are very focused on it, almost frantic that it get done...and soon (e.g., before they leave office)!

what's not being made public.  First Kaine was a tunnel supporter then suddenly changed his mind.  Now we've got brand new public officials (Petersen and Vanderhye) who are ready to take the establishment and do the right thing, and after a meeting they suddenly change position????

Something is very fishy here.

what I'm hearing is that there's been an enormous amount of pressure placed on GA members to "get with the program."  Or else.  Now, WHY this is being done, that's an interesting question, but that's the story I'm hearing from multiple sources...

the question of exactly who is putting the pressure on.  Fairfax business leaders (and big bucks Tysons land owners)?  Gerry Connolly (seriously, he can't have that much pull)?  Major corporations (like Betchtel)?  The Democratic party (who, since Kaine and other leaders weren't on board originally)?  Secretary Homer (again, he can't seriously have that much pull)?

Chap campaigned on being the champion of the people...that sure was short lived. He'd rather have egg on his face than ruin this project??? Please! Some "timeout" for competitive bidding to control costs. I heard his words stating that he would be able to stand up to pressures to do the right thing - and he could even stand up to the governor...NOT!

If this no-bid/no cap project goes through and the cost overruns, as predicted by the FTA, do/will occur, all of our legislators should be flogged. This is not good public policy. We have a contractor with a known history of milking mega projects - Bechtal (Boston Dig and Yucca Mountain). No one is watching out for the taxpayers of Fairfax, save the FTA and Foust.

From all appearances, SAIC is paying consultants/employees to make sure that this project goes forward - i.e., Connolly, Clark Tyler, John Mason, NVTA chair, and Planning Commissioner Walter Alcorn. SAIC has a history of partnerships with Bechtal. SAIC management would be "negligent" if they weren't secretly negotiating with Bechtal on the construction portion of the contract - $2.7B and climbing. They have lots of money to throw around - aka Dominion Power style. The lure of candy is just to strong for all our sugar loving legislators.

Agreed with Lowell this is going to cost around 3 billion and increase your wait times for trains on the orange and blue lines...same choke point at the Rossyln tunnel... The governments plan of combining the original bids and not taking into account new technology that would have let the tunnel be built cheaply was foolish. Also the Airports Authority negotiated a terrible contract with Bechtel that set no hard cap on a project for which Congressman Frank Wolf was quoted back in '97 saying that "it is probably realistic to assume that the actual cost of the rail to Dulles will also be significantly higher than the current 1.6 billion estimate."

The rail will most likely go through Gerry C. wants it so that means the NOVA delegation wants it. Big time land owner West*Group now after realizing the tunnel isn't going to happen has switched their point of view and now wants it. So it seems inevitable that the metro will be built.

With that said lets hope the developers stick to the proposed Transit Oriented Development plans, and some good comes from this debacle.