I thought it was dead.  I guess a lot of people did.

They are saying that suddenly all those concerns (wildly escalating costs, WMAA complete lack of management experience in this area, a flailing and underfunded Metro, and significant citizen concerns regarding how it would pass through Tysons Corner) are resolved?

Either those concerns weren't reported correctly from the beginning (although from the look of it they appear to be on target) or someone is doing some serious arm twisting and forcing the FTA to ignore all these problems.

Is it bad news?  No - a train is better than more cars on the road.  But it certainly isn't good news either - aside from the legitimate questions raised by the FTA there are also concerns about train gridlock when the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines come together, about whether Tysons could really become a downtown haven, and if the whole project would really relieve traffic congestion (check out gridlock on non-HOV I66 if you think the train will solve our problems).

Something stinks.

That the FTA is filled with free-market ideologues who are pushing various privatization schemes, and that they wanted the state of Virginia to sell off the Toll Road to some private company.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

For Macquarie, the Dulles Toll Road has enormous appeal. The company approached Virginia in 2005 about leasing the road, pocketing motorist fees and financing the rail extension to the airport. But Virginia officials had other ideas. They wanted to keep the road in the hands of a public entity -- the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority -- and let it build the rail line.

According to four former senior DOT officials, Virginia's decision upset Duvall and then-DOT chief of staff John A. Flaherty. "They went ballistic," one of the officials said. "[They] wanted that to be their pet project in the nation's capital. Tyler would mention that frequently . . . that it would be better for the project to go to Macquarie."

Duvall said the DOT is not trying to steer Virginia toward a public-private partnership for Dulles rail and that Flaherty was angered because the state did not notify the department, not by the substance of its decision. "My interest in this was solely to make sure the taxpayer was getting the right deal," he said.

Don't kid yourself--we will not see any reduction in traffic because of the Metro extension through Tysons to Reston. The Tysons Land Use Task Force is making recommendations for doubling-to-tripling the density of development at Tysons, on the basis of rail's presence there, so we will actually get MORE traffic congestion as a result of rail, rather than less.

The unfettered greed of the development interests on the Task Force is taking what could have been a transportation improvement in our region, and turning it into a land rush that will line their pockets and leave us with worse congestion than before.

Just shows you CAN come back from something like the Big Dig fiasco and make out like a bandit.  Or maybe just BE a bandit.  I have trouble keeping the distinctions straight.

but for now, I agree with Eric on smelling a rat.  Notice all the secrecy, even today with the way this is being announced?  What do all these people have to hide, and why have they consistently tried to ram this project through without even considering doing it the right way (competitive bidding, tunnel in Tysons, real public input, etc.)?

Rail to Gerry.  

Can we pretty please stop calling this "Rail to Dulles."

This project is not going to Dulles. This is "Phase I" and only "Phase I." It takes rail to Wiehle in Reston not to Dulles.

This is a pretty important fact that is getting overlooked everywhere.

Thanks for the reminder.

The Democratic Party of Virginia is going to make HUGE gains in the future because of this project. It will make the entire corridor home to even more liberal oriented voters who care more about quality of life issues rather than pointless social ones. Just think even parts of Loudoun will be able to have dense development. Let's just hope Metro can handle the increased load and has plans to eventually build a third Potomac River crossing in its system.

at least in the short term.  

The Democratic party, and people like Connolly and Kaine who have become the faces of this effort, will certainly benefit because the average Joe, who isn't paying attention to all the details, thinks this is a great thing.  

It will also benefit Republicans like Frank Wolf (even though he doesn't deserve the benefit) and Tom Davis (a feather in his cap to be used at a later date).

But the undisputed, world class, uber-winners are today's Tysons Corner land owners.  No matter what else happens, no matter how much it costs, if it works or doesn't, if it boosts the economy or not, if it relieves congestion or not, the current land owners are going to make a killing.

with the deal as it is constructed, but it is better than nothing. And frankly, although I'd like the tunnel, it seems like the project is moving forward. I'd rather have above-ground rail than no rail.  

but that's the false dichotomy (do it this way -- no bid, aerial -- or you get no rail at all) that the politicians have been using on us for the past couple of years.  I didn't buy it then, I don't buy it now.