Opening Day For Silver Line Extension Set for November 15

Service to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County

Per WMATA: Opening day is set for the Silver Line Extension – Tuesday, November 15 – connecting Metrorail customers to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County for the first time. The announcement came from Metro Board Members and employees in a video touting “We’re Ready,” marking the opening for customers and culmination of the largest expansion of Metrorail since the system’s inception.

“We appreciate our partners at MWAA, FTA, WMSC, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties who have worked collaboratively with us for several years to reach this moment,” said Metro General Manager/CEO Randy Clarke.

On opening day, customers who visit the six new Silver Line stations – Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn – will be greeted by Metro teams handing out commemorative pennants, a Metro tradition that started when the first station opened in 1976.

The extension completes the final phase of the full 23-mile expansion that began construction in 2009, opening the first segment five years later. This final segment provides a long-awaited connection to Washington Dulles International Airport giving visitors a direct connection to destinations around the region and will be a short walk from the baggage claim via an underground tunnel in less than five minutes.

The Silver Line Extension includes a brand-new rail maintenance and service yard, located on 90 acres of the Washington Dulles International Airport property. The Dulles Rail Yard is the largest rail yard in the Metro system and employs nearly 700 people.

The announcement of an opening date follows 18 weeks of testing, training and safety certification efforts by Metro. Metro took control of the Silver Line Extension from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) after the project achieved its Operational Readiness Date (ORD) on June 23, 2022. Since then Metro has been testing the new tracks and equipment, and training staff at the stations, railyard, and maintenance facilities in preparation for opening to the public.

Metro continues to work on a short list of items that we are coordinating daily with the WMSC.  We appreciate their collaboration and expect to finalize safety certification before we open for passenger service.