West Falls Church Rail Yard May Delay Silver Line Opening

At the end of February, representatives from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said they thought passengers would be riding on the brand new Silver Line by the end of 2013, but that already appears to have changed.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the agency tasked with building Metro’s 23-mile Silver Line from East Falls Church Station to Ashburn, expects to complete construction around the end of the summer and turn the line over to WMATA. And safety inspections are likely to be done by the end of the year, according to a WMATA rep, but delays on a rail yard at West Falls Church appears to be blocking progress. According to an article in the Washington Examiner, the rail yard will not be done until mid-January 2014.

In the report, Metro officials say they are working on adjustments to put the line back on track.

MWAA was reportedly testing an 8-car train on the new line Tuesday.