Lawmakers Go to War Over Metro Silver Line Expansion

RESTON, VA — The finger-pointing is intensifying within Metro leadership as the system faces a deepening budget and safety crisis, and now some lawmakers are suggesting that the Silver Line expansion past Reston should be considered for the chopping block -- a provocative proposal that has touched off a fierce battle between Metro stakeholders in Maryland and the District and representatives of Northern Virginia, and could complicate efforts to fix the system.

The war of words escalated late last month, when Corbett A. Price, a Metro board member who represents D.C., suggested that the agency should consider canceling the $5.8 billion extension to the Silver Line, which would take the line out to Reston Town Center, Herndon, Ashburn and Dulles Airport by 2020.

Virginia officials immediately dismissed this as political theater, arguing it would break contracts, trigger lawsuits, and probably wouldn't save any money because the second phase of the Silver Line project is already well underway.

But even if it's not a serious proposal, the fact that Price even brought it up shows the tremendous divide between stakeholders in Virginia and those in Maryland and the District, who are frustrated that a large amount of money is being spent on the Silver Line when that money could be used to fix the deep, underlying problems Metro is facing today on tracks that already exist. Essentially, D.C. and Maryland don't think Virginia is paying their fair share.

Metro board chairman Jack Evans joined Price in threatening the Silver Line if Virginia doesn't pitch in more to fix Metro's woes, and that isn't sitting well with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who ripped into Evans at a recent congressional hearing for participating in "parochial theater."

It's not a good sign for Metro, which will need the cooperation of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia to get a handle on its extreme budget crisis. Evans argues that Metro will need a staggering $25 billion to fix all the problems throughout the system -- a very difficult goal to achieve if the two sides can't come to an agreement on how to fund the Silver Line.

Image via Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project