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| A possible route for extending the Silver Silver Line. Click to enlarge. [WMATA] |
Would you like to see Metro’s Silver line extended along Route 7 and Columbia Pike through Seven Corners, Bailey’s Crossroads, and Arlington?
That’s one of several long-term options put forth by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) in a survey seeking public input on various proposals to ease future congestion on Metro’s Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. Take the survey here.
Don’t get your hopes up, however. Extending the Silver line from the West Falls Church station to either Southeast D.C. or National Airport and beyond would be a multibillion-dollar project that would take at least 25 years to complete. In fact, the Greater, Greater Washington blog calls the maps accompanying the Metro Capacity and Reliability Study“fantasy maps.”
The main problem WMATA is trying to resolve is congestion at the Rosslyn station, which lacks the capacity to handle the demand. While overall Metro ridership has declined, transportation planners believe it will increase in future years as the population grows, especially if capacity and reliability are improved.
Other proposals call for WMATA to:
Other proposals call for WMATA to:
- Extend the Silver line north from West Falls Church or McLean to mid-D.C. and Union Station or from Tysons to Bethesda and beyond.
- Install the infrastructure – new crossovers and pocket tracks – to allow trains to “turn back” at different areas along the Orange, Blue, or Silver lines. This would improve reliability by allowing quick recovery from incidents and delays.
- Build a new “Rosslyn II” station and realign rail service around Rosslyn to allow for different service patterns. The new station would have pedestrian links to the existing station.
- Build a new “Rosslyn II” station and extend the Blue Line through a new tunnel under the Potomac River into D.C. and Maryland.
- Build a new “Rosslyn II” station and a new tunnel under the Potomac River to create a new Metrorail loop connecting the Pentagon, Georgetown, the Dupont and Shaw neighborhoods, and the Navy Yard/Waterfront area.
In related Metro news, WMATA plans to rebuild the deteriorating platforms on the western side of the Orange line next summer at the East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, and Vienna stations.
The East Falls Church, West Falls Church, and Dunn Loring stations will be closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2020.