WMATA says “We’re Ready” to open Silver Line on Nov. 15
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced in a video the Silver Line Extension will open for service on Nov. 15. The video shows various WMATA employees welcoming riders and sharing the same message, “We’re Ready,” before ending with an audio clip from Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” song – a recognition of the wait customers have endured.
WMATA took control of the Silver Line Extension from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which oversaw construction of the project, after the project achieved its Operational Readiness Date (ORD) on June 23, 2022. WMATA has spent the past 18 weeks testing equipment and infrastructure, training staff and performing safety certification efforts in preparation of the line’s opening. In mid-October, WMATA said the Silver Line Extension could be ready before Thanksgiving, dependent on approval by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) of the safety certification report of the Silver Line extension, and the 7000-series return to service plan.
“We appreciate our partners at MWAA, [Federal Transit Administration], WMSC, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties who have worked collaboratively with us for several years to reach this moment,” said WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke.
The Silver Line Extension adds 11.4 miles to the first phase of the project, which opened in 2014 and brought Metrorail service from East Falls Church to the eastern edge of Reston. The second phase of the Silver Line extends from the first phase terminus at Wiehle-Reston East to Loudoun County, Va., and fulfills a vision of bringing a rail connection to Washington Dulles International Airport that goes back to 1962.
The Silver Line extension includes six new stations, where commemorative pennants will be distributed on the extension’s opening day in a tradition that began with the Metrorail station opening in 1976. The Silver Line Extension also 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 WMATA’s system and employs nearly 700 people.
The video announcing the opening can be viewed here:
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
