D.C. Metro Silver Line Extends Northern Virginia Service to Dulles Airport

Residents and travelers in the National Capital Region are enjoying expanded access on Metrorail now that the second phase of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (DCMP), which opened in November 2022, has been completed, providing connections via the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Silver Line to Dulles International Airport and Northern Virginia.

This 11.4-mile extension of the Silver Line is the second part of the $3.4 billion, 23-mile, 11-station extension of the Metrorail system. The recently completed second phase extends from Wiehle Avenue in Reston, Virginia and continues through Dulles International Airport to Ashburn in eastern Loudoun County, Virginia. This includes six new stations: Reston, Herndon, Innovation Center, Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn.

Since its opening, this new Metrorail service in the Dulles corridor is increasing service and capacity between the corridor and downtown D.C. It expands the reach of the existing regional rail system and offers a viable alternative to automobile travel that supports future transit-oriented development along the corridor.

“The project not only provides a new connection for many commuters, travelers and tourists, but also serves as an engine for economic growth throughout the region,” said Robert Kalbach, WSP senior project manager and vice president.

The project was constructed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (Airports Authority) and ownership has been transferred to WMATA. WSP has had a role in the DCMP’s development for more than 25 years. Culminating those years of project support, WSP was the lead partner in the Dulles Rail Consultants (DRC) joint venture that completed preliminary engineering and prepared the design-build procurement solicitation package for this second phase, which included managing a large design team comprising a DRC project office, multiple WSP offices and 19 subconsultants at the peak of the project. 

“Working on one of the D.C. region’s megaprojects has been an exciting part of my career, and watching it grow from design plans to an active construction project and now an operating transit line has been extremely rewarding,” Kalbach said.

Over the past few decades, WSP led the development of the Alternatives Analysis and Major Investment Study for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, which advanced to the selection of the alignment and modal alternative. The firm was also part of a joint venture (JV) providing general engineering consultant services for WMATA, which included preparing the environmental impact statement and preliminary conceptual engineering for the Silver Line extension project.

WSP led the design of the alignment and structures and site-selection process for the operation and maintenance facilities, provided financial planning and New Starts project development services that helped secure the project’s record of decision from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and provided the basis for FTA project funding and selection of the public-private partnership delivery method used to build the first phase of the project.

More recently, in addition to providing the overall leadership of the DRC consultant team for Phase 2, WSP completed the supplemental National Environmental Policy Act evaluation and led the preliminary engineering design for the second phase of the project, including the architectural design for the six stations; design of the maintenance and storage yard and associated support facilities; design of the project’s five parking structures; leading the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design; and support of the track, civil, roadway and systems designs. The firm also led the tunnel design before the airport segment of the project was changed from an underground alignment to an aerial alignment and station.

“Having started on the Silver Line in December 2009, I have been working on the Phase 2 project for more than 13 years and I watched it progress from preliminary engineering through final design and construction,” Kalbach said. “The team that developed the preliminary engineering as part of the WSP-led Dulles Rail Consultants JV included an amazing group of talented, hardworking individuals from WSP and our partners and subconsultants, and helping lead that team was an incredible opportunity.”

During the second phase’s preliminary engineering effort, WSP worked closely with a wide range of local, state and federal partners to achieve consensus on the design elements and project approach.

“This consensus was especially important at the station sites and associated parking structures, as they not only needed to provide smooth access to the station for vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and buses, but also needed to complement the transit-oriented development vision of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties and the Town of Herndon,” Kalbach said.

Each new Silver Line station presents a focal point for a different type of growth than what’s traditionally found in the Phase 2 project area. During the final design and construction process, WSP assisted both the Airports Authority and WMATA to address various construction challenges and help ensure that both the project requirements and standards were met, and the need for future maintenance activities and associated cost was minimized.

The Silver Line stations also have a different look compared to other stations throughout the Metrorail system, and WSP led the preliminary engineering effort to adapt the Silver Line architectural design for the at-grade stations of the second phase. The conceptual design for the Washington Dulles International Airport is unique and was developed by the WSP-led Dulles Rail Consultants JV.

“The aerial structure and station at Dulles Airport sit across the parking ‘bowl’ from the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed main terminal building, and the station design complements the architecture of the historic terminal building,” Kalbach said.

Click on the arrows to view images of the Silver Line extension project.

Decades of Support

WSP has a long history supporting both the Airports Authority and WMATA. For the Airports Authority, WSP played a key role in the expansion of both Reagan National and Washington Dulles International airports, and while the work on the Silver Line involved a different group within the Airports Authority, it allowed WSP to continue its decades-long support of the authority’s infrastructure programs. 

For WMATA, WSP has worked on everything from the design of Metrorail stations and new or expanded Metrorail lines, to rail and bus maintenance facilities and parking structures, plus program management, procurement and construction support. 

“The Silver Line project provided WSP with the opportunity to help the overall project team achieve a successful outcome for the project,” Kalbach said.

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