Metro launches Silver Line Extension with opening ceremony

On Nov. 15, Metro celebrated the opening of the Silver Line Extension, connecting customers to six new stations, adding 11.4 miles of track to the Metrorail system, and beginning operations at a modern rail maintenance facility. 

The Silver Line Extension gives customers a new connection to Washington Dulles International Airport and new service between Reston and eastern Loudoun County. The grand opening also marks the completion of the Silver Line project, a generational infrastructure investment in Northern Virginia. 

Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke was joined by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal, state, and local officials for the grand opening ceremony at Washington Dulles International Airport Station.

The event was followed by an inaugural train ride with nearly 100 customers who shared their happiest Metro memories to receive a “Silver Ticket” for the special preview train ride. 

Customers were greeted at the six new rail stations and commemorative pennants were distributed on opening day. The first Silver Line passenger train left Ashburn Station at approximately 2 p.m., headed eastbound to Downtown Largo Station in Prince George’s County, MD.

The first stops serve the Extension’s six new stations – Ashburn, Loudoun Gateway, Washington Dulles International Airport, Innovation Center, Herndon, and Reston Town Center. With the Silver Line Extension opening, Metrorail now serves 97 stations on a 128-mile system in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. 

As one of the largest capital construction projects in the United States, the Silver Line provides high-quality, high-capacity transit service between the Dulles corridor and Downtown D.C.; expands the reach of the existing regional rail offers a viable alternative to automobile travel and supports future development. 

Approximately 500 people attended the Grand Opening event, with remarks from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Chief Executive Officer Jack Potter; U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine; U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, and Jennifer Wexton; Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay; Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, and Loudoun County Board Member Matt Letourneau, who also serves on the Metro Board of Directors.  

For additional information about riding the Silver Line, go to wmata.com/silverline.