Dulles Rail streamline design

As you may be aware, federal transportation support of the present Dulles Rail design is in jeopardy. Apparently they disagree with the plan to spend so much money on a project that initially extends Metro to Hunter Mill and toll road with FOUR (4) stops in Tyson Corner. Phase I does nothing for Dulles Airport travelers or commuters. I am not a transportation engineer but I would imagine the cost to tunnel and bridge(elevate) rail through 4 stops in Tysons Corner would be no more than laying rail on the Toll Road median. Four stations (Tyson's transit center @ Spring Hill Rd, Reston Pkwy, Herndon-Monroe P&R, and Dulles Airport) should be Phase I. Phase II (if needed) could include a "Local" line through Tysons with stops @ the mall on Rt 123 and another on Rt 7. Additional stations could be added at Hunter Mill and CIT/28 as planned. Four stops between Dulles and East Falls Church would serve all major suburban cities along the Dulles Toll Road while offering a faster and cost effective Metrorail route. Construction would be less distruptive and costly by staying within the Toll road median (as originally designed).

I understand that some of the funding for Dulles Rail is supported by Tysons Property owners through special tax districts near proposed stations. These propery owners I feel are more concerned with their potential increased property value than actually seeing rail reach Dulles Airport. Meanwhile we in Loudoun are currently paying higher tolls for a rail line that is barely funded to Reston. While 4 stations in Tysons certainly would promote walking to stations, they would add 15-20 minutes to an already long trip from Dulles into town. No other suburban city/town is served by more than one Metrostop (Silver Spring, Bethesda, Alexandria, Springfield). Lets streamline the route of Dulles Rail, go around Tysons, skip Hunter Mill and Rt 28, and terminate the Silver Line at the Airport.

 

kholbert YOU ARE RIGHT ON TRACK SO TO SPEAK My buddy David Ralston who was on the airport board and was president over it for a couple of years many years ago had talks just like this. They wanted to just go down the center of the toll road and bypass tysons (the airport owns the land under the toll road so nothing is going to happen without them totally involved)

They wanted to build a separate system throughout tysons such as a trolly system on street level rail that would cover far more of tysons then the four stations as proposed now and far far cheaper.

It was rejected by the tysons land owners, which is too bad. Of course the tunnel people should up who many are or were aids on capital hill and ruined and delayed this whole thing by insisting for a tunnel even even filing lawsuits to delay this metro so they might get their way which as we see now might be some of the reason this rail is in jeapordy becasue of the delays created by this well funded and politically connedcted tunnel group. Sad to say I even have a friend a very vocal friend and she is on the tunnel committee. ANother bored housewife with nothing to do. OK OK OK I know I should not talk about an friend like that but it is true.