Photo: A display at Farragut North station announces the opening date of the Silver Line.
The new Washington Metro Silver Line will begin running on July 26, according to a June 23 press release by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
After more than five years of construction, Metro General Manager Richard Sarles officially unveiled the start date for the newest addition to the Washington Metro family.
“We have set the opening date for the Silver Line as Saturday, July 26,” Sarles said in the press release. “The five new Silver Line stations will open to customers at noon, and the first Silver Line train will depart Wiehle-Reston East, bound for Largo Town Center, at that time.”
Since groundbreaking for the new project in 2008, 5 new stations have been built to accommodate the new line, which will feature service between Reston, Va. and Largo, Md. July 26 will see the opening of the new McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations, per Metro’s news release.
Trains will run every 12 to 20 minutes during off-peak hours and every 6 minutes during rush hour.
Metro employees will be familiarized with the new line with a week of “simulated service,” between July 20 and 26, the news release said. During this time, Silver Line trains will only carry passengers between East Falls Church and Largo Town Center.
A planned second phase of construction on the Silver Line will extend its service to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County, Va. The second phase is projected to be completed in 2018 according to the Silver Line project page.
