Feds speed up Silver Line funding

By Derek Kravitz

The Federal Transit Administration announced Monday it is speeding up its payments for construction of Metrorail's new service to Northern Virginia, in an attempt to reduce costs and provide financial investment in the region.

A $19.8 million grant for the so-called Silver Line, which will extend Metro service 23 miles to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County once completed in late 2016, is part of a $900 million federal funding commitment for the project. The government is helping pay for the first part of the line, which will take commuters to five stations from Falls Church through Tysons Corner to Reston. Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Other projects that received more than $182 million in early funds through the U.S. Department of Transportation's New Starts program include an extension of light rail in Dallas; new links to the Long Island Rail Road and New York City subway system; light and commuter rail in Salt Lake City; and a rail line in Seattle.