# Hi-Yo, Silver!!!



## Ryan (Jul 26, 2014)

After lots of schedule uncertainty, the morning of the Silver Line opening arrived. My Trusty Assistant, Alexander, and I settled on a plan - drive to the eastern terminus of the Silver Line, and attempt to time things correctly to be the first westbound train to head out onto the Silver Line. We pulled out of the house a little late, and stopped for breakfast at the local WaWa for some tasty breakfast sandwiches. When checking out, the clerk asked if we wanted a bag, and I assured her that my Trusty Assistant could handle getting the three breakfast sandwiches out to the car. Of course, being 11, Alexander took the opportunity to make fun of me and say that he was going to drop my breakfast on the ground. He thought this hilarious until we got to the door and he had trouble handling it, at which point he dropped my breakfast on the ground and the joke ceased to be funny.

Undaunted, we headed on and arrived at the station just a little bit later than I wanted. Around 11:30, we boarded what was labeled as an Orange Line train to East Falls Church, confident that when the appointed hour of noon rolled around, we would be magically transformed into a Silver Line train to Wiehe-Reston East (a.k.a. "Reston" for the rest of this report, because that's too long to type). The ride through the city was a normal, sleepy Saturday morning. Boring, since the majority of the route is underground. The only thing that led one to believe that we were on the right track (no pun intended) was the family that joined us at Capitol South, obviously on the same mission. They actually shook me up when they got on, as the Dad was an absolutely dead ringer for Patrick (Whooz), the only thing missing was the Fez.

As the appointed hour passed, and we remained an Orange Line train, I began to be a bit concerned that we hadn't timed things properly. Finally, around 12:15, just as we slowed to approach East Falls Church, BLAM(!). The LED sign flipped to "Silver". Alexander and I high-fived it, and the other family expressed excitement that this was the Real Deal. We were utterly unprepared for what was about to happen next.

As we rolled into EFC, the platform was PACKED, rush hour style, except everyone was taking pictures of the "Silver" emblazoned train arriving for the first time. We went from zero to a full fledged, 9 alarm, code red FOAMER ALERT(!) as soon as the train stopped and the doors opened. As we sat there for a moment, the first revenue train from Reston arrived in the station from the other direction, and half the crowd turned their attention to The Train, the mythical train arriving from Reston for the Very First Time. As that train arrived in the station and the doors opened, an intrepid few travelers (our very own Tracktwentynine among them) flew across the platform to head back out onto the new track.

As the doors closed and the train set out on its way, it was a full on party atmosphere, the likes of which are rarely seen on WMATA property. As we slowed and reached the junction, the crowd filled with "Here we go!", and "This is it!". As the lead car made the turn onto the new tracks, the crowd actually broke into applause (of course, we joined in).

By perusing Twitter and the Facebook, I determined that both T29 and Jishnu were on the same train as I was. Matt' tweeted that he was bailing at McLean to check the joint out, so Alexander and I called an audible and bailed as well to go say hi. Jishnu reported seeing me off the train and waving at someone (Matt'), but unfortunately our paths didn't cross later on in the day. We had plenty of time to figure this out, as we stopped on the approach to the station and held for a few minutes. Fortunately, we were in a perfect spot for a photo op:







After a thorough inspection we continued on to Tysons and repeated the drill. We were set to walk over to the mall to get some nourishment, but I was foiled by a "Smart" Trip card that failed to work and we got separated from the group. By the time I bought a replacement (and then a second card when I realized that the vending machine was passing out commemorative Silver Line SmartTrip cards, Alexander and I decided that lunch could wait, there was fresh rail to be explored!

We proceeded outbound, getting off at Greensboro for an (extended) visit. The train operator of the train we boarded was in on the jovial mood and acting as Tour Guide as we rolled along above VA-7. We decided to forgo visiting Spring Hill and opt instead for continuing with our entertaining train operator.

After arriving at Reston, we had time for a few more photos, and then set off back to Largo, deciding to head straight through and time the trip to see how long it would take. One hour and 9 minutes later, we arrived back at Largo, tired but proud. At least for today, WMATA was a hero.

Full spread of pictures here:

http://photos.stavely.org/Trains/Silver-Line-Opening/


----------



## Acela150 (Jul 26, 2014)

Ryan tell your trusty assistant that he's not the only one who has dropped a Wawa Breakfast sandwich or any Wawa product. I once dropped a Milkshake as soon as I walked out the door. Needless to say I wasn't happy. But I love me some Wawa. It's a way of life here in Philly!


----------



## Misty. (Jul 26, 2014)

For having to wait a month to make my own run, loving this report! Do I dare presume the commemorative farecard is the standard $2 for card, $8 in available fare purchase? I see I can order one on their website. 

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


----------



## Bob Dylan (Jul 26, 2014)

Cue Dean Martin singing "Memories are made of this!" Sounds like a fun day even without your Wawa!!!☺


----------



## Ryan (Jul 26, 2014)

Misty. said:


> For having to wait a month to make my own run, loving this report! Do I dare presume the commemorative farecard is the standard $2 for card, $8 in available fare purchase? I see I can order one on their website.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


That is correct, ma'am.


----------



## Misty. (Jul 26, 2014)

Ha! I *knew* there was a reason I didn't top off one of my other compatible cards yet!


----------



## Green Maned Lion (Jul 26, 2014)

They have Wawas there? The food is edible?


----------



## Ryan (Jul 26, 2014)

Yes to both. And the gas is cheap. Love that place.


----------



## Green Maned Lion (Jul 27, 2014)

Wawa used to have good food up here, went off the deep end a few years back. The gas is cheap here- it's one of the few that don't charge extra for credit. I'm a Citgo guy myself though.


----------



## Railroad Bill (Jul 27, 2014)

Great report Ryan and Assistant  . We will be riding the new line at the end of August on our CL trip to WAS.

No WAWA's here in our area  WAAAAAAAAA! :unsure:


----------



## jis (Jul 27, 2014)

I finally decided to get SmartTrip Card in the form of a Silver Line Commemorative one. One more to add to my collection, which started back in the '90s with a Singapore EzLink card.


----------



## XHRTSP (Jul 27, 2014)

I was riding the yellow and red lines yesterday. I so wanted to check out the Silver but didn't have time to before departing DC :-(


----------



## afigg (Jul 28, 2014)

Since I was not interested in dealing with the really bid crowds, I waited until a little later, driving to the Wiehle - Reston East station around 2:30ish PM on Saturday. There is a large parking garage complex at the station which was a little confusing because it turns out there are actually 2 garages, one to be a private garage. Anyway, I parked and found my way to the Reston East station entrance. The Reston station office-residential TOD project is still under construction, but they should improve the wayfinding signs in the garage and to the station sooner rather than wait for the construction to be finished.

There was still a large crowd at the station at mid-afternoon. Got one of the Silver Line commemorative cards as a spare card. There were some who appeared to be complete newbies as they were buying the paper farecards and had to be shown how to feed the farecards at the gates which caused backups. I don't think they were tourists, but locals who had never taken the Metro before because they live in the Reston, Sterling, Herndon, Ashburn area and the Orange Line stops at Vienna, Dunn Loring, WFC are far enough away they have never used Metro.

I took the next inbound train to Tysons Corner, decided to get off there and get a late lunch at the Tysons Corner Center megamall. The skybridge that will provide direct access to the mall through the Tysons Tower complex is not yet open, so had to go down to the ground level and enter the mall through the department store. There was a steady stream of people walking between the Center mall and the Metro stop despite the awkward connection. The Center megamall is going to get even more business from the Metro stop (although it will not be a short walk even with the skybridge). I expect that the Tysons Corner stop will easily be the busiest of the 4 Tysons stations on weekends and evenings as a major shopping destination until the rest of Tysons builds out.

After getting some lunch, went back to the Metro station and took a Silver Line train to East Falls Church. Then back from EFC to Wiehle Reston East. I noticed that the ride was much smoother on the new Silver Line tracks than it was on the Orange Line tracks prior to the switch to the new tracks. Ah, the new track ride which probably won't last that long. I did not get off and check out the other new stations. I plan to do that later along with an end to end Wiehle Reston East to Largo trip which is a rather long trip for a heavy rail transit line. And it will be 11.5 miles longer when Phase 2 opens. Yikes.

One of the fare gates was out of order when I got back to the Reston East station with a technician working on it. Looked like paper card reader had already jammed up. The paper fare cards are going away in the next year or two as WMATA will be upgrading all the vending machines to distribute Smartrip cards and allow people to buy the cards with a variable amount plus $2 for the card. Won't miss the fare gates getting jammed with the paper fare cards and clogging the crowd flow.

All said, it was a fun though short excursion to see Silver Line Phase 1 finally open after decades of debate, studies, construction, and then more delays. We do build new transit infrastructure in the US; it just takes a frigging long time. Now onward to Silver Line Phase 2 in late 2018 (maybe)!


----------



## Tracktwentynine (Jul 28, 2014)

Okay, time to share my own experience. (I guess this makes this a trip report).

I left my apartment in Greenbelt at 7:45, to walk 5 minutes to the bus stop. I caught an on-time G12 bus to New Carrollton, and watched the (8:05 _Regional_ out of Washington arrive at NCR, with 2 AEM-7s leading). I took the Orange Line from New Carrollton all the way to West Falls Church. We were held up about 10 minutes because this train was following the special VIP train, which was making stops to pick up VIPs (the ID check was what caused the delays).

At West Falls Church, I changed to the Fairfax Connector shuttle bus to Wiehle Avenue. The bus was mainly full of foamer-types (though it was not itself full). We arrived at the bus loop at Wiehle Avenue station (it's been open for a week already) and almost everyone headed upstairs.

The north entry plaza had food trucks, music, and a new Washington Flyer bus on display. I ignored all that and rushed to the station entrance. I got there shortly after 9:45A after 2 hours in transit.

At this point about 15 people were milling around outside the gates, guarded by police officers. A line didn't form until about 10:30, when a WNEW (CBS Radio) reporter asked someone at the gate, "You're first in line. Why is that?" Upon hearing the word "line", everybody else rapidly formed one.

I ended up being 6th in line at the North Entrance to Wiehle Avenue. The line soon wrapped around a construction site, so I couldn't see how long it was. At 11:45, people were getting antsy, since the first train was to leave at 12:00 and the station was supposed to be opened at 11:45. But the ribbon cutting (invitation only) on the south side of the station had run late.

At 11:52, the police opened the station, but held the general crowd a little longer to let a blind person get a headstart (so as to not get trampled). Me and a few friends rushed across the bridge. At the mezzanine, there was already a crowd, since they'd let the dignitaries through first. I paid my fare, and went down to the platform. I ended up being one of the first people to get aboard car 6141, the 5th car in the train (of 6 cars). As it turned out, I ended up being next to Dr. Zachary Schrag, who wrote Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro.

The train became crush-loaded. By 12:00, people were still running down the stairs, determined to be aboard the first train.

At 12:04, the operator first attempted to close the doors. It took several attempts. Finally, at 12:06 (6 minutes late), we departed Wiehle Avenue for Largo.

It took us 8 minutes to get to Spring Hill. The atmosphere was festive, with lots of cheering, especially upon arriving at Spring Hill. I'm not sure how many people were able to get on at the 4 Tysons stations, but a significant number of riders did leave at Tysons Corner station.

After a smooth trip, we arrived at East Falls Church at 12:30, and some of us quickly ran across the platform to the waiting Silver Line train across the platform.

We left on the first westbound train at about 12:31, and made it as far as where the line leaves the median of the Dulles Airport Access Road, where we stopped and sat for 6 minutes.

During this delay, I discovered that Ryan was on board (as was the Washington Post's Dr Gridlock). I told Ryan (via Twitter) that a group of us from Greater Greater Washington was leaving the train at McLean to explore.

Long story short, we eventually got off and explored McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill, and Wiehle Avenue. After that, I (and the GGWash crowd) rode back to East Falls Church to start a pub crawl. The crawl went back to Greensboro (bar 2) and then we walked to Tysons Corner Center (bar 3), and then I metroed home, getting back at 11:04.

I had a blast. Metro should open a new line every weekend.

My photos are here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157645950334062


----------



## The Davy Crockett (Jul 30, 2014)

After a 50+ year wait, I rode yesterday. Very nice. Makes the tracks on the original, older Orange Line tracks seem like the Buckingham Branch compared to CSX mainline...

There was still a bit of a party atmosphere aboard and our westbound operator pointed out some of the line's attractions and features while we rode.

I hope I live to ride it to Dulles. On warm summer evenings, when thunderstorms were about, my family use to drive out to Dulles since the time it opened in 1962. It seems hard to believe now, but it was truly a drive out into the country and the airport itself was almost completely empty. There was a huge median in the Dulles Access Road for rail to the airport 'in the future.' Well the toll road got built and for years it seemed Metro to the airport was never gonna happen... Now I'm beginning to think it just might.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Jul 30, 2014)

Your grandkids can take you when it actually starts operation to Dulles Scott!!!


----------



## afigg (Aug 1, 2014)

The Davy Crockett said:


> After a 50+ year wait, I rode yesterday. Very nice. Makes the tracks on the original, older Orange Line tracks seem like the Buckingham Branch compared to CSX mainline...
> 
> There was still a bit of a party atmosphere aboard and our westbound operator pointed out some of the line's attractions and features while we rode.
> 
> I hope I live to ride it to Dulles. On warm summer evenings, when thunderstorms were about, my family use to drive out to Dulles since the time it opened in 1962. It seems hard to believe now, but it was truly a drive out into the country and the airport itself was almost completely empty. There was a huge median in the Dulles Access Road for rail to the airport 'in the future.' Well the toll road got built and for years it seemed Metro to the airport was never gonna happen... Now I'm beginning to think it just might.


The primary construction contract for Silver Line Phase 2 has a target completion date of July, 2018, so if the project does not encounter serious delays, we should see Phase 2 running by later 2018 or end of 2018. Just have to stay around until then!
In the meantime, the H St streetcar is supposed to start service in DC by the end of the year, but DC DOT has blown so many completion dates for the starter segment of the DC streetcar system that no one is counting on it. But there is that to look forward to as a new rail transit for DC.

The other major news for rail transit in the DC region this week is Maryland released the official bid solicitation for the design-build-operate contract for the Purple Line light rail project on Wednesday with the intent of awarding the contract by Spring 2015. The planned completion date is 2020, although I expect the odds are that the Purple Line start will slip to 2021 or 2022. Lawsuits and construction delays are almost certain to slow it down.


----------



## The Davy Crockett (Aug 1, 2014)

afigg said:


> The primary construction contract for Silver Line Phase 2 has a target completion date of July, 2018...
> 
> In the meantime, the H St streetcar is supposed to start service in DC by the end of the year, but DC DOT has blown so many completion dates for the starter segment of the DC streetcar system that no one is counting on it...
> 
> The other major news for rail transit in the DC region this week is Maryland released the official bid solicitation for the design-build-operate contract for the Purple Line light rail project on Wednesday with the intent of awarding the contract by Spring 2015. The planned completion date is 2020, although I expect the odds are that the Purple Line start will slip to 2021 or 2022. Lawsuits and construction delays are almost certain to slow it down.


I hope I make it to 2019! I say 2019 due to the delays opening the first phase of the Silver Line, but there shouldn't be the same problems for Phase II as there were with Phase I, integrating the new systems with the old, and hopefully fire code issues will be staightened out this next go round. I am looking forward to it! One thing that occured to me riding down the median of the Access Road, while crossing the old Washington & Old Dominion right-of-way (now a 'rail trail') was how similar in ways the new Silver Line will be to the old interurban lines of the past when it is completed. Then again, I somewhere in the back of my mind I still remember the Dulles Corridor being 'the sticks.'

The DC Streetcar is something else to look forward to, but as you say: "When?" I'm afraid the delays have resigned me to a "I'll believe it when I see it" frame of mind. Speaking of streetcars, I was pretty young and the memory is a little fuzzy, but my parents took the family downtown to see the last DC Transit streetcar run. Seeing streetcars back in DC has been a 50+ year wait as well. But at least it seems like it will start running - sooner or later!

That is good news about the Purple Line, though I have a "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude about it as well. I had forgotten about the agreement with the country club, but I seem to recall there have been concerns raised that the agreement could cripple expansion of the Purple Line to being completely double tracked. I know the purchase of the old B&O Georgetown Branch requires a recreational trail, and that could hamper double tracking as well, but without the line being completely double tracked, the concerns focused on capcity, running times, dealing with broken down trains blocking the line, and other operational issues I think are valid concerns. I did a brief web search for more information on this, but came up empty. However, when I lived along the right-of-way of the Purple Line I paid close attention to all matters Purple Line, and I know I saw these issues raised somewhere. I remember thinking that these are very valid concerns which will rear there ugly head only after the line is built and goes into operation. I know it is not feasible under the current political climate, but a heavy rail link that roughly follows the route of the Purple Line would ultimately be the best solution with higher capicity, faster running times, greater reliabilty and which would attract a lot more riders.


----------



## fairviewroad (Sep 4, 2014)

RyanS said:


> After lots of schedule uncertainty, the morning of the Silver Line opening arrived.


Just stumbled upon this trip report now. Very nice narrative and photos. Thanks for sharing.


----------

