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WMATA: Silver Line birthday party 7/26 at Wiehle-Reston East


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 24 July 2015 - 03:34 PM

WMATA news release, 7/24:

 

Metro invites community to celebrate Silver Line birthday at Wiehle-Reston East
Family outdoor movie night to feature 'Despicable Me'

 

Metro is inviting the local community to celebrate the first year of Silver Line service during a birthday celebration and family movie night under the stars on Sunday, July 26.

 

The event will be located at The Plaza @ Wiehle-Reston Metrorail Station and is free and open to the public.

 

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for outdoor seating during the movie. Free popcorn will be provided, and snacks can be brought into the venue. However, glass bottles/containers, alcohol and cooking are prohibited on Metro property. Food will also be available for purchase. 

 

WHAT
Silver Line Birthday Celebration & Movie Night featuring Despicable Me

 

WHERE
The Plaza @ Wiehle-Reston Metro Station
11389 Reston Station Blvd.
Reston, VA

 

WHEN
Sunday, July 26, 2015
6:00 p.m. (event) 
8:45 p.m. (movie)

 

An indoor space at the location will be available in the event of inclement weather. This event is being made possible in proud partnership with Comstock.

 

Silver Line rail service began at noon on July 26, 2014, with the departure of the inaugural train from Wiehle-Reston East Station in Fairfax County, Va., bound for Largo Town Center in Prince George’s County, Md. It was the first time a new color has been added to the Metro map since the Green Line opened in 1991.

 

News release issued at 3:43 pm, July 24, 2015.



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 July 2015 - 04:12 PM

Fairfax County (VA) news release, 7/24:

 

Silver Line Turns One!

July 24, 2015

One year ago, the Silver Line rolled down the tracks for the first time. Undeniably, it benefits many people daily, improving how they commute, shop, play and live. It has been a “transformational success,” says Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova.

 

LISTEN:

 

Metro reports ridership numbers are strong. Wiehle-Reston East continues to be the Silver Line’s commuting powerhouse, surpassing first-year ridership projections with nearly 9,200 boardings, or 18,400 weekday entries and exits last month.

"The Wiehle-Reston station is the third highest revenue-generating station in the entire Metro system during morning rush hour, and the Tysons station is one of the busiest on Saturdays," Bulova reports.

But why did Fairfax County, along with our regional partners, invest significantly to make the Silver Line a reality? In part, the answer is that we expect the Silver Line to deliver long-term economic benefits, and the new rail line is a key component to the county’s Economic Success Plan.

Here’s what you might not know:

Silver Line Supports Job Growth

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Because transit can help concentrate and attract development, people and businesses, we adopted a plan to allow dense, mixed use development around the four Silver Line Stations in Tysons. To date, we’ve already approved up to 31 million new square feet in new development in Tysons since the plan was put in place. These projects can support an estimated more than 48,000 new employees and 30,000 residents. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates more than 50,000 jobs, according to research by the American Public Transportation Association.

Silver Line Creates Places Where People Want to Live

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Businesses want to be where there’s a large pool of skilled workers and access to domestic and international markets. This means creating places where people want to live. Increasingly, this means walkable, transit-oriented urban centers, like Tysons and Reston. The county’s land use and economic success plans call for creating these urban centers, and rail is a catalyst for transformation. Fairfax County re-planned Tysons and Reston based on the Silver Line, allowing for millions of square feet in new housing, offices, shops and more around the stations. By 2050, Tysons will become home to 100,000 people and 200,000 jobs. The Economic Development Authority also cites the already apparent impact of the Silver Line and its benefits that "will doubtless become even more significant."  

Silver Line Supports Dulles Airport

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In its second phase, now under construction, the Silver Line will go to Dulles Airport and beyond. Not only will this make it easier for more people to get to the airport—but also it can stimulate job growth as a result. For example, economist Jan Brueckner finds that a 10 percent increase in passengers results in a 1 percent increase in regional job growth. This is one reason the county’s economic success plan calls for supporting the Silver Line to Dulles.

 

Haven't had a chance to ride te Sihlver Line yet? Then get a preview from Metro's time-lapse ride to see the sights:

Silver Line Ride Along: Ballston-Wiehle (in time lapse)



#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 27 July 2015 - 04:45 PM

WMATA news release 7/27:

 

Metro celebrates first year of Silver Line service

 

Metro today celebrated the first year of Silver Line service from Largo Town Center to Wiehle-Reston East, showcasing Metro as an economic engine and serving as a convenient transportation alternative linking downtown DC and Tysons.

 

Marking the occasion, Metro Interim General Manager and CEO Jack Requa joined elected officials and business leaders in Tysons Corner at a Transportation Summit to discuss how the Silver Line is helping realize the economic promise of the Tysons community and changing the way people commute by reducing traffic congestion.  

 

“Phase 1 of the Silver Line has exceeded expectations not only in terms of ridership, but also in terms of the economic opportunities it is creating in the Dulles Corridor and across the region.  Completion of Phase 2 will accelerate the transformation taking place along the corridor and provide a vital rail link to Dulles International Airport for the entire region,” Congressman Gerry Connolly said.  “For those of us who have worked on this project for more than two decades, it is exciting to see the vision we laid out taking shape.  Thanks to the Silver Line, people are already getting out of their cars and walking to work, to eat, and to shop in Tysons and Reston. And when the entire 23-mile Metrorail line is completed, I expect it will further enhance quality of life and employment options for Northern Virginians and other residents of the region.”

 

According to Wells + Associates, since the Silver Line opened last year, traffic in Tysons along Route 123 has decreased and multiple intersections have experienced up to 15% fewer cars during peak hours.

 

Ridership

More than 35,000 weekday trips were taken to or from the five new Silver Line stations last month, an average of 17,088 riders per day.  Wiehle-Reston East continues to be Silver Line’s commuting powerhouse, continuing to surpass first-year ridership projections. With convenient bus transfers, a secure bike room and a large parking garage, Wiehle-Reston East’s commuters make up around half the line’s ridership.

 

“The opening of the Silver Line was a key milestone in the Reston community. As a Restonian and representative of the community, we are truly grateful for this public investment in mass transit,” said Supervisor and WMATA Board Member Catherine M. Hudgins. “The Silver Line will provide the opportunity to create new transit villages to our Reston community for years to come.”

 

Ridership patterns at the Tysons-area stations (i.e. McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro and Spring Hill) are more varied, with afternoon peak ridership higher than other time periods, including the morning peak. Additionally, Tysons Corner Station is one of the few stations on the entire Metrorail system where ridership is higher on Saturday than on weekdays.

 

Economic Growth

The Silver Line also continues to support economic development throughout the region. In total, more than 105 million square feet of new development is in the construction pipeline within a half-mile of a Silver Line Metrorail station, including 20 development projects that are already underway.

 

“The economic development and impact the Silver Line has created and will continue to create is a boost to the economy for our entire region,” said Congresswoman Barbara Comstock.

 

As a link to some of the area’s largest employment centers, the Silver Line is connecting businesses to workers throughout the region. A number of companies have signed on to the SmartBenefits program, helping to attract and retain workers by offering a better way to get to work using public transit and saving money doing it. 

 

During the event, Metro recognized three businesses along the Silver Line – Kimley-Horn, Northrop Grumman, and Arlington Avalon North – for promoting the use of the SmartBenefits program.

 

“Businesses along the Silver Line are finding that access to public transit provides new opportunities for attracting and retaining employees,” said Metro Interim General Manager and CEO Jack Requa.  “They’re taking advantage of Metro’s SmartBenefits program—a versatile and valuable benefit that allows employees to save money on their daily commute.”

 

From creating jobs, to relieving traffic congestion and providing a vital new link in the region, the Silver Line is improving people’s quality of life.  The impact can be seen in a new series of ads based on actual customer testimonials about how Silver Line is making a difference.

In the first of four TV spots, “Alan,” played by an actual Metro rider and local actor named Chris Kauffman is shown reading a newspaper as he awaits a Silver Line train after having the recent epiphany to, “Avoid traffic by taking Silver Line.” The 30-second TV spots will begin airing later this summer to inspire the region to “See where Silver can take you.”

 

 

While the economic development that is underway along the Silver Line is expected to rapidly deliver additional riders, Metro hopes the ads will prompt others to try the line to commute to work, school, shopping and recreation, and other destinations throughout the region.

Silver Line rail service began at noon on July 26, 2014, with the departure of the inaugural train from Wiehle-Reston East Station in Fairfax County, Va., bound for Largo Town Center in Prince George’s County, Md. It was the first time a new color had been added to the Metro map since the Green Line opened in 1991.

With the opening of the five new stations in Silver Line’s first phase, Metrorail now serves 91 stations across a 117-mile system. Work has already begun on phase two of the Silver Line, which will extend another 11.4 miles to six new stations including Reston Town Center, Herndon, Washington Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.  The combined phases of the Silver Line not only mark the largest expansion in Metrorail history, but also make it one of the most complex transportation projects in the United States. Silver Line construction is being managed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. 



#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 28 July 2015 - 11:05 AM

Progressive Railroading, 7/28/15:

 

WMATA marks one year of Silver Line service

 

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday marked the first anniversary of Silver Line rail service.

WMATA Interim General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jack Recqua met with elected officials and business leaders in Tysons Corner, Va., to discuss the line's economic benefits.

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Kevin Korell


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Lakewood, NJ





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