Supporters of the Dulles Metrorail extension expect an imminent decision on key federal funding while government staffers cite “positive progress” on negotiations to salvage the project.
Silence from state and federal officials on the status of negotiations has produced a simultaneous sense of optimism and unease, with even the most avid project supporters remaining hesitant.
Public communication on the talks to save the project has fallen off almost completely in recent weeks as the Kaine administration seeks to convince the U.S. Department of Transportation that the rail is worthy of $900 million in federal funding. A final decision has taken weeks longer than expected, though supporters expect one could come within days.
“I think we’re encouraged by the discussions that are going on,” said Jim Dinegar, president and chief executive of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. “I believe it’s reasonable to expect that if the federal government is going to decide to say ‘no’ again, they wouldn’t be pushing Virginia and [the project manager] through all these questions. I’m going to take that as an encouraging sign.”
Staffers in state, federal and local government said the discussions have made some headway since January, when the Federal Transit Administration rolled out a long list of problems that prohibit it from committing the funding. However, the FTA has not offered any public indication that it will reverse course.
The Board of Trade, a Washington-area business group, is going to manage its expectations, Dinegar said. The FTA, he said, may opt to approve only a portion of the $900 million.
Both he and Patricia Nicoson, president of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, expected to hear shortly from the federal government on a decision.
“I was under the impression that they were going to say something pretty soon, this week or next week,” Nicoson said.
Prospects for the success of project’s initial 11.6-mile phase grew dim in January when the FTA said Dulles Rail is too expensive to justify its ridership, that its manager — the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority — is too inexperienced with large-scale transit projects and that Metro is ill-equipped to adopt the new line at its completion.
