The fate of the multibillion dollar Dulles Rail project heads back into the hands of its respective stakeholders on Wednesday, with Loudoun County’s supervisors and the board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority both set to host what could prove pivotal meetings.
The topics are the cost of the proposed rail, and what it will look like.
Loudoun officials, along with their Fairfax counterparts, have argued that the $3.8 billion price tag has to be slashed by about $1 billion before construction can move forward.
The airports authority insists that cost reductions, while important, cannot compromise the original integrity of the project. Specifically, they’ve favor building an underground Metro station at the airport to promote convenience and aesthetics even though it costs about $330 million more than the aboveground station favored by Loudoun and Fairfax.
In Loudoun County on Wednesday, supervisors will take up a proposal from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood after a month of meetings aimed at reaching a financial compromise between local, state and federal officials and the airports authority. The proposal requires Loudoun, with Fairfax, to take on about $235 million in costs associated with the construction of parking garages.
The airports authority is expected to discuss the same proposal in closed session on Wednesday. LaHood’s proposal would force the board to give up its dream of an underground station that’s still supported by most of its members.
Fairfax County’s board will take up the proposal in closed session at its July 12 meeting.
Should Loudoun or Fairfax ultimately reject the project and estimated costs offered by the airports authority, it could jeopardize completion of the long-anticipated rail line.
