When WTOP radio reporter Mark Seagraves asked Gov. Tim Kaine yesterday if the Dulles Rail project is dead, Virginia’s chief executive confidently responded that “it is not.” He acknowledged, however, that “we got some troubling news from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), concerns about funding and some other concerns, but we feel like we can answer them, particularly the funding.” But as important as funding is, those “other concerns” represent a much bigger problem: The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA), which is managing the Dulles Rail project, has yet to address a lengthy list of design and technical problems that Metro says must be fixed before it will accept the finished 23-mile rail extension. Of greater concern, Metro warns that once the project “is in final design, it may be too late to start resolving these issues.” So even if money poured from the heavens, the Dulles Rail project could be orphaned at birth and then cost billions more to make it acceptable to Metro for adoption.
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