Loudoun Gateway
Loudon Gateway station platform on opening day
General information
Location22505 Lockridge Road
Sterling, Virginia
Coordinates 38°59′34″N 77°27′42″W / 38.99278°N 77.46167°W / 38.99278; -77.46167
Owned byWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Loudoun County Transit: 333, 381, 382
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking2,000 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities113 racks, 10 lockers[1]
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeN11
History
OpenedNovember 15, 2022 (2022-11-15)
Passengers
2023217 daily[2]
Rank98th
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Ashburn
Terminus
 Silver Line Dulles International Airport
toward Downtown Largo
Location

Loudoun Gateway station is a Washington Metro station in Loudoun County, Virginia, on the Silver Line. It is located at SR 606 (Old Ox Road) and the ramps to SR 267. Originally planned to begin operations in 2016,[3] the station opened on November 15, 2022. Loudoun Gateway averaged just 217 daily riders in 2023, making it the least busy station in the entire Metro system.[2]

The station has a pedestrian bridge crossing to the north side of SR 267, leading to bus bays, a kiss and ride lot, as well as an expanded 2,750-space parking facility at the Dulles North Transit Center.[4]

History

The Silver Line was developed in the 21st century to link Washington, D.C., by rail to Washington Dulles International Airport and the edge cities of Tysons, Reston, Herndon, and Ashburn.[5] It was built in two phases; the first phase, linking Washington, D.C., to Wiehle–Reston East, opened in 2014.[6] The funding and planning of Phase 2 through Dulles Airport continued while Phase 1 was being constructed. In 2012, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 4 to extend the line to Dulles Airport and into the county.[7] On April 25, 2013, the Phase 2 contract was issued at a cost of $1.177 billion.[8]

In April 2015, project officials pushed back the opening date for the station to late 2019, stating that stricter requirements for stormwater management caused much of the delay. Per officials, the line also had to incorporate improvements to the system's automated train controls that were a late addition to the project's first phase.[9] Around the same time as this announcement, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) approved the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors' name for the stop. The station was previously referred to as Route 606 in planning documents.[10]

In August 2019, project officials reported that they expected construction on the second phase of the Silver Line to be completed by mid-2020.[11] The opening date was postponed to early 2021,[12] then to late 2021.[13] In February 2021, Metro announced that it would need five months to test the Phase 2 extension.[14][15] The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) then announced that the Phase 2 extension should be substantially complete by Labor Day 2021,[16] although MWAA subsequently missed this deadline.[17]

MWAA declared the work on the rail line to be "substantially complete" in November 2021. However, WMATA estimated that it could take five months of testing and other preparations before passenger service could begin.[18] Simulated service testing began operating along the Phase 2 tracks in October 2022.[19][20][21] Phase 2 formally opened on November 15, 2022.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 Klavon, Dawn (February 14, 2023). "Everything You Need to Know About the Silver Line Extension". Northern Virginia Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  3. ↑ Aratani, Lori (April 30, 2015). "Silver Line phase 2: now arriving in 2020". Washington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Silver Line Stations". dullesmetro.com. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Silver Line Activation Plan" (PDF). WMATA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  6. ↑ III, Ashley Halsey; Aratani, Lori; Duggan, Paul (July 26, 2014). "All aboard! Metro's new Silver Line rolls down the tracks for the first time". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jacobson Moore, Erika (July 3, 2012). "Loudoun's In: Split Board Backs Silver Line Extension". Leesburg Today Media Services. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Airports Authority Intends to Award Phase 2 Construction Contract to Capital Rail Constructors" (Press release). April 25, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  9. ↑ Goldberg, The Associated Press, Jeff (April 28, 2015). "Final phase of Silver Line to Dulles delayed until 2019". WJLA. Retrieved December 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Loudoun Silver Line station names finalized with Metro board approval". Loudoun Times-Mirror. April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  11. ↑ Roussey/ABC7, Tom (August 6, 2019). "Airports Authority: Silver Line could be completed by April 2020". WJLA. Retrieved December 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Roussey (ABC7), Tom (February 20, 2020). "Second phase of Metro Silver Line delayed again, will open spring 2021 at the earliest". WJLA. Retrieved December 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Second phase of Metro's Silver Line now expected to be delayed again, to fall 2021". wjla.com. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Silver Line Phase 2 Update" (PDF). WMATA. February 11, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Cushman & Wakefield Research (February 3, 2014). "Silver Line". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Silver Line extension expected to be ready for Metro takeover by Labor Day". March 5, 2021.
  17. ↑ "MWAA will miss Labor Day deadline for Silver Line Phase 2, likely pushing back opening". July 2, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Silver Line extension to Dulles inches closer to completion after years of delay". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Simulated service for Silver Line Phase Two to begin next month but opening date uncertain". FFXnow. September 8, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Your new Silver Line stations coming soon with a new Metrorail map". www.wmata.com. WMATA. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Next Phase of Silver Line to Open Soon". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Metro launches Silver Line Extension with opening ceremony; welcomes customers to #RideSilver to six new stations" (Press release). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. November 15, 2022.

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