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Metro board takes key step to setting opening date of Silver Line Phase II

A date for service to begin on the Silver Line’s second phase is likely planned for the fall (Staff photo by Jay Westcott).

After years of delays, Metro has officially passed the baton over to its general manager to set an opening date for phase two of the Silver Line.

At a board meeting today (Thursday), Metro’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a motion to have General Manager Randy Clarke set the opening date of the project.

“This is obviously a very important step and a lot is on the line,” said board chairman Paul Smedberg.

The move would set into motion the 11.4-mile project, which adds six new stations from Reston to Ashburn to the overall Silver Line.

While no actual date was announced, Clarke expects to receive safety certifications by next month. Test runs simulating service on the new line are scheduled to start in early October.

However, safety concerns that have sidelined dozens of trains since October could pose a challenge.

If efforts to restore the trains are further delayed, Clarke says it could force Metro to either reduce service when shuttered Blue Line stations reopen next month or push back the Silver Line opening, per WAMU/DCist transportation reporter Jordan Pascale.

Handed to Metro in late June, the second phase of the Silver Line has been in the works under the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for almost a decade now, encountering numerous delays that have frustrated local residents, business owners, and elected officials.

The new stations are located at Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway and the terminus at Ashburn. The project also includes a new Dulles Rail Yard designed for 168 Metrorail cars.

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Art House 7 warmly welcomes you to our upcoming Fall 2 session of classes starting on October 30th. We’re thrilled to offer a diverse range of mediums and flexible class lengths, catering to a wide age range, starting from as young as 2, and, of course, providing a multitude of engaging options for adults!

Our classes cover an exciting spectrum of creative mediums, including fiber arts such as knitting, modern embroidery, crochet, and sewing. We also offer classes in ceramics on the wheel, drawing, watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylic, still-life painting, and captivating Japanese Suminagashi and printmaking. One of the highlights of this session is the highly anticipated 5-week “Painting the Portrait and Figure” workshop, led by the renowned local artist, Danni Dawson.

For our younger artists, we have specially designed classes like “Art Exploration through Impressionism” for students in kindergarten through 5th grade, an engaging “Art Together” parent-child class designed for 2–4-year-olds, and a “Teen Taught Art Club” tailored for kindergarteners through 4th graders.

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