Saturday, January 26, 2008;
A06
1964 The Federal Aviation Administration's master plan for Dulles International Airport recommends a transit line along the airport access road.
1990 The Virginia transportation board adopts a program for the Dulles corridor that includes rail service.
1992 The General Assembly creates a state rail department to help bring rail to Dulles.
1994 Virginia and Metro officials initiate a "major investment study" to evaluate rail options for the corridor.
1996 The completed study says heavy rail, such as Metro, would be the best transit option to the airport.
1997 The project team, including state, local and Metro officials, publishes a report rejecting an underground route through Tysons Corner because of costs.
2000 A federal environmental review of the rail line begins.
2002 The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Metro and state officials endorse a mostly aboveground route through Tysons.
2004 The Federal Transit Administration approves preliminary engineering for the first phase between Falls Church and Reston. Fairfax County begins collecting a tax from commercial landowners in the Herndon area to pay for the rail line. A final environmental review concludes that rail would have minor adverse impacts.
2005 The FTA publishes report for Congress, recommending the Dulles extension.
2005 Virginia imposes toll increases on the Dulles Toll Road to help finance the project.
March 2006 The state and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority sign an agreement transferring the project to the airports authority.
September 2006 Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) rejects a tunnel.
November 2006 The FTA approves the final alignment for the elevated route through Tysons Corner.
March 30, 2007 Virginia transportation officials announce an agreement with a private contractor to begin construction of the rail extension, with an elevated segment through Tysons Corner.
June 6 The regional airports authority signs a contract starting the extension and calls for an aboveground segment through Tysons Corner.
June 18 Fairfax supervisors approve the county's $400 million share for the first phase of construction.
Jan. 18 Utility relocation begins along Route 7 in Tysons Corner.
Jan. 24 Federal transit officials tell state and local officials that the project faces "an extraordinarily large set of challenges" that jeopardize federal approval of a full-funding agreement for the project's first phase. A full-funding agreement is the federal government's commitment to help finance a transit project over several years.
Late 2008 Planned start of construction.
SOURCES: Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, Fairfax County, Virginia Department of Transportation
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