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  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

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 #1493996  by Sand Box John
 
Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Pictures 12 09 2018

All of the stations are essentially done, platform tile, granite edge, stairs. Escalators and elevators in the stations and entrance pavilions are in various stages of completion. Unable to verify the completion of the floor finish on the mezzanines and pedestrian bridges of the stations with the exception of the Dulles Airport. Floor tile is yet to be set on that station mezzanine.

All of the trackage is complete. The installation of the wayside train control and signaling hardware is well underway. It's far along to the point that the signals in the Innovation Center interlocking and in the Horsepen Run and Autopilot Drive interlockings on either side of the airport station are displaying red aspects. Installation of the wayside train control and signaling hardware west of the west yard lead is less far along. The 35KV power supply bus has been energized, most if not all of the passenger stations are drawing power from that distribution system. All of the traction power substation and tiebreakers are for all practical purposes complete. Third rail cable connections are done to the west end of the west yard leads.

Reston Town Center north entrance pavilion has its glazing in place and the sheet medal roofs installed. Grading for the bus terminal roadway and walkways has not been done. It appears that a contract has been let, presumably by others, to construct a pedestrian bridge that will cross from the entrance pavilion to north side of Sunset Hill Road. South entrance pavilion has yet to have its glazing placed and the sheet medal roofs installed. Grading partially complete for the bus terminal roadway and walkways adjacent to the entrance pavilion.

Herndon north entrance pavilion has yet to have its glazing placed and the sheet medal roofs installed. No grading has been done for the walkways the will access the entrance from Herndon Parkway. South entrance pavilion has some of glazing in place and the sheet medal roofs at yet to be installed. The elevator and stair structure that will directly connect the existing garage entrance pavilion only lacks the roof panel and the pedestrian bridge between has not been set.

Innovation Center north lacks its sheet medal roof on the entrance canopy at the opening the grade level pedestrian bridge. The bus terminal roadway is complete. Some of the walkways have been place at the west end and grading is done for the remainder. South entrance pavilion has its sheet medal roof and some of the glazing is in place. The bus terminal roadway is in place as mentioned in previews post. Grading for the walkways adjacent to the entrance pavilion had not been done. The contractor building the garage has begun to correct the issues involving the premature settling of the columns by placing large spread footing at their base. Walkway have been placed along the new eastbound Sunrise Valley Road roadway that has not been opened to traffic.

Dulles Airport entrance security gate is in place in the now open garage 1 pedestrian tunnel. Opposite of the entrance is another security gate that the fare vendors will be located at. Glazing between the underside of the elevated and the walls surrounding the mezzanine have been placed. Grates that will control the convection are flow between top of the glazing and the underside of the elevated is partly complete. Shelters on the platform are partly complete. Station name signage along the parapet wall opposite the platform edges has been placed. The concrete walls enclosing the ancillary areas under the elevated and at platform level will be covered with vertical seamed sheet metal siding that is use on existing airport authority service and ancillary buildings on the airport property.

Loudoun Gateway lacks its sheet medal roof on the entrance pavilion and has yet to have its glazing placed. The garage is structurally complete. There has been no grading done for the station access roadways, bus terminal an walkways.

Ashburn both north and south entrance pavilions lacks their sheet medal roofs and no glazing has been placed. The mezzanine canopy also lacks its sheet medal roof. Grading has been done and curbs have been placed in the east half of the north bus terminal. Grading has been done and curbs have been placed in the station access roadway to halfway around the curve the west half of the bus terminal, As mentioned before the bus terminal at the south bus terminal is complete. No walkways are in place at either the north or south bus terminals or entrance pavilions.

Dulles Yard has all of the track work done. The signaling system installation is well under way. Most if not all of the roadways and parking lots are done. Installation of the security fence around the yard is mostly complete. Installation of the access gates and gate houses has not been done.

Pictures at my Flicker Photo Stream DCMP 12 09 2018 album.
 #1494225  by ryanov
 
drwho9437 wrote:
Backshophoss wrote:Figure on a strike by the train operators,if the contractor does go for the operations contract.
This could be interpreted as a union busting move.
Well since they don't have the right to strike... You can bet that's going to not work very well. The union isn't giving WMATA a lot of choices if their wages/benefits were market competitive then there would be no incentive for such a move (assuming work quality was equal, some might say contractors will be even worse than the Union at the work but given the state of the system I doubt the public will buy that).
I am in a public employee union that is also not allowed to strike. As the saying goes, there are no illegal strikes, only unsuccessful ones. "Market competitive" = lousy, in terms of wages generally. NJTransit is still reeling from their inability to retain employees. WMATA would be wise to avoid same.
 #1494401  by JackRussell
 
Yet more deficiencies - this time in the yard.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/loca ... 44221.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Specifically numerous cracks in the buildings (around 300 different cracks), but there are also issues with "failing" pavement that is crumbling.
 #1494410  by JDC
 
JackRussell wrote:
dgvrengineer wrote:I just flew into Dulles Sunday (11/18) and there were signs posted in the airport and on shuttle busses announcing the re-opening of the tunnel. Not sure when that happened, but it is open now.
I took a few pictures of the tunnel over the weekend, but have not yet gotten around to posting anything. So far it looks fairly nice - when you exit the elevators you go through sliding glass doors, and that brings you next to the station entrance. If you continue on maybe 50 feet or so, there is a 2nd set of sliding glass doors that takes you back into the climate-controlled part of the tunnel with the moving sidewalks.

There is a roll-up gate in front of the actual station, but it doesn't obscure your view of the station at all. There is a 2nd roll-up gate on the opposite wall which covers an area where I assume the farecard vending machines will ultimately be installed.

There is still much to do, of course. I saw them installing celing tiles, and there is no sign of any of the faregates or associated farecard vending machines.
The Silver line website has a picture as part of its 'picture of the week' - http://www.dullesmetro.com/silverline/c ... 8AF321.jpg
 #1499752  by JackRussell
 
YOLO wrote:Adam Tuss is reporting that test trains will roll out starting tomorrow for the phase 2 tracks.

https://twitter.com/AdamTuss/status/1092903875315679232" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Yeah, there was an update from Marcia McAllister just the other day:
The first trains to roll along the tracks of Phase 2 of the Silver Line are expected around 1 a.m. Wednesday in early tests of the new system, which will connect the Metrorail system to Dulles International Airport and points in Loudoun County.

Two two-car trains that will be used to polish the third rail, which carries electric current that powers Metro trains, from the Innovation Center Station through Washington Dulles International Airport to the end of the aerial guideway west of the airport. Polishing is necessary to remove rust that can accumulate on rails that are not frequently used. Because the third rail will not be electrified during this portion of the test, the trains will be pushed by a small diesel locomotive.

The two trains to be used in the test will move from the Wiehle-Reston Metro station to the Innovation Station at a speed of about 15 mph. Capital Rail Constructors, the project design-build contractor, plans to complete the work by 4 a.m. If both trains cannot be moved by then, the second train will be moved the following night.

After the trains are in place at Innovation, the third rail will be electrified between Innovation Center Station and Dulles International Airport, where trains will be used to remove accumulated rust from the third rail in that area.

Project officials warn that the entire track is a "live track," which could be carrying electric current.

When this work is complete, two additional trains equipped for safe-braking tests will be brought in, which would begin the "dynamic testing" process that is required before the rail line begins commercial operation, according to Charles Stark, senior vice president of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages construction of the Silver Line project.

This work, which project officials consider a significant milestone, will continue for several months.
 #1505688  by Sand Box John
 
Took me a while to figure out what the hell the Washington Post reporter was trying do describe, as what is in the story does not jive with what I have observed.

The frames that support the glazing are not supported on columns over the full length of the mezzanine on the north or south sides. Most of the length of the walls the glazing frames are mounted on are sitting on concrete foundations below the floor of the mezzanine. The columns are only on the east end, most are on the north, garage side just west of the station entrance. North and south of the rows of columns are mechanical spaces outside the footprint of the mezzanine. The cast in place concrete columns in question do not carry the load of the track ways or station platforms only the cast in place concrete beams the glazing frames are mounted on.
 #1507963  by davinp
 
JDC wrote:Maybe I missed this post, but there is also an issue with the concrete ties lifting the tracks out of alignment on the new Silver Line phrase II. https://wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/20 ... expanding/
Note that is a 5000 series train that Metro retired last year, so that should not be in service. Obviously, Metro has not scrapped them yet
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