To me, Dulles International Airport seems almost mythical. I have never been on a flight to or from it, and I don’t even really know where it’s located. In fact, I gained most of my knowledge about it in the movie Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
I’ve never been to Dulles Airport because there’s no way to get there. For years, various city officials have been trying to change this, with a proposed extension of the Metro Orange Line to Dulles, through Tyson’s Corner. Unfortunately for those who rely on public transportation, that plan is now in jeopardy.
Herndon Town council squandered a chance to help commuters on Tuesday, when they vetoed part of a tax plan to finance the $3.4 billion Dulles rail project.
This vote leaves the project without an expected $540 million, and has effectively killed the project, at least for now, as there is no backup financing plan. The tax plan would have placed a 20 percent real estate tax on commercial properties along the rail line.
Because there is currently no backup plan to finance the $540 million, many officials believe that the plan cannot be completed.
“We’ve tried and tried and tried to get the tracks out to Dulles,” said Former Virginia Governor A. Linwood after the vote. “We couldn’t. Now the project is dead and it may be 25 years until we see rail to Dulles.”
The Herndon Town Council was caught in a no-win situation. The businesses feared that the rail line would cost them money and would provide their competitors in Tyson’s Corner access to their customers. And while many on the Council wanted the Dulles line, they felt they could not support it without betraying their constituents.
With the support of Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner (D) and both Virginia U.S. Senators, John W. Warner® and George Allen®, almost $40 million has been spent planning the rail lines and stations along the proposed route. It is now unclear if the project has any future, or if it will be permanently left behind.
For a region that is already very congested, and experiencing increased pollution, developing such mass transit plans has become a priority. Many supporters of the Dulles extension have vowed to keep fighting for it, though it remain to be seen if they will be able to scrounge up the funding from other sources. But for me and others who rely on Metrorail, Dulles will remain out of reach.
