WASHINGTON (Map, News) - A senior Metro official two weeks ago accused Dulles Rail project managers of failing to resolve a series of technical problems that are potentially serious enough to prevent the transit agency from operating the proposed line, letters between the two agencies show.

The most recent letter, a Jan. 16 memo from John Thomas, director of Metro’s office of major capital projects, highlights a behind-the-scenes rift over dozens of complex engineering issues and illustrates one of the reasons why the Federal Transit Administration says it won’t fund a critical $900 million for the project’s first phase.

Thomas accused the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority of not being “interested in the timely resolution of these items” and again asked for a meeting with the agency. The letter follows a Dec. 3 response from the Airports Authority to concerns Metro listed in a letter to the authority on Nov. 8.

“[Metro] is concerned that the process this far to resolve the open items will not result in a solution that will permit [Metro] to accept the rail extension upon its completion,” Thomas wrote. “We are also concerned that once the project is in final design, it may be too late to start resolving those issues.”

The FTA is expected to deny the funding chiefly because the project is too expensive to meet the agency’s standards for cost and ridership. But Administrator James Simpson on Thursday signaled that “potential conflicts” between Metro and MWAA are among reasons why the project likely will not move forward. It was a clear reference to Thomas’ letter.

Thomas compiled the technical problems in a Nov. 8 letter to MWAA, listing two issues as “major.”

Those two problems revolve around where to properly place a box carrying communications and power cables, and a study of how much power is needed to supply trains along the proposed track. Whether the two agencies have made progress on resolving the issues is not clear.

Metro and MWAA spokeswomen denied a rift existed between the two agencies, as did Metro board member Cathy Hudgins. Hudgins said Metro was doing its “due diligence.”

“And that’s the only thing I would expect out of Metro,” she said.

wflook@dcexaminer.com

ALSO READ THE EDITORIAL: Funding is the least of Dulles Rail’s problems

Comments from Examiner Readers

8:03 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 30, 2008 re: "Feds to give approval of Metrorail extension in Va."

Examiner Reader said:
The games have now begun, what arm twisting took place? How bad will the corrupted overruns be? Maybe our local pug Moran could tell us what he had on someone to get this approved?

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7:40 AM MST on Wed., Feb. 27, 2008 re: "Kaine attacks �willy-nilly� plan to rebid rail to Dulles"

Rail The Right Way said:
Actually Mr. Kaine, you can throw the current contract out 'willy-nilly' and companies that have been waiting to provide their fair bids will thank you for it. The process of bidding will actually attract more companies to this and future opportunities because they will say, "Governor Kaine did the right thing by allowing a FAIR process instead of awarding the contract willy-nilly." Mr. Kaine you make me and a lot of folks really angry over this one! What kind of back-alley deals have you made? This, I often wonder. Maybe the press should dig deep on that issue. Here is a bright idea that Governor Kaine may implement: Perhaps we should stop holding elections (a kind of a bidding process in itself) so Mr. Kaine can just pick whomever he wants to become the next governor of Virginia. Is that fair Mr. Kaine? Is that fair? Tell us.

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10:27 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail faces new bids"

Fed-up transporation planner said:
This goes in the category of magical thinking. I've developed a estimate of the Dulles Rail costs based on what it cost to build the Green Line extensions in the mid 1990's: $5.9 to $6.4 billion. Merely changing the bid process is not going to create a discount from the Green Line costs regardless of the emotional attachment to rail.

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10:10 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 19, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail faces new bids"

Rail The Right Way said:
Congrats to Delegates Albo and May for devising a smarter way to approach this whole project. Governor Kaine should now realize that the horse he's been beating is really a pile of dust by now. Now, let's encourage our Virginia Senators and Delegates to take the right course of action and push this new competitive bidding plan through. There is still hope for everyone in this. Loudoun County and Fairfax County are working to get this thing done correctly.

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3:26 PM MST on Tue., Feb. 5, 2008 re: "Bus advocates see opening as Dulles rail falters"

Fed-up transportation planner said:
To those who are certain that bus can't 'replace' rail I would reccommend looking at operatiosn in Pittsburgh and Ottawa. In both places bus transit is the sole mode on at least one major corridor. The ridership is comperable to rail systems in like situations. To me, the big picture is not trains - only a tool - but people. Consider that a full-up BRT in dulles would cost less than one third of the current estimate. Why not direct the remainder to BRT in other corridors, like Route 50? Wouldn't that also help Loudoun traffic? The two together would carry about 1.5 times as many people. One could even add a third BRT route (I-66?). That seems like a big picture to me. The 'necessity' as I see it is to spend the money wisely, on service, for people; trains cannot be an end in themselves. The vision has to extend beyond that.

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7:41 AM MST on Tue., Feb. 5, 2008 re: "Bus advocates see opening as Dulles rail falters"

Examiner Reader said:
Rail is a necessity to Loudon...there are already too few roads leading from the west to the beltway. Bus alternatives can't replace the rail system, but must complement the rail. Planning ahead for how big Loudon is getting is already a lost cause. At this point, somebody, somewhere must have enough vision to see past immediate concerns and look at the big picture of how big this area is getting, and expanding every road in sight is not going to solve the issue...The rail should not be a possibility, it should be a necessity!

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3:10 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Industry leaders: Anti-transit bias may be hurting Dulles rail"

Fed-up transportation planner said:
Eli, I don't care who comes up with an evidence based rule; I'll cling to it anyway. Somehow, you believe that it is an anti-rail bias to notice that the EIS BRT option was pre-crippled (wouldn't go into Tysons because an elevated structure would be required). Somehow, you believe that it is an anti-rail bias to notice that the supposed latest 'cuts' are basically fake (no source, no means of collection, not based on an scope chane, etc.). I have no hope that you would respond with a actual counter-argument to these issues: proclomation of the great Bush-Cheney bias and/or conspiricy cannot be an argument on the issues I've raised. I'm not anti-rail; I'm anti-LIE.

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12:16 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Industry leaders: Anti-transit bias may be hurting Dulles rail"

Eli said:
In considering whether or not the Bush administration has a bias against public transportation, please consider the actions of their former OMB Director, Mitch Daniels. As Governor of Indiana, Daniels leased the entire Indiana Toll Road to a foreign (Spanish/Australian) company for $3.8 Billion. This decision clearly was about money, and not about service. Even in his re-election website, Daniels touts the increased infrastructure spending in the year following his deal. While it is hard to fault Daniels for making money for the state, the motivations behind deals like this are suspect: profit, rather than service, is the ultimate goal for Daniels and the Bush Administration. This is why we pay upwards of $50/meal to feed soldiers in Iraq- rather than use soldiers to provide food service at a cost to the military, food service is subcontracted out (profitably) to the Administration's friends at KBR. Dulles Rail is dead unless it makes money for the GOP and their friends.

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12:03 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf seeks expert intervention for Dulles Rail"

Examiner Reader said:
What do you want to bet that Frank Wolf's suggested "experts" that he wants to look into this mess are tied to Bechtel? I'd put money on that one.

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10:40 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Pessimism pervades Dulles Rail salvage effort"

Fed-up transportation planner said:
The 8:26 commenter is incorrect on one issue: the tunnel would not be cheaper than the elevated structure. The cost difference is not very large compared to the unadmitted costs of the project - about $200M - but it is there. The problem with the last round of "cuts" is they aren't real. The bulk of them fall into four categories: proclamation of construction synergy with no scope change; elimination of 8-car electical capacity in favor of 6-car; declaring that proffers would cover $100M even though the money has to come from somewhere (schools?) and is on the developer's schedule not the rail construction schedule; and having 'someone' build one of the parking garages in exchange for some of the land - an offer with no takers whatsoever because of the construction cost. Why wouldn't FTA notice these things? They can think.

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8:26 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Pessimism pervades Dulles Rail salvage effort"

Examiner Reader said:
Backup plan: 1) Put the project on hold by asking/begging the FTA to allow for further time to get a better plan. 2) The better plan is to open up the project contract to stiff competitive bidding which will bring costs down and allow a look at better options. Consider the benefits of a tunnel for the Tysons segment vs. elevated and the impacts to traffic, utility relocation and businesses along the route. 3) Get better, more experienced managers for the project. A company or group of companies that have experience managing such projects. 4) Use the possible money saved by digging a tunnel to improve the surface vehicular and pedestrian traffic so that it ties in with the new stations and allows for future development. 5) Use Rosslyn and Ballston corridor Metro as an example for development of Tysons and the Metro line. There's more but get moving fast!

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7:42 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Pessimism pervades Dulles Rail salvage effort"

Examiner Reader said:
The rail isn't necessary. Metro Buses could handle it all if the Taxi Mafia wasn't in control of airport transportation on the Dulles tollway.

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6:35 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 1, 2008 re: "Pessimism pervades Dulles Rail salvage effort"

rail_boondoggle said:
Here's a suggestion. Run the metro extension to Tyson's Corner, with a tunnel. Implemement bus-rapid-transit long the existing Dulles Access Road to the Spring Hill Transit station (the feds were going to pay for 80% of this at one time). Then, with the billions in savings, IMPROVE THE ROADS into and around Tysons. The transit solution will get some riders, but the majority of commuters will continue to drive. Deal with it. I mean really deal with it. Widen Rt 7 and 123 and the toll road. Build some interchanges within Tysons. Allow traffic to move! Add sidewalks and pedestrian bridges. Tysons is another example where development was approved but transportation improvements were never funded. Get on with it! This isn't rocket science. The real problem is that region finally has to face the actual cost building "transit". Everything is rosy when someone else (i.e. the government) pays. Squabbling starts when the cost of building transit hits home-time to start ove

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10:03 AM MST on Thu., Jan. 31, 2008 re: "Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf seeks expert intervention for Dulles Rail"

GMU92 said:
I like Rep. Wolf, and I've voted for him every time, but I don't think he's right on this one. The $5 billion boondoggle needs to go, and we really need to investigate some serious, cost effective transit solutions.

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8:55 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 30, 2008 re: "Kaine given more time on rail rebuttal"

Copied from a poster on Post site said:
Mr. Kaine isn't living up to his own words. Mr. Kaine it's time to stand up like a man and stand by what you said you'd do. Here are a few of his own words. These I got from the tunnel folks news clips and media list. ------ Example one on WTOP: Date: February 27, 2007 Time: 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM Station: WTOP-AM Location: Washington Program: Ask the Governor MOSS: ...that would provide the difference between what's on the table right now'--and would be likely approved--'and what it would cost to do the thing underground,' which is the way they believe would be best for Tysons. Gov. KAINE: Mike, this is a project that is ultimately about the will of the people locally, and if--if--if all the actors--Fairfax Board, Loudoun Board, MWAA and WAMADA, changed their approval and said, 'Governor, you no longer can go forward with the aerial design,' we'd stop. This was a lo--this was called--the FTA calls this the locally preferred option, because it was embraced by all these loca

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7:31 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 30, 2008 re: "Metro, Dulles Rail failed to resolve issues"

Dan said:
I'm glad the project is dead. I think that Metro didn't address all the questions that it was asked. No wonder it failed. Good riddance to an awful idea and project. Thanks, Dan

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1:42 PM MST on Tue., Jan. 29, 2008 re: "Kaine continues to push for federal support for Dulles rail"

Dan said:
It's time to put the brakes on this project. The cost is way to high, and the traffic congestion is going to be very high as well. I think Gov. Kaine needs to admit defeat and end this project before it's too late. Thanks, Dan

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8:40 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 29, 2008 re: "Kaine given more time on rail rebuttal"

Examiner Reader said:
Sounds like Bechtel, Washington Group International (DTP) has a lot of power here. Too much if Kaine had to plead with and beg them to stop charging the state for a period of time! Scrap the contract Mr. Kaine. Your already caught with pants down.

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7:09 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 29, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail proponents fending off blame"

Let's See Clearly Now! said:
Unfortunately for Connolly, Byrne is exactly correct. He looks just like the typical teenage whiner, who tells us parents that the teachers don't like him : "There is no way to get a passing grade here because the whole system is skewed toward an F no matter what we do,� he said. Really, Gerry? It had nothing to do with your homework, or class participation? Nothing to do with being all about paying back developers, and buying into their agenda about increased density in Tysons? Nothing about getting a good price for the owners of those car dealerships on Route 7? And the financing plan? -- I guess the math teacher is against you, too? The fact that the numbers don't work, that you low-balled the capital cost estimate, that the toll revenues can't pay back the bonds. None of that mattered. No, the mean ol' FTA was prejudiced. That's it. Let's See Clearly Now!!!

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5:54 PM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Private groups interested in rail to Dulles"

Examiner Reader said:
I think it is great if private interests want to step in and raise the $900 million. Makes me happier as a tax payer. Hey, how about adding a charge for any new development along the proposed corridor?

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7:24 AM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail proponents fending off blame"

Examiner Reader said:
Nice photo caption for Gerry Coonnolly's photo in the January 28 article "Dulles Rail proponents fending off blame". The caption should read as follows: "Open up wide Gerry, we're tired of pulling teeth but you have one molar left and we need Competitive Bidding to get the costs down." It's a no brainer!

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7:45 PM MST on Sun., Jan. 27, 2008 re: "Region seeks to salvage Dulles rail project"

Examiner Reader said:
another over priced pet project for gov kaine thats going to come back to hit the people in the butt hold on to your walletts everything he touchs costs the tax payers big,with the houseing marketts the way they are and the economey in the toilet,do the people of va really have the tons of xtra tax,dollars laying around to give them when they come looking for the people to pay for it all.

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3:17 PM MST on Sat., Jan. 26, 2008 re: "FTA: Dulles Rail approval doubtful"

Jane said:
I am overjoyed. Let's start over and if we get that far... and let's bid it out, eh? And lets consider a menu of transit modes that can work together to reduce the reliance on cars. I was appalled at how people mobilized: fixed rail versus BRT (as if they were mutually exclusive?!), tunnel versus elevated, etc. This project ended up a turd that few loved and that couldn't be polished to make it look better. What a mess. I don't want to throw any more taxpayer money at it.

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1:15 PM MST on Sat., Jan. 26, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail devastates Loudoun"

Fed-up transportation planner said:
I'm a transportation planner and Loudoun County resident and I'm NOT devastated � far from it. The promotion of rail was never based on transportation. If transportation were a real criterion rather than a mouth-only one, BRT into Tysons would never have been excluded on the basis used (from page 6, appendix D, of the major investment study): BRT would require an elevated structure, end of analysis. Somehow elevated structures are okay for rail and bad for bus. The same rule applied to my suggestion that the service drives could be used to make space for BRT. The promoters �didn't feel� that VDOT would do that and then eliminated the service drives to make room for rail. The cost estimate has followed the usual 50% low-ball. I compared costs to the Green Line extensions 10 years ago and calculated $3.1 Billion for phase one only, no tunnel. So, I'm not surprised that the top-end estimate by the FTA is in that range. Somehow the Green Line doesn't matter for Dulles Rail cos

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5:40 AM MST on Sat., Jan. 26, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail project unravels"

Examiner Reader said:
As someone who lives not far from this and other area gridlocks, and as a normal course of conducting business must figure a way to get from point A to point B within a short alotted time to maintain schedule apointments, I welocmed anything that would pull more cars off the road. I've heard a lot of references to when Virginia was farmland and something becomes obvious to me. That history and stupidity tend to repeat themselves and society gets a failing grade in lessons learned from the past. We used to have an electrified rail system that served up past Leesburg, and connected to the trolley system at Roslyn. In WW2 it carried alot of commuters to work in DC. We scrapped it in favor of the current automobile. Today it is an under used bike trail and there are 45 minute to hour long commutes just from Reston to Tysons. Another case of modern society backpedaling into the stoneage.

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5:55 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "Officials call for �time-out� on Dulles Rail"

Examiner Reader said:
Cool. Now let's bid the thing out and get it done right. Woohoo! Get ready to save some money on the next iteration. Love it!

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3:00 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail: Years of planning derailed"

Examiner Reader said:
This is great news! I love sending money to Saudi Arabia! Can't wait to buy more oil!

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2:10 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail: Years of planning derailed"

Examiner Reader said:
What a Joke!!!!

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1:38 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "FTA: Dulles Rail approval doubtful"

Examiner Reader said:
It's a shame that there is so much wrong information out there about this badly needed project. Of course people will use.

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12:22 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail: Years of planning derailed"

Examiner Reader said:
The Dulles Airport Metro station was projected to have the lowest ridership of all 75 Metro stations. According to FTA, the total ridership of the Dulles rail extension would have amounted to only a fraction of the capacity of a single highway lane. The effect on traffic congestion? None. The effect of other transit projects not being funded? Enormous. FTA decided correctly. It wasn't even a close call.

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1:48 AM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008 re: "Dulles Rail project looks dead after FTA details new hurdles"

Examiner Reader said:
funny how the government can throw money in to Iraq at staggering rates, but can't spend a little at home. Time to spend our tax money at HOME, OUR HOME that is and not the Iraqis home. Enough of wasting our money for other people. This situation is just not fair.

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6:08 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 24, 2008 re: "FTA: Dulles Rail approval doubtful"

Examiner Reader said:
Ding, dong, the rail is dead... ...thank you, FTA.

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5:46 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 24, 2008 re: "FTA: Dulles Rail approval doubtful"

Examiner Reader said:
You have got to be kidding if you think people won't ride this train!!! Work it out.

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12:34 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 24, 2008 re: "New issues put Dulles Rail on shaky ground"

Examiner Reader said:
So when this thing sinks, can the tolls finally be reduced? I want a refund from May 22, 2006 to now for that extra quarter at both ends of the toll.

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8:03 AM MST on Thu., Jan. 24, 2008 re: "Officials call for �time-out� on Dulles Rail"

Examiner Reader said:
SHAME ON YOU, PIERCE HOMER AND TIM KAINE. Your resorting to strong-arming and scare tactics is uncalled for. The project IS in jeopardy because you and Richmond worked to negotiate the most stupid deal in Virginia history without true competition.

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4:07 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 27, 2007 re: "Tysons' traffic could worsen"

Examiner Reader said:
Hey Virginian: You obviously work for the other side. The side who wants us all to suffer increased tax burdens by accepting a no-bid stupidly articulated contract. You are quite simply an ahole.

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9:35 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 29, 2007 re: "Financier of pro-tunnel group for Dulles rail reverses course"

Examiner Reader said:
No, the key in planning is.... to lay the groundwork for the future. In this case it would have been an easy right of way. No one ever said build metro so farmers can get there. But at least leave the right of way. That means build the overpasses so they can accommodate the trains under them with building a new one.

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10:15 AM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "Tunnel supporters sue to halt rail line"

Dan said:
This rail project is really "off the rails". I think that this whole project needs to end. Going to court is not the way to go.

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7:25 AM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "Tunnel supporters sue to halt rail line"

Virginian said:
To Scott Monett: You lost. You will lose again. All you will gain is increasing the tax burden through lawyers. You are artificially increasing the projects cost with no benefit to taxpayers. You want to save us money - sell, move out and take your hair stylists down the road with you. Spare us your whining.

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3:22 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 26, 2007 re: "Fairfax supervisor calls Dulles Rail move �arrogant�"

Examiner Reader said:
To Mr. Farmland/Examiner Reader: Yes, Virginia should have thought ahead to the future and built Metrorail through NoVA when it was still farmland. That would have made a lot of sense to spend money for large transportation projects to get all of the farmers and lumberjacks in to the city to work. Hell, if we all have that forward-thinking futuristic sense you have, then I suppose we might as well move forward with the installation of landing pads atop our homes for the flying cars we'll have in the year 2500.

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1:02 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 26, 2007 re: "More than $300 million trimmed from Dulles Rail project price tag"

Examiner Reader said:
All of you have great ideas, however unless you have worked on the "inside" of the Project you are completely clueless. Nothing is quite that simple. This Project was to break ground months ago. Whether you like it or not, building a system underground is far more expensive. And nobody wants it above ground. There were several alternative proposal made, but they were give the boot - either by stakeholders, funding jurisdictions, the ADA, & the list goes on-and on... So, are damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Basically, there are far too many hands in the pot. If VA thought towards the future (yrs ago) when the original Metrorail system was designed they would not be facing this headache now. At the time the area was nothing but farmland and woods, so they gave the idea of a subway out in Tysons area the "X". Who knew that there would be such-a-thing called urban sprawl? I say just build the darn thing! Because too much time & money is being wasted in trying to please.

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9:35 AM MST on Mon., Nov. 26, 2007 re: "Fairfax supervisor calls Dulles Rail move �arrogant�"

Examiner Reader said:
Hmmm, Tara Hamilton, spokesman for MWAA, says "this is a project for Route 7...not beginning the rail project." If that is so, then why on earth are we getting comment from the spokesman for MWAA? By the way, does anyone find it appalling that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has the authority and responsibility for this project? Ridiculous!

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9:30 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 22, 2007 re: "Fairfax supervisor calls Dulles Rail move �arrogant�"

Examiner Reader said:
Frank Wolf says money is coming Dear Friends, I want to update you on several matters I�m working on, and hope you will continue to keep me informed on matters of importance to you. Transportation Update Two transportation projects in northern Virginia received a critical boost in the final version of an annual transportation bill approved by the House last week. The Dulles rail project received another $35 million, bringing the total federal share of the project to date to nearly $250 million. The measure also includes $1 million to study establish a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on I-66 outside the Beltway. BRT systems, often described as a train car on wheels, use dedicated lanes, enhanced fare collection, platform loading and other elements of rail systems to provide faster transit service but at a lower cost. BRT is the next logical step to helping provide congestion relief, particularly for those who live in western Fairfax County, Prince William County

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9:13 AM MST on Thu., Nov. 22, 2007 re: "Fairfax supervisor calls Dulles Rail move �arrogant�"

Examiner