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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently gave the Virginia Department of Transportation the go-ahead to proceed with preliminary engineering on the first phase of a passenger-rail extension to Dulles International Airport.

Preliminary engineering is the second of a three-part process required by FTA to refine a project’s design, scope and cost before beginning construction.

The first phase of the Dulles Corridor project — a joint venture between the Virginia DOT and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) — will extend rail service 11.6 miles from the authority’s West Falls Church station to Wiehle Avenue in Reston, Va. A 12-mile second phase will connect Wiehle Avenue to the airport.

WMATA will manage the project through an agreement with Virginia DOT to ensure design is compatible with the rest of the Metrorail system.