The Silver Line makes its way onto the Washington Metro's map

(WaPo) Metro will unveil the newest version of its rail map Thursday, featuring the soon-to-open Silver Line in Northern Virginia and addressing a challenge: getting people to ride a line many say they don’t know much about and one they aren’t certain they want to use.

The first phase of the Silver Line, which will stretch from East Falls Church to Reston, is expected to begin transporting riders early next year. Now, Metro has turned its focus to what its chief marketer calls “raising awareness” of the new, $6 billion rail line that eventually will run to Dulles International Airport and parts of Loudoun County.

Research among focus groups and from surveys conducted this year showed that only 45 to 55 percent of riders in the Washington region are aware of the rail addition, Metro said.

That leaves some transportation and land-use experts skeptical of whether — and when — the Silver Line will meet its ridership expectations. As one of the country’s most expensive transportation projects underway, the Silver Line is seen as an important test of whether drivers will abandon their cars and ride a transit line. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/new-metro-map-shows-path-of-silver-line/2013/09/11/19ed9b0e-1b04-11e3-8685-5021e0c41964_story.html?tid=pm_local_pop