Metro To Dulles, and More on the Great SmarTrip Shortage

Too good to be true, right? Well, this time they sound serious:

"This was studied in the '60s. Studied in the '70s. Studied in the '80s," Warner said. "Today officially marks the beginning of rail to Dulles."
...
Warner said the state is committed to rail to Dulles. Supporters of a proposed Major League Baseball Stadium near Dulles Airport also tout the Metrorail extension in response to concerns that that a ballpark would create a traffic nightmare."

> AP: "Money for Metro Extension to Dulles Gets Approval"

And following up on the story I posted yesterday about the possible shortage of SmarTrip cards, Metro authorities trip over themselves in a lengthy press release offering a number of explanations for their popularity, citing everything from more card vending machines, more buses with SmarTrip readers, to a "a surprising pre-September 11th resurgence of tourists to the region." Do they mean to say a card that makes fiddling with cash to ride public trains or busses and eliminates the need for paper transfers is popular? Shocking.