Maryland’s Purple Line gets approval for next step

The Federal Transit Administration gave its approval for Maryland's Purple Line to move forward and enter the Preliminary Engineering phase. The Purple Line is a proposed 16-mile east-west light-rail project that will operate between Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County with connection to four branches of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority system. FTA approval means that work on the project now moves to preparation of more detailed plans, schedules and cost estimates, as well as completion of environmental studies. "In order to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. The Federal Transit Administration's approval today will help us continue to create jobs and expand rapid and reliable transportation in the Washington suburban region," said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. "The Purple Line will connect citizens to jobs and economic opportunities throughout the region. Today's approval affirms that federal and state investments create jobs and promote economic growth. Together, with our federal partners, we can secure the future of transit in Maryland and continue to move the Purple Line forward." The FTA review of the Purple Line proposal focused on the project's high daily ridership and many significant benefits as well as the state's financial commitment and technical capacity to build and operate the project. By granting permission to begin preliminary engineering, the Purple Line becomes one of a small of number of projects nationwide that are eligible for federal funding. As proposed, the Purple Line will connect major employment and activity centers in Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton with residential and commercial areas located in between, including the Takoma-Langley Park community and Riverdale Park residents whose many transit dependent riders today are only served by buses. It will link both branches of WMTAT's Red Line at Bethesda and Silver Spring, the Green Line at College Park and the Orange Line at New Carrollton. The Purple Line will also connect all three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak and local bus services. The 16-mile Purple Line will play a critical role in the economic vitality of the corridor, with a projected increase of over 27,000 jobs per year and nearly $10 billion in additional federal, state and local revenues through the life of the rail line. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is establishing a workforce development task force to assist with the creation of a state wide policy towards providing training programs for employment opportunities along the rail line. The Purple Line will be a pedestrian-friendly system with 21 stations that are projected to handle 60,000 riders a day by 2030. On the western end, it will operate along the former Georgetown Branch railroad right of way, currently an interim hiker-biker trail. The project will be built simultaneously with the construction of a permanent trail separated from the rail line with a landscaped buffer. Different than WMATA, light rail is powered by an overhead wire, can operate at-grade and is compatible with pedestrians and automobile traffic. The Purple Line will largely run on the surface with one short tunnel section, one aerial section and several underpasses and overpasses of busy roadways. It will operate mainly in dedicated or exclusive lanes, allowing for fast, reliable transit operations. Purple Line riders will generally access the line on foot or by existing bus and rail services since it directly serves local communities.