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Montgomery County expected to provide Purple Line update Tuesday
The Montgomery County Council is expected to provide an update Tuesday on the Purple Line light-rail project.
SILVER SPRING, Md. - The Montgomery County Council is expected to provide an update Tuesday on the Purple Line light-rail project.
The east-west line was meant to connect with Metro and MARC in Montgomery and Prince George's counties and was originally expected to be open to passengers in March 2022.
The project stalled in 2020 after the construction firm in charge quit following lengthy contract disputes with the state. A new contractor was approved earlier this year.
The 16-mile line is now expected to begin carrying passengers in fall 2026 -- more than four years behind schedule.
The project is expected to cost $9.3 billion compared to its initially estimated $5.6 billion.
FOX 5's Bob Barnard spoke with some business owners in Silver Spring who say the never-ending construction is hurting their chances to pull through.
"If we can survive this the next four years, then, okay," said Lene Tsegaye who owns the Kefa Café on Bonifant Street as she watched the construction continue. "But I don't know if we're going to be able to survive."