Purple Line now expected to open in spring 2027
BETHESDA, Md. - The Purple line faces more delays and an increase in costs.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners say the delay will push the opening of the transit line to the spring of 2027. This delay will also add more than $148.3 million to the growing price tag of the project. It was initially supposed to cost $5.3 billion and is already $3.8 billion over budget.
According to officials, the new schedule change reflects delays in the completion of utility relocation activities, the challenges along with the complexities of completing construction in a dense urban environment with a significant pedestrian population and vehicular traffic, the ongoing national workforce and supply chain issues, and the unique history of the Purple Line Light Rail Project.
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Purple Line construction impacting downtown Silver Spring business owners
Business owners in downtown Silver Spring say construction on the Purple Line is threatening their companies.
"We understand the impacts that prolonged construction creates for the residents and businesses along the Purple Line alignment and will continue to minimize disruptions where possible," said Ray Biggs, II, Purple Line Project Director.
The purple line started under former Governor Larry Hogan's Administration. A public-private partnership with a builder fell apart, the builder quit, and work stopped for a year.
The head of the Maryland Transit Administration told FOX 5 she’s confident in the new 2027 target, but Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich isn't so sure.
"It’s a pretty complex project and obviously the Purple Line has had some very uncommon challenges that aren’t usual for projects," said Holly Arnold, MDOT's MTA administrator. "We signed this p3 agreement in 2016 – August of that year – and then the environmental study was put on hold, which caused a year delay."
"Who knows what lies ahead," Elrich said. "If that’s an indication of the quality of the pre-work that was done before, then it would not surprise me, and that’s the problem with the new contractor. They’re not beholden to somebody else’s work, so they’re still working off of somebody else’s plan!"
The 16-mile light rail line is supposed to provide service from New Carrollton to Bethesda – connecting Prince George's and Montgomery counties.
Maryland's Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld has said he doesn’t want to sugarcoat it and described the Purple Line as having "a ways to go."