Purple Line (Maryland)

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 This article or section contains information about proposed, planned or expected public transportation infrastructure in the United States.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.
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     Purple Line
Info
Type Rapid transit or bus rapid transit
System Maryland Transit Administration
Locale Montgomery County, MD and Prince George's County, MD
Termini Bethesda (west)
New Carrollton (east)
Stations Up to 21 (planned)[1]
Operation
Opened 2017 (planned)[2]
Operator(s) TBD
Character TBA
Technical
Electrification TBA

The Purple Line, previously designated as the Bi-County Transitway, is a proposed 16-mile (25 km) transit line[3] to link the Red, Green and Orange lines of the Washington Metro transportation system in Washington, D.C. The project is currently being administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), but is expected to be integrated in some manner with the existing Washington Metro system.

Contents

[edit] History

The Purple Line was conceived as a rail line from New Carrollton to Silver Spring. Maryland's Glendening administration (which included John Porcari as Secretary of Transportation) removed the heavy rail option from planning discussion because it was felt that the cost was greater than the need. Robert Flanagan, the Maryland State Secretary of Transportation under governor Robert Ehrlich, merged the Purple Line with another transportation project, Georgetown Branch Light Rail Transit (GBLRT). The GBLRT was proposed as a light rail transit line from Silver Spring westward, following the former Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (now a short CSX siding and the Capital Crescent Trail) to Bethesda.

Both Governor Ehrlich and Secretary Flanagan introduced an alternative mode — bus rapid transit — that might be utilized in lieu of light rail transit. To reflect this possibility, the administration changed the name of the project to the "Bi-County Transitway" in March 2003. Another reason that "the Purple Line" was discouraged by the Ehrlich administration was that its associations with the other color-oriented names of the Washington Metro system (which consists of heavy rail) might lead the public to expect a heavy rail option. The new name did not catch on, however, as several media outlets and most citizens continued to refer to the project as the Purple Line. As a result, Governor Martin O'Malley and Secretary of Transportation John Porcari opted to revert to "Purple Line".

In January 2008, the O'Malley administration allocated $100 million within a six-year capital budget to complete design documents for state approval and funding of the Purple Line.[4] In May 2008, it was reported that the Purple Line could carry about 68,000 daily trips.[5]

A draft environmental impact study was issued on October 20, 2008.[6] On December 22, 2008, Montgomery County planners endorsed building a light rail line rather than a bus line. On January 15, 2009, the county planning board also endorsed the light rail option,[7] and County Executive Isiah Leggett has also expressed support.[8] The decision will now be presented to the Montgomery County Council for final approval.

Even though the project is currently overseen by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), it is not yet clear who would operate the Purple Line once construction is complete. MTA representative Michael Madden said that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been working with the MTA to develop the Purple Line. The future transit system could be operated by the state of Maryland, by WMATA, or by Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Regardless, planners intend to utilize current Metrorail stations and for the Purple Line to accept WMATA's SmarTrip farecard.[9] Metro's 2008 annual report states that it plans for the Purple Line to be integrated with WMATA's existing transit system.[10][11]

[edit] Route and station locations

A map of the proposed Purple Line routes including alternative alignments

The planned rail or rapid bus line will connect the existing Metro, MARC commuter rail, and Amtrak stations at:[12]

Official plans for new stations have not been announced. Stations have been proposed for these locations (not all would be built, since some are on parallel alternative routes):[13]

[edit] Potential further expansion

Although the majority of discussions about the Purple Line describe the project as a 16-mile east-west line between Bethesda and New Carrollton,[14] there have been several proposals to expand the line further into Maryland or to mirror the Capital Beltway as a loop around the entire Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Sierra Club has argued for a Purple Line which would "encircle Washington, D.C." and "connect existing suburban metro lines."[15] Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony G. Brown, while campaigning in 2006, similarly stated that he'd "like to see the Purple Line go from Bethesda to across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge," adding, "Let’s swing that boy all the way around" (a reference to having the Purple Line circle through Virginia and back to the line's point of origin in Bethesda).[16]

An advocacy group known as "The Inner Purple Line Campaign" has stated that the Purple Line could be extended westward to Tysons Corner and eastward to Largo, and that it could eventually cross the new Wilson Bridge from Suitland through Oxon Hill to Alexandria, eventually forming a rail line that encircles the city.[17] The reconstruction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-495's southern crossing over the Potomac River) provides capacity for the bridge to carry a heavy or light rail line.[18] Suggested stops along this proposed Purple Line expansion include:[19]

[edit] Community support and opposition

[edit] Support for rail

  • The Action Committee for Transit is a community group that supports the Purple Line.[21]
  • The Washington Post advocates construction of the Purple Line light rail option.[22]
  • After the 2006 election, the members-elect of the Montgomery County Council and Prince George's County were unanimously in favor of the Purple Line light rail option.[citation needed]
  • State officials (including Governor O'Malley, Dem.) are also strong Purple Line advocates. State officials say that a Purple Line, which would run primarily above ground, "would provide better east-west transit service, particularly for lower-income workers who can't afford cars."[23]
  • The development firm Chevy Chase Land Co. is a strong proponent of the construction of the Purple Line. The website for the pro-Purple umbrella group Purple Line NOW! lists Edward Asher as a member of its board of directors. The Washington Post indicates that the development firm would "no doubt profit from property it owns near at least one of the proposed stations."[24]
  • The Sierra Club advocates a larger-scale rail system to parallel the Capital Beltway and link all existing Metro lines at their peripheries. This environmental group advocates rail transit over car use because carbon emissions are a major risk factor for global warming.[25]
  • Student leaders (the Student Government Association and Graduatuate Student Government) at the University of Maryland support transit alternatives to campus.[26][27]
  • On January 27, 2009, the Montgomery County Council voted to support the light rail option. The recommendation will now go to Governor Martin O'Malley. The final design of the rail is expected by 2011.[28]

[edit] Support for bus

  • The Town of Chevy Chase supports bus rapid transit on the alternate Jones Bridge Road alignment based on concerns over expected ridership numbers and carbon footprint.[29]
  • Several political leaders[who?] support this option due to its reduced sunk costs and the ability to easily modify its routing should such a need arise.[citation needed]
  • There are few indications of support for the rapid bus option among residents of Montgomery and Prince George's counties, as evidenced by the lack of endorsements from organizations or other prominent individuals.[citation needed]

[edit] Opposition

  • Many opponents of the Purple Line believe that the Bethesda-Silver Spring portion will negatively impact the Capital Crescent Trail, a popular recreational path along which the Purple Line might run. An organization called Save the Trail was formed to organize local opposition to Purple Line construction.[30]
  • A leading opponent of the Purple Line is the Columbia Country Club, a golf course with land that occupies both sides of the planned route between Bethesda and Silver Spring.[31]
  • Opponents cite the high cost of the project, estimated at $2 billion. Many opponents of the Purple Line believe that a rapid bus plan would be more cost effective.[32]
  • Some residents in Bethesda and Chevy Chase believe a rail line running near their properties will negatively impact property values near the route.[33] In support of this position, the Town of Chevy Chase independently hired transportation planning firm Sam Schwartz Engineering to study alternatives to the proposal.[34]
  • Some Silver Spring residents are concerned that one of the proposed routes will take houses along Thayer Avenue, cross in back of East Silver Spring Elementary School, take over an acre of Sligo Creek Park, and bring noise to a residential neighborhood.
  • University of Maryland administrators have raised concerns that the Purple Line could disrupt existing pedestrian and automobile traffic patterns on campus.[35]

[edit] Responses for and against light rail

Common responses to opposition points, and responses in turn to them, include the following:
+ Pro-rail: The Purple Line will not destroy the Capital Crescent Trail, but will exist adjacent to it.[36]
– Anti-rail: The proposed routing will clear-cut thousands of mature trees and replace a verdant linear park with a paved sidewalk adjacent to a pair of high speed rail lines.[37]
+ Pro-rail: The environmental benefits of increased transit use, such as lower vehicle emissions, more than offset the removal of trees along the route from an environmental perspective.[38]
– Anti-rail:The alleged environmental benefits are fictional and do not exist. Development along the proposed light rail will increase traffic density, the number of cars on the road, commuting times, and pollution from cars. Bus rapid transit along the same route would pollute 1/3 as much per passenger mile and carry more passengers at lower cost.[39]
+ Pro-rail: The Purple Line will allow the final 1.5-mile section of the Capital Crescent Trail to be completed into Silver Spring as an off-road trail and will reduce the number of at grade crossings.[40]
– Anti-rail: A cycling trail in Silver Spring has no proposed budgetary support from the Maryland, Montgomery County, or Silver Spring and cannot happen without it[41]; it would require condemning houses; and in any case it could be put in place — or not — regardless of whether the mode of transit is rail or bus.[42]
+ Pro-rail: The right-of-way for the Capital Crescent Trail was purchased by the state of Maryland specifically for a transit line, so the trail would not exist if not for the transit line.[43]
– Anti-rail: In fact the right-of-way was purchased through the rails-to-trails program "to serve a public purpose," and rail supporters are only proposing a small portion of the length for conversion back to rail. It is simply untrue that there exists some obligation from law or practice to regress a trail back to rail. In the intervening decades the Capital Crescent Trail has become the most popular trail in the entire State of Maryland, enjoyed by 1.5 million people annually: a clear public purpose.[44]
+ Pro-rail: Bus rapid transit is not as effective as light rail.[45]
– Anti-rail: Bus rapid transit costs $500 million less, can carry more passengers per hour, and offers more frequent service. It is also part of a system integrated with County-wide transportation needs rather than an isolated line.[46]
+ Pro-rail: The suggested alternate route along Jones Bridge Road between Bethesda and Silver Spring is indirect and slower than the Capital Crescent route.[47]
– Anti-rail: An alignment along Jones Bridge Road would serve more passengers than an alignment replacing the Capital Crescent Trail. Speed is a function of the number of at-grade crossings, not the vehicle, and only differs for contrived apples-to-oranges comparisons.[48]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Purple Line Facts". Maryland Transit Administration. http://www.purplelinemd.com/about-the-project/purple-line-facts. Retrieved on 2009-02-08. 
  2. ^ Tuss, Adam (June 18, 2009). "Should Purple Line be bus or rail system?". wtop.com. WTOP Radio. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1699477. Retrieved on 2009-06-20. 
  3. ^ "Purple Line Fact Sheet" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. 2007-10-25. http://www.purplelinemd.com/linked_files/Purple%20Line%20Fact%20Sheet%20102507.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  4. ^ Davis, Janel (2008-01-18). "O’Malley allocates $100M for Purple Line planning". The Gazette (Maryland). Post-Newsweek Media. http://www.gazette.net/stories/011808/polinew204004_32360.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-01-21. 
  5. ^ Katherine Shaver (2008-05-30). "Trips on Purple Line Rail Projected at 68,000 Daily". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052902261.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 
  6. ^ Maryland Transit Administration (2008-10-20). "Project Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS)". MTA (Maryland). MTA. http://www.purplelinemd.com/aadeis. Retrieved on 2008-10-21. 
  7. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011502563.html
  8. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203666.html
  9. ^ "Public Meeting on the Purple Line". Town of Chevy Chase, Maryland. 2007-06-06. http://www.townofchevychase.org/assets/documents/pdfs/purpleline/purplelinetranscript.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-01-21. 
  10. ^ "2008 Annual Report". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/FY08_AnnualReportBooklet.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-01-21. 
  11. ^ "Metro preparing for more people to shift to transit if gasoline prices continue to skyrocket". WMATA. 2008-05-22. http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=2101. Retrieved on 2009-06-24. 
  12. ^ "Purple Line Now". http://www.innerpurpleline.org/images/ACTflyerinside-Color.gif. 
  13. ^ Maryland Transit Administration. "Project Area Map". http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_images/2008_purpleline_align_alts_w-callout-boxes2.jpg. Retrieved on 2009-02-08. 
  14. ^ "Purple Line Facts". http://www.purplelinemd.com/about-the-project/purple-line-facts. 
  15. ^ "Sierra Club's Purple Line Page". http://www.sierraclub.org/dc/sprawl/purple-line/index.html. 
  16. ^ "Brown’s ‘lofty’ Purple Line plans draw fire from transportation officials". http://www.gazette.net/stories/100406/burtnew214616_31941.shtml. 
  17. ^ "What is the Purple Line?". http://www.innerpurpleline.org/message.htm. 
  18. ^ "Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project: Is mass transit included on the bridge?". http://www.wilsonbridge.com/faq/faq08.htm. 
  19. ^ "Sierra Club Purple Line Map". http://www.sierraclub.org/dc/sprawl/purple-line/purple-line-map-large.html. 
  20. ^ "Metrorail Branch Avenue Route Completion". http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Metro_Branch_Ave_Opening.html. 
  21. ^ Inner Purple Line
  22. ^ "Full Speed Ahead". http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/15/AR2008111502142.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-19. 
  23. ^ "Washington Post". http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071200790_pf.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-19. 
  24. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071200790_pf.html
  25. ^ "Purple Line". http://www.sierraclub.org/dc/sprawl/purple-line/. Retrieved on 2008-12-19. 
  26. ^ Katherine Shaver (May 13, 2007). "Students Urge Stronger Backing of Purple Line". The Washington Post. p. C04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201341.html. 
  27. ^ "Letter from student leaders to UMD President" (PDF). http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/Purple%20Line%20-%20University%20of%20Maryland.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. 
  28. ^ Shaver, Katherine (2009-01-23). "Leggett Endorses Light-Rail Plan". The Washington Post: p. B03. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203666.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. 
  29. ^ Town of Chevy Chase Alternative Analysis
  30. ^ http://www.savethetrailpetition.org/
  31. ^ Katherine Shaver (January 16, 2005). "Fortunes Shift for East-West Rail Plan". The Washington Post. p. C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12436-2005Jan15.html. 
  32. ^ http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2008/07/chevy_chase_says_buses_beat_tr.html
  33. ^ http://www.gazette.net/stories/072308/montlet165722_32365.shtml
  34. ^ Town of Chevy Chase Long Range Planning Committee meeting minutes, 20 November 2007
  35. ^ U-Md. Wants Purple Line Off Its Main Street, The Washington Post, January 22, 2008
  36. ^ ACT on the trail
  37. ^ What is the Purple Line?
  38. ^ ACT on Purple Line benefits
  39. ^ http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/12/purple-line-alternatives-and-greenhouse.html Purple Line Alternatives and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  40. ^ A cyclist's view of the Purple Line AA/DEIS, Finish the Trail, November 11, 2008
  41. ^ http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/11/rich-madalenos-testimony-on-purple-line.html Rich Madaleno's Testimony on the Purple Line
  42. ^ Why Save the Capital Crescent Trail from the Purple Line?
  43. ^ Purple Line History Lesson
  44. ^ Why Save the Capital Crescent Trail from the Purple Line?
  45. ^ ACT on rail instead of bus
  46. ^ http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/11/al-carrs-testimony-on-purple-line.html
  47. ^ ACT on Jones Bridge Road route
  48. ^ http://www.savethetrailpetition.org/Alternatives.html Alternative Purple Line Solutions

[edit] External links

[edit] State government

[edit] County government

[edit] Purple Line maps

[edit] Rail advocates

[edit] Rail or bus advocates

[edit] Opposition

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