MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Maryland transit officials say the long-awaited Purple Line won't be ready for riders until at least 2027. The updated timeline was announced Wednesday. The Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners said they are seeking approval to push the deadline for completion to the winter of 2027.
Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold said a lot of progress was made on the yearslong project, but acknowledged that yet another delay is frustrating.
“Completion of the Purple Line remains a critical transit priority for the region,” Arnold said. “Despite significant achievements in the last year, including reaching project completion of more than 65%, an additional delay is necessary at this time due to the complex nature of the project. We know this delay is frustrating to many, but the entire Purple Line team remains focused on completing the project as quickly and safely as possible.”
The Purple Line will expand transit opportunities between Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, two of the most populated counties in the state. The 16.2-mile, 21-station light rail line will offer convenient east-west transit access for jobs, school, shopping and recreation. The Purple Line will provide connections across the region with links to three branches of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail, three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak and a host of regional and local bus services.
Project officials said the dense urban environment of the project, coupled with significant vehicular and pedestrian traffic makes construction conditions challenging. Despite ongoing mitigation efforts by the project team, including rescheduling work to run concurrently and extending work hours, the delayed work impacted the remaining project schedule.
“The Purple Line team is working with Purple Line Transit Partners to advance construction as quickly as possible and will continue to work to minimize the impacts of construction on residents and businesses,” said Ray Biggs, II, Purple Line Senior Project Director.
In addition to extending the project's deadline, the Maryland Transit Administration will provide an additional $425 million for the project over the next five years pending achievement of certain milestones.
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