Purple Line P3 breaks ground
Written by Railway Age StaffThe Maryland Transit Administration on Monday broke ground on the $2-billion Purple Line light rail line connecting the Washington suburbs, the largest public-private transit project in the United States.
A host of officials led by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao joined executives from the Maryland Department of Transportation, lead constructor Fluor Corp. and Purple Line Transit Partners Meridiam Infrastructure Purple Line, LLC, and Star America Purple Line, LLC, at the ceremony in Hyattsville, Md.
The groundbreaking was capped by the signing of the FTA’s Full Funding Grant Agreement of $900 million from its Capital Investment Grant Program.
The Purple Line includes 21 stations from Bethesda to New Carrollton, Md. Passenger service is scheduled to begin in early 2022.
Fluor and its partners are currently operating the Denver Eagle P3 commuter rail project, which it says is the only other transit public-private partnership in the U.S.
Fluor, which is participating in the 36-year life cycle of the $5.6-billion, 16-mile project, is the managing partner of the design-build team, Purple Line Transit Constructors, which also includes Lane Construction and Traylor Bros. Fluor also leads the post-build Purple Line Transit Operators with Alternate Concepts, Inc., and CAF USA, Inc., for 30 years of operations and maintenance services.
