Maryland Again Delays Purple Line Opening

MDOT MTA and Purple Line Transit Partners are facing further delays and seeking approval for a new opening date: winter 2027. (Photograph Courtesy of Holly Arnold, via Twitter, July 14, 2023)

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) and Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) are seeking approval to push the long-delayed Purple Line’s launch date from spring 2027 to winter 2027.

The organizations on March 1 reported requesting Maryland Board of Public Works’ approval of a modification to their Purple Line Public-Private Partnership (P3) agreement that extends the contractual deadline for achieving revenue service availability to winter 2027. The 16.2-mile, 21-station light rail project, which broke ground in 2017, is slated to carry riders between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, and to provide direct connections to four branches of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system, all three MARC commuter rail lines in the Baltimore-Washington metro area, and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line; the project also includes completion of the Capital Crescent Trail. Originally anticipated to open in March 2022, the Purple Line was plagued with delays and cost overruns that led to litigation, which was resolved in November 2020.

“Due to the dense, urban environment of the project, coupled with significant vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the project has and continues to face challenging construction conditions,” MDOT MTA and PLTP reported. “Following the completion of project-related work being completed by the agency, the Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners collaborated to reassess the project schedule and mitigate delays. 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.”

According to MDOT MTA and PLTP, in addition to the extension of the project’s revenue service availability deadline, the Maryland Transit Administration will provide compensation to Purple Line Transit Partners of up to $425 million. “Payments will be made over five years upon the achievement of certain project milestones, such as the arrival of the first light rail vehicle in Maryland, completion of major construction work on the University of Maryland College Park campus, reopening of the Capital Crescent Trail and commencement of systems testing,” they reported.

Also, as part of this modification, PLTP has agreed to provide $4 million to extend a program currently in place to provide grants to businesses impacted by revenue loss due to extended project construction, and committed to an on-the-job training program to help “develop a diverse and qualified workforce in Maryland,” MDOT MTA and PLTP said.

This is the second delay and budget increase in eight months. In July 2023, MDOT MTA and PLTP sought approval to push the launch date from fall 2026 to spring 2027; the move included net compensation to PLTP of $148 million.

The total project cost is now nearing $10 billion—up almost 80% from the 2016 estimate of $5.59 billion.

“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. 

“Success hinges on teamwork and we are fortunate for our partnership with the Maryland Transit Administration, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, the University of Maryland, and others as we work to deliver the Purple Line as rapidly as possible,” PLTP CEO Doran Bosso said.

“Completion of the Purple Line remains a critical transit priority for the region,” Maryland Transit Administrator Holly 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.”

According to MDOT MTA and PLTP, 13 of the 21 stations are now in active construction, nearly 17,000 linear feet of track has been laid at multiple locations (Ellin Road, Campus Drive, Plymouth Tunnel), and Talbot Avenue in Silver Spring has been completed.  Additionally, the Glenridge Operations and Maintenance Facility will begin receiving the first of 28 light rail vehicles from CAF later this spring, they reported.