WASHINGTON – It is still more than a decade away, but the Purple Line could change the way people travel between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Currently, passengers wanting to travel from Bethesda to Silver Spring need to take the Metro into downtown D.C. and then back up in Maryland. According to Purple Line Project Manager Mike Madden, the planned Purple Line could cut that travel time significantly and take passengers from Bethesda to downtown Silver Spring in nine minutes.
However, the top challenge for the project is finding the money to build the line.
“We don’t have funds to complete the design (and) we don’t have any funds for construction,” says Madden, who warns that without money, the project could be delayed.
Currently, the Maryland Transit Administration is finishing up an environmental report. After the report is complete, the MTA will request the public’s input on the 16-mile line that would run from Bethesda to New Carrolton.
The Purple Line could open by 2030.
WTOP’s Ari Ashe contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
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