Overview

The Purple Line is a proposed 16-mile rapid transit line extending from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County. It will provide a direct connection to the Metrorail Red, Green and Orange Lines; at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. The Purple Line will also connect to MARC, AMTRAK, and local bus services. Twelve initial station locations have been identified with additional stations under consideration.

The Purple Line will be either light rail or bus rapid transit, operating largely at street level. However, there may be areas where tunnels or aerial structures are used to improve travel times or minimize environmental or community impacts.

Project History

Methods for improving transportation between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties have been under study since 1992 as part of the Capital Beltway and Purple Line studies. Planning and consideration for a transit facility along the Georgetown Branch right-of-way in Bethesda and Chevy Chase date back to the early 1970's and an east-west transportation link has been on the Montgomery County Master Plans for more than twenty years. The transitway along the Georgetown Branch and a line between Silver Spring and New Carrollton were combined as the Bi-County Transitway in 2003.

In early spring 2007 Secretary of Transportation, John Porcari directed the MTA to restore the project to its former name, the Purple Line. While the Bi-County Transitway name reflected the two county area of the proposed project, the Purple Line was the original name for the project and has continued to be used by most people. The project study has not changed, and the Purple Line continues to be a high transportation priority.

Goals

• Provide better, faster transit service in the corridor
• Make it easier to get to Metrorail, commuter rail, and local bus services
• Serve people who rely on transit
• Minimize and mitigate impacts to the natural and human environment in the corridor
• Provide a safe and attractive transit service that fits in with the local community character
• Show that the overall benefits of the transitway justify the cost of building and operating it
• Support local, regional and state policies and adopted Master Plans
• Increase the potential for Transit Oriented Development at existing and proposed stations in the corridor
• Make it easier to get to existing and planned shopping and business areas in the corridor