"Our over-reliance on cars and $4-per-gallon gasoline has led us to dig a really deep hole for ourselves. The Purple Line is the ladder that helps us climb up out of this hole toward the light of rational land use, friendly commutes and a stable climate." Mike Tidwell, director of CCAN

Montgomery County Master Planning Efforts Continue February 22, 2008 While the Purple Line is a State project being planned by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), Montgomery County planners have begun an effort to highlight the County’s recommendations for the type of transit, route and station locations. The end result will be a “functional master plan” amendment, which, when adopted by the County Council, will trigger amendments to the county’s existing master plans for areas served by the Purple Line. Following a wide call for applicants, the Montgomery County Planning Board appointed a Master Plan Advisory Group MPAG) of 30 representatives to provide input during this evaluation process The committee is intended to be balanced in terms of geography and position on project.. It includes members that have followed the project for a long time and others who are new to the area. The committee meetings are open with the next ones scheduled for March 18th and April 15th, both at 7 pm at the MNCPPC building at 8787 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. To date the MPAG has reviewed the draft Master Plan Purpose and Outreach Report which was adopted by the County Council in December. The Committee also helped establish the schedule for the review of the State Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) as well as the Functional Master Plan. During the next few months, County staff will get MPAG input on key Purple Line issues: alignment, mode (light rail or rapid bus), and an adjacent hiker/biker trail. After the MTA completes the DEIS and with input from the MPAG, the Planning Board staff will make a report to the County Planning Board. The Board will then provide recommendations to the Montgomery County Council for the Council position on issues of concern in the DEIS. Following the review of the State's draft EIS, MNCPPC staff will draft the Functional Master Plan update and present it to the Planning Board in late 2008 or early 2009. The Board will refine the recommendation and forward the proposed update to the County Council for adoption. The adopted plan will spell out details of the Purple Line route for the line from Bethesda to the Prince George’s County line.

68,000 riders each weekday is huge! Counting down to completion of Purple Line DEIS; Latest news: Latest News; How you can help See: Calendar of Events. We need you to help keep the Purple Line a state and county priority. Write a letter, make a call or send an e-mail in support of the Purple Line today. See: Contact List