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Great News for the Purple Line!
Great news! Friday night, the FTA filed an updated analysis that found that the Purple Line's projected ridership still justify the project under a variety of scenarios about Metrorail's future. The next step is 28 for court filings after which Judge Leon's will rule on whether he accepts the FTA's expert analysis. If he does, then groundbreaking should follow shortly thereafter.
FTA says Metro’s impact on Purple Line’s ridership doesn’t warrant new study.
WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Purple Line NOW Reacts to Mixed Ruling
Silver Spring, MD - Purple Line NOW is disappointed that Judge Leon has declined to reinstate the Purple Line’s Record of Decision and thus continues to delay groundbreaking. Purple Line NOW President Ralph Bennett notes that “the evidence of Maryland’s need for east-west connections remains overwhelming. It can be seen every day in the form of overcrowded rush hour buses, in Marriott’s new Bethesda-based headquarters, and in the bipartisan support the project continues to enjoy.”
The Purple Line is not a Metrorail project--it is owned by the Maryland Transit Administration and has its own dedicated funding stream and private partner to manage operations and maintenance. Nonetheless, Bennett notes that “the Purple Line will reinforce Metrorail by providing convenient access to tens of thousands of new riders and adding resilience by connecting Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. Our region needs the Purple Line today! Construction cannot start soon enough.”
Purple Line NOW Vice President Greg Sanders said that the mixed ruling has a silver lining for the Purple Line, noting that the organization was gratified that Judge Leon recognized the precedent that these sort of decisions "require a high level of technical expertise" and benefit from "the informed discretion of responsible federal agencies."
Instead of demanding an expensive and time consuming Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), the court has now given the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) a chance to weigh in with more information. Sanders adds that “while the court did not consider new information as part of its ruling, federal experts have already gathered compelling evidence of the need for the Purple Line regardless of Metrorail’s present challenges.” Lucy Garliauskas, the FTA's Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, has testified that projected Purple Line ridership numbers, even setting aside Metrorail transfers entirely, “adequately justify the purpose and need of the project.”
Mr. Bennett concludes, “it certainly seems to us that the FTA and Maryland are on firm ground if they choose to appeal the court’s choice to keep the project on hold.”
What does the election mean for the Purple Line?
At the local level, in Prince George's county, voters supported a county bond issue critical for paying for the line. Similarly, Senator Elect Van Hollen as well as Rep-Elect Raskin and Brown are all long time supporters.
At the national level, both parties agreed on the importance of an infrastructure surge. We still don't know who will be leading up the Transportation Department and agencies like the FTA, but “Currently, MTA doesn’t have any concerns whether it’s this administration or the next administration,” Nawrocki said. “We’re confident the [federal funding agreement] will go forward.”
What a Trump White House Means for Maryland’s Purple Line Plan
WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Purple Line Now Needs Your Help!
With November already here, we are asking you to remember Purple Line NOW in your holiday giving. As our most ardent supporters know, we are a lean organization, existing on a very limited budget, a quarter-time staff member, and the elbow grease of many volunteers and community leaders.
We want to be absolutely clear - with little left in our coffers as the end of the year rolls around, we are asking you to help support our efforts to make all of what we describe below happen. Your donation will go directly to:
- operating and maintaining our website,
- providing communication materials to our constituency and the public at large,
- bringing experts to the community to provide information and resources, and finally,
- advocating for the project to decision-makers who will have the last word on how and when the project commences.
We are providing testimony to counter the negative attacks the project has been enduring, we are writing letters to decision-makers, and we are meeting with elected officials to encourage them to stand strong while we await the decision from the court case that has put the project temporarily on hold.
In the coming days, you will be invited to a rally we are organizing to get the Purple Line Back on Track. You will also learn how you can participate in a letter-writing campaign to keep the community, media, and elected officials aware of the cost of the continued delay caused by the recent lawsuit.
We are in the middle of what has become a terrific educational opportunity for the community - hosting the Envisioning the Purple Line series which has brought experts together in a series of fora to update, discuss, and provide information on where the project stands and how we can work together to make it happen. The next forum will be in the Takoma Langley Crossroads area where we will be discussing the positive economic impact in terms of jobs that the Purple Line will bring.
Please take a moment to visit our website to make a donation to Purple Line NOW. As always, we are happy to provide accounting details if you are interested - just give us a shout. With your permission, your name will be listed on our website and at all of our events along with other generous donors. Thank you for your loyal support - and if you are new to us, please take a moment to peruse the website or give us a call for more information.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!