Full Speed Ahead for the Purple Line After Appeal Vindication

Purple Line NOW celebrates the vindication of the Purple Line’s purpose and its process by a unanimous opinion from the D.C. Federal Circuit Court. The decision by Judge Judith Rogers is a complete win for the Purple Line. The panel rejected the requirement for another related study to analyze the effects of Metro’s troubles and upheld Judge Leon’s rejection of a range of insubstantial environmental claims.

PLN President Ralph Bennett is ready to move forward, “The question of whether the Purple Line will be built has been answered. We are now focused on successful implementation and ensuring that the benefits are widespread. Towards that end, we are hosting a forum at Montgomery College on January 18th with Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn and an expert panel to update the public on the project's status.” The day is somewhat bittersweet, however, because it was so long in coming, “The project was operating under constrained conditions for a year, delaying the start, forcing costly inefficiencies, and delaying the launch of important tools such as the Community Advisory Teams. We all have paid too high a price for this frivolous lawsuit."

Vice President Greg Sanders describes the decision as good news, not just for the Purple Line, but for mass transit nationwide. "As the plaintiffs have shown with their second lawsuit, well-resourced opponents can try to keep broadly beneficial projects they object to tied up in court, but this ruling repeatedly upheld the standard that the courts owe deference to the federal and state experts." Specifically, on the issue of Metro ridership, the court was clear that these experts did their homework: "FTA and Maryland sufficiently examined the impact of Metrorail issues on the Purple Line’s three purposes, and reasonably concluded that Metrorail problems would not change the project’s preferred alternative, grounding that conclusion on an assessment of five ridership scenarios. These circumstances warrant deference by the court to FTA’s (and Maryland’s) reasonable, fact-intensive, technical determination that preparation of a [Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement] was not required."

PLN Treasurer Tina Slater concluded by expressing her gratitude for the elected officials who stood by the project and the lawyers and other experts who worked so hard to see it through this challenging period. "The Purple Line is a bipartisan success story in our polarized times. Governor Hogan kept his commitments and Attorney General Frosh played a pivotal role in this victory. County Executives Leggett and Baker, as well as both Counties' Councils and public servants were steadfast and testified to the project's benefits. Other allies, from business and labor, environmentalists and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, as well as members of the public from all walks of life wrote letters, went to rallies, and did their part." Slater concluded, "This success was only possible thanks to a grand coalition of supporters. We intend to do our part and see the project through to completion."

Information about the organization's January 18 forum with Secretary Rahn can be found on the Purple Line NOW website. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and seats must be reserved in advance.

We hope you have already marked your calendar for January 18, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. for the next forum in our Envisioning the Purple Line Series. We are busy putting together a fantastic update for you on the project and we have received confirmation that Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn will be our special guest speaker along with a terrific panel including a representative from the concessionaire (Purple Line Transit Partners). We hope to have representatives from both Prince George's and Montgomery counties, as well. 

VERY IMPORTANT: As always, the event is open to the public and tickets will be free - but all seats must be reserved in advance as space is limited to the first 100 people.

Purple Line NOW presents: A Project Update with Maryland Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn

January 18, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.**

Montgomery College (Takoma/Silver Spring Campus)
Cultural Arts Center, Theatre 2
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910 

**All sponsors will be invited to a private reception
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. 
Art Gallery at the Cultural Arts Center

In order to bring you this very popular series, we are asking each of you who can't wait to ride the Purple Line to consider becoming a sponsor for the event. Now that construction has begun, there will be lots of information to share and progress to learn about. As you know, we had to put this educational series on hold for the past year until groundbreaking occurred. As a result, our already bare-bones budget has been put to the test while we paused our fundraising efforts to allow the lawsuit to make its way through the court. Help us meet our bottom line now by considering a sponsorship. We will publicize your participation on our website sponsor list and at the event, and all sponsors will be invited to the private reception right before the forum.

Purple Line NOW remains committed to bringing you timely information as often as possible, through our website, Twitter, Facebook and blasts like these.  Because we want to make sure these events always remain free to our community, we must fundraise to underwrite the costs to put them on. We will continue to work to bring together members of the community, those who are building the Purple Line and elected officials with the goal of building a light rail project that will meet the promise of connecting communities, reducing travel time, and providing a clean, efficient mode of transportation.  

For more information and to become a sponsor, please see our sponsorship information page. With abundant thanks for your consideration, your support, and your elbow grease, we wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Please consider becoming a sponsor for the next forum in our Envisioning the Purple Line series - we will be presenting a Purple Line Project Update. Now that construction has begun, there will be lots of information to share and progress to learn about.

Here's some exciting news to entice you - we just received confirmation that Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn will be our special guest speaker! If you have ever heard him speak, you know this is a real treat! Following Secretary Rahn, we will convene a panel that will include a representative from the concessionaire (Purple Line Transit Partners) and we will be extending an invitation to both Prince George's and Montgomery County Executives, as well.

Save the date! The event is January 18, from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring. (All sponsors will be invited to a private reception just before the forum from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm). In the next few weeks, you will receive an official invitation to attend the event - so stay tuned! As always, the event is open to the public and tickets will be free - but must be reserved in advance as space is limited. Please keep reading for the most important part of this ask.

We had to put this educational series on hold for the past year until groundbreaking occurred. As a result, our already bare-bones budget has been put to the test while we paused our fundraising efforts. Help us meet our bottom line by considering a sponsorship. We will publicize your participation on our website sponsor list and at the event, and all sponsors will be invited to the private reception right before the forum.

Purple Line NOW remains committed to bringing you timely information as often as possible, through our website, Twitter, Facebook and blasts like these. Because we want to make sure these events always remain free to our community, we must fundraise to underwrite the costs to put them on. We will continue to work to bring together members of the community, those who are building the Purple Line and elected officials with the goal of building a light rail project that will meet the promise of connecting communities, reducing travel time, and providing a clean, efficient mode of transportation.  

For more information and to become a sponsor, please see our sponsorship information page. With abundant thanks for your consideration, your support, and your elbow grease, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday

For the latest construction information, make sure you are signed up for updates at the Purple Line Transit Partners.