Community Corner

Purple Line Cheered, Jeered as O'Malley Visits Bethesda

Not everyone celebrated the governor's announcement Monday, which calls for a private-public partnership.

By Laura L. Thornton

Gov. Martin O'Malley stopped by the Bethesda Metro station Monday afternoon to announce the state's recent allocation of about $400 million to construct the Purple Line light rail from Bethesda to New Carrollton.

The $400 million joins other allocated state funds, bringing the total amount of money allocated by the state for the Purple Line close to $800 million, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation's website. The Purple Line is projected to cost about $2.2 billion, according to the website.

To build and operate the Purple Line, "Maryland will seek a private company ... marking the first time the state has used such financing [a public-private partnership] on a public transit project," The Washington Post reported.

Accompanying O'Malley (D) on Monday were Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker (D), Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) and other elected officials.

See video on Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch.

Both Purple Line supporters and opponents of building the rail line along the Capital Crescent Trail—which follows an abandoned railroad track—demonstrated with signs, T-shirts and purple haberdashery to make their views visible to the governor.

"I'm very happy with the turnout," Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail President Ajay Bhatt said.

Despite the governor's announcement, "we're not done fighting" the construction of the Purple Line along the route of the trail, Bhatt said. When the required environmental impact statement comes out, the loss of 20 acres of mature trees inside the Capital Beltway to build the rail line will not be able to go unnoticed, he said.

But others say the Purple Line is a good thing for the region. Leggett stressed construction of the Purple Line, which is expected to start in 2015, will bring 100,000 jobs—many of them in construction—to the area.

The general plan to reconstruct the Capital Crescent Trail alongside the Purple Line will enable people to bike from Silver Spring to Bethesda, said Dan Reed, land use chair for the Action Committee for Transit.

Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail say reconstructing the trail next to the Purple Line is not a solution, as the reconstructed trail will not have the same amount of shade as the present trail.

And many maintain that the state cannot afford to build the Purple Line at this time.

"We absolutely cannot afford it," said Chevy Chase resident Jim Roy, who helped distribute "Save the Trail" signs before the governor's announcement.


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