Trump's Grand Infrastructure Pitch Includes $5.6 Billion Purple Line: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump's team has put together a list of 50 infrastructure projects in the U.S. that he proposes receive $137.5 billion in funding, and the long-awaited Purple Line commuter rail project to serve Montgomery and Prince George's counties is on the list.

At an appearance Thursday in Philadelphia, Trump said that his plan is to first fix aging roads, bridges, rail lines and other infrastructure before building new facilities.

The list, which was obtained by McClatchy, calls for $5.6 billion to build the light rail line that would run from Bethesda to New Carrollton. The line would provide a direct connection to Metrorail's green, orange and red lines through 21 stations, plus MARC, Amtrak and local bus service, according to the report posted by McClatchy.

Construction of the Purple Line has a price tag of $5.6 billion and would lead to 5,000 "direct job years," the report adds, noting that engineering is done, permitting is 95 percent complete and the funding would be a combination of public and private with a large public share.

Maryland is expected to pay about $3.3 billion of the Purple Line cost over three and a half decades, according to state officials.

To supplement state funding, more than $330 million in cash and contributions will come from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties: Montgomery pledged to pay $210 million, and Prince George’s County agreed to contribute $120 million to the project.

The list of infrastructure projects was reportedly provided to the National Governor's Association by Trump's transition team, and provides a glimpse of his plans as he takes office. Trump promised many times during his campaign to fund infrastructure projects around the United States.

Not to be outdone, Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday released their own list of infrastructure needs totaling $1 trillion in spending on transportation, broadband expansion, water and sewer projects and more over 10 years, AP says. Democrats estimate 15 million construction jobs would be created nationwide. Roughly half of the money would be split to fix crumbling roads and bridges, or funneled to transportation projects that the Democrats say are of national significance.

»Read more at McClatchy D.C.

The Purple Line’s progress is at a stalemate after a Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in August for the Federal Transit Administration to perform additional studies on the project. His decision put $900 million in federal funding for the project on hold.

Leon ordered a more thorough look into Metro’s ridership and reliability. In his ruling, the judge said he could not turn a blind eye to “seemingly endless Metrorail breakdowns and safety issues.” He said the FTA must review the potential effect of Metro’s issues on future Purple Line ridership. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has filed motions for the judge to reconsider his decision on the Purple Line; no ruling has yet been issued.

SEE ALSO:

• Purple Line Construction 'Going to Ruin Everything': Resident
• 'Now I Don't Have Anything': Purple Line Resident
• Purple Line: Rail Project Seen As Boon for Jobs, Setback for Some
• Business Down, Owners Stuck Waiting on Purple Line

Ground was scheduled to be broken for the rail route by the end of 2016, state leaders said, with plans for Purple Line service to begin in 2022.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth, which promotes walkable and transit-oriented communities in the Washington, D.C., region, called the judge’s decision an error that jeopardizes the project because it could mean higher construction costs that undo the financing.

Purple Line ridership forecasts are for 2040, said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, by which time the Metro system will have completed major rehabilitation. Population growth in the area will boost ridership "many years before 2040,” Schwartz said in a news release. “Yet it seems that the judge is presuming that Metrorail is in permanent and irreversible decline."

The environment will be improved by the Purple Line, he said, as it shifts traffic from cars to the less-polluting light rail system.

“Perhaps most unfortunate here, is that wealthy residents of one community continue to stand in the way of a transit project which would provide significant economic and social benefits to lower income residents in dozens of communities to the east,” Schwartz said.

The 16-mile Purple Line would run through Silver Spring and College Park and would include five stops on or near the University of Maryland’s campus that would be free for students.

Stations for the Purple Line LPA would be at these locations:

• Bethesda
• Connecticut Avenue
• Lyttonsville
• Woodside/16th Street
• Silver Spring Transit Center
• Silver Spring Library
• Dale Drive
• Manchester Place
• Long Branch
• Piney Branch Road
• Takoma/Langley Transit Center
• Riggs Road
• Adelphi Road/West Campus
• Campus Center
• East Campus
• College Park Metro
• M Square
• Riverdale Park
• Beacon Heights
• Annapolis Road/Glenridge
• New Carrollton

Purple Line map, rail car courtesy of Maryland Department of Transportation