Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said government funding probably won't cover the more than $2 billion price tag.
Transit advocates got a mixed bag of news about the Purple Line, a proposed light rail system that would connect Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. Gov. Martin O'Malley pledged $280 million from the state's gas tax hike for the project Thursday, but over the weekend Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said the transit project would probably need private dollars going forward, WTOP.com reported. The $2.15 billion Purple Line would operate rail stations between Bethesda and New Carrolton, with connections to existing stations on the Metro rail system. Brown, who announced that he will run for governor in 2014, told the news agency that he's been looking for companies to help pay for the project. State officials originally proposed a 50/50 split…
Friday, March 15, 2013
Officials are readying Maryland's workforce, but funding for the light rail projects still remains uncertain.
The heads of Maryland’s transit administration and labor department say they’ll work together to prepare the state’s workforce for nearly 7,000 construction jobs that could be generated by the planned Purple Line and Baltimore's Red Line light rail systems. Funding for Maryland’s transportation projects has been a key issue in this year’s legislative session. A gas tax bill introduced by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley this month would raise more than $3.4 billion over the next five years, some of which would go towards the 16-mile Purple Line, which, like many other state transit projects, is not yet fully funded. Following the introduction of the legislation, Maryland Transit Administrator Ralign T. Wells and Maryland Labor Secretary …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Requests state to address funding issues to avoid missed opportunity.
The Riverdale Park mayor and council voted unanimously Monday to send a letter to the Maryland State Legislature in support of the continued funding and eventual construction of the Purple Line in and around Riverdale Park. Mayor Vernon Archer said the Purple Line could provide important public transit opportunities for the eastern part of Riverdale Park, where two stations are proposed. "Providing another mass transit alternative to the M Square area is all the more important as that continues to grow and develop,” he added. A total of three stations are proposed in the vacinity of Riverdale Park—the Riverdale Park Station at Kenilworth Avenue and Route 410, the Beacon Heights Station at Riverdale Road and Route 410, and the M Square …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
'Get Maryland Moving' is calling on the Maryland General Assembly to fund state transportation projects.
A new coalition is advocating for dollars for state transportation projects, including the planned 16-mile Purple Line light rail that would connect Bethesda with New Carrollton, The Washington Post reports. Get Maryland Moving, a coalition of groups, including the Montgomery County and Bethesda-Chevy Chase chambers of commerce, Purple Line Now, Action Committee for Transit, and the League of Women Voters of Maryland, is pushing for state legislators to make new revenue for transportation projects a top priority this legislative session, according to the group’s website. Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach has proposed a 3-cent gas tax that would raise about $300 million for transportation…
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
State money could be shifted away from several major transportation projects in fiscal year 2014.
Several major transportation projects in the region could face delays if state lawmakers fail to increase funding to the Maryland Transit Administration for fiscal year 2014. The Purple Line—a light rail system that would pass through College Park on its 16-mile run from Bethesda to New Carrollton—would be affected, along with Montgomery County's Corridor Cities Transitway and Baltimore’s Red Line. Maryland Senate president Thomas V. Mike Miller has proposed a 3 percent gas tax that would raise about $300 million for transportation projects. But absent a funding increase, a state transportation budget plan calls for re-allocating the money earmarked for the projects within the Maryland Transit Administration’s FY14 budget. “Without a …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
“The citizens are hurting. They can’t take any more tax increases," believes Maryland House Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.
Maryland House Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell has called for a delay in the Purple Line and Baltimore's Red Line, saying proposed tax increases to fund the light rail projects would be too costly for taxpayers, the Baltimore Business Journal reports. In Annapolis this legislative session, lawmakers are grappling with ways to fund the Purple Line, Red Line and other transportation projects. Maryland Senate President Mike Miller has proposed a 3 percent gas tax that would raise up to $300 million for transportation, and jurisdictions would be able to tack on another 5 cents per gallon to pay for local transportation projects, Patch reported. O’Donnell, R-St. Mary’s and Calvert counties, said the Purple and Red Line projects should be …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Planners are looking to win new federal funding for the project.
This year could decide the fate of the Purple Line, a light-rail project that will connect Montgomery and Prince George's County, WTOP reports. "It is make-or-break time for the Purple Line and we are going to do everything in our power to get this project off of the paper and onto the rails," Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker told the station. The $2.15 billion project needs funding from the Federal Transit Administration, and this year the FTA is handing out grants of up to $900 million. But Maryland must be able to demonstrate that it can fund 40 to 50 perecent of the project, according to WTOP. Read the full story here.
Friday, October 26, 2012
County read to make rail line a reality.
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Friday, October 26, 2012
By Chris Leyden Capital News Service Prince George’s County, state and local officials called for Purple Line funding Thursday, saying the county is ready to make the rail line a reality once it finds a way to pay the hefty price tag. “In this season of elections and partisan politics let me declare that Maryland is neither a blue state nor a red state. We are a purple state,” said Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown at a news conference at a real estate company in Greenbelt. Plans for the proposed Purple Line include 21 stations for riders traveling between Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, with transfer points to the Red, Orange and Green lines of the metropolitan Washington Metro rail system. According to Brown, the line would have an …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Purple Line Now wants to raise the gas tax to help replenish the fund.
The Purple Line activist group responsible for a February flash mob in Silver Spring in support of the proposed line, is calling on Maryland legislators to raise the gas tax during its July special session so that the line that will link Montgomery and Prince George's counties will be able to proceed. Purple Line Now, a nonprofit organization formed in 2002, proposed a gas tax hike to help replenish the transporation trust fund. "Maryland motorists have been getting a cheaper and cheaper ride since 1992, the last time the gas tax was raised," Purple Line Now member Ralph Bennett said. "Gas prices have fallen 60 cents since April - now is the time to add a small amount to the price of gas to fund the transit projects and roads all …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Some say light rail will ease commuting, while others are wary of funding issues.
For more on the Purple Line, check out our series. Speak Out: What do you think about the Purple Line coming to Prince George's County? Will it help or hurt local businesses?
Jonathan Ebbeler
4:33 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
In the 27 months since the 2010 Census, the population of DC alone grew by over 30k. This outpaces Mayor Gray's oft-quoted figure of 1k/month. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments released a study in February that estimates that the region’s population will grow to nearly 7 million people, an increase of 32 percent or 1.6 million new residents in just 30 years. The District is … more ›