WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation will provide up to $1.76 billion in loans for the troubled, long-delayed Purple Line Light Rail Transit project in Maryland, the agency announced last week.
The loan from the DOT Build America Bureau will finance up to 33% of the $5.9 billion in eligible project costs, using Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans.
“The Purple Line will provide faster, more direct, and more reliable transit service for the suburban Maryland and DC region’s residents and visitors while easing congestion on local roads,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said in a press release. “By cutting an estimated 17,000 vehicle trips each day and operating using electric power, this project has tremendous environmental benefits as well.”
The loan came the same day as the completion of a $2.3 billion contract for a new construction team to complete the rail line, which has been on hold since the original contractor quit in 2020 over cost disputes.
The Washington Post reports the new deal adds $1.46 billion to the cost of construction, bringing the total to $3.4 billion. The original group had done about $1.1 billion in work before its departure.
Work on the 16-mile, 21-station project should resume this spring.
Total co$t is $3.4 billion. It’s light rail from Bethesda MD to New Carrollton MD.
https://www.purplelinemd.com/