To connect communities in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, the Maryland Transit Administration is studying a new east-west high capacity transit line.  As part of Governor O'Malley's "Smart, Green & Growing" initiative, the Purple Line would provide additional transportation capacity in the congested corridor between New Carrollton and Bethesda; provide faster, more reliable connections between existing Metro, MARC and Amtrak stations; and support economic development in both counties.  This website is your source for current project facts and figures, as well as your way to participate in the study process.

Along most of the alignment the Purple Line is being designed on existing roadways to minimize impacts to local communities. As a result, the majority of the potential property acquisitions are narrow strips of land along roadways or parcels required for the two maintenance and storage facilities (one in each county). The MTA has made it a priority to avoid the acquisition of private property where possible, and minimize the acquisitions, where they are unavoidable.

Beginning in January and continuing over the next several months the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will be conducting field work along the proposed Purple Line corridor to collect soil samples.

"Preliminary Engineering" phase makes way for region's first light rail line

On October 7, 2011, Governor Martin O'Malley announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has given its approval for the Purple Line to move forward and enter the Preliminary Engineering (PE) phase. The Purple Line is a proposed 16-mile east-west light rail that will operate between Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County with connection to four branches of the WMATA Metro system. FTA approval means that work on the project now moves to preparation of more detailed plans, schedules and cost estimates, as well as completion of environmental studies.

If your community association or neighborhood organization is interested in meeting with the MTA on the Purple Line to discuss specific concerns or questions, please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it