Jump to content


Photo

MDOT MTA Purple Line Construction


  • Please log in to reply
113 replies to this topic

#21 Sloan

Sloan

    Member

  • Global Moderator
  • PipPip
  • 12851 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Harrisburg, PA
  • Interests:Light Rail & Commuter Rail<br>Passenger Rail Stations

Posted 15 August 2016 - 09:50 AM

 

 

Opinion: Why the Washington D.C. suburbs need to rethink this light-rail project

 

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both say that more infrastructure spending is needed. But some infrastructure projects are wasteful and unnecessary. Take, for example, the Purple Line, a 16-mile light-rail project running east-west in the Maryland suburbs close to Washington D.C.

http://www.marketwat...ject-2016-08-15

 

Equipment and safety issues at WMATA seem to be coloring public opinion against the Purple Line.  Sloan



#22 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 15 August 2016 - 10:07 AM

WMATA's Metro, along with its contemporaries BART in California and PATCO in New Jersey/Pennsylvania, is going through a mid-life crisis where its system has aged to the point that it needs large components completely replaced. The Purple Line won't start out being almost 50 years old; it will be a brand new project. In itself it should be fine, but perhaps the concern is that the several Metro lines it is supposed to connect with might not be there or might be closed for repairs often.

The Purple Line idea has been tossed around for decades, and it would not have been had it not been needed. The need exists for crosstown rail service through Montgomery County, whether or not Metro is running at its optimum levels. While the columnist points out that lower passenger counts on WMATA heavy rail Metro could lead to counts below previous projections on the Purple Line light rail, that very well could at least partially be offset by new customers attracted by the Purple Line who will then transfer to the existing Metro.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#23 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 22 November 2016 - 08:01 PM

WTOP radio, 11/22:

Purple Line faces yet another setback

 

 

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has delayed Maryland’s plans to build the Purple Line again but stopped short of killing the light rail project.

 

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, a federal judge upheld an earlier decision requiring Maryland and the federal government to take into consideration Metro’s ongoing safety problems and ridership declines as part of assessments for the Purple Line.

 

However Judge Richard Leon writes that the Federal Transit Administration should have a chance to decide whether a revised environmental assessment is needed, a process that would trigger a new round of public hearings and other feedback and would delay the project further.

 

 

 

Continue here.



#24 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 26 January 2017 - 10:10 PM

Bethesda Magazine, 1/25/17:

 


Report: Purple Line Among 50 Infrastructure Projects Deemed Priorities by Trump Team

 

The Purple Line that’s planned to run from Bethesda to New Carrollton is on a list of 50 infrastructure projects nationwide that could be pursued by President Donald Trump as he follows through on a campaign promise to invest heavily in transportation improvements in the U.S.

Article



Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#25 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 03 April 2017 - 07:19 AM

WTOP radio, 4/2/17:
 

Ruling expedites Purple Line environmental decision

 

 

WASHINGTON — There is now a deadline for the next big decision affecting the ongoing fight over the Purple Line.

 

According to a draft of the ruling obtained by WTOP, the motion will be granted.

 

By April 28, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon will need to decide whether the details of an environmental impact statement will further set back construction of the line.

 

Continue here.



#26 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 12 May 2017 - 10:06 AM

The Washington Post, 5/11/17:
 

Maryland Gov. Hogan seeks court order to compel federal judge to rule in Purple Line lawsuit

 

 

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ® has asked the state’s attorney general to seek a court order compelling a federal judge to decide a lawsuit blocking construction of the planned light-rail Purple Line.

 

In a letter Thursday, Hogan asked Attorney General Brian E. Frosh to file a petition for a “writ of mandamus” asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to require the judge to rule in a 2014 lawsuit opposing the Purple Line project on environmental grounds. Lawyers for state and federal transit agencies have asked U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon to dismiss the lawsuit.

 

Hogan wrote that he and Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn “have both concluded that it is necessary, on behalf of the citizens of Maryland, to take action to force U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon to make a decision in the Purple Line litigation pending before him.”

 

Continue here.



#27 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 22 May 2017 - 04:41 PM

The Washington Post, 5/22/17:
 

Judge says Purple Line needs more study of Metro ridership, safety impacts

 

 

A federal judge Monday ordered federal officials to further scrutinize the potential impact of Metro’s declining ridership on the future Purple Line, further delaying construction of the light-rail project in the Washington suburbs and jeopardizing its chances to secure critical federal funding.

 

[Md. transit official says Purple Line still on time, but big questions remain].

 

The ruling means major construction on the 16-mile line connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s counties remains on hold until a federal lawsuit filed by Purple Line opponents is resolved. Construction already has been delayed seven months due to the lawsuit.

 

The decision also greatly jeopardizes the project’s chances at $900 million in federal construction grants and threatens a $5.6 billion public-private partnership.

 

Continue here.



#28 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

    Board Leader

  • Sr. Admin
  • PipPip
  • 82319 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lakewood, NJ
  • Interests:Making America TRAIN again!

Posted 30 May 2017 - 10:45 AM

WTOP Radio, Washington, DC, 5/30/17:

 


 

Purple Line judge issues his final ruling on light rail project

 

Maryland can now appeal a decision blocking the Purple Line light rail project after the federal judge responsible for the case issued a final ruling Tuesday morning.

 

More



Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#29 Sloan

Sloan

    Member

  • Global Moderator
  • PipPip
  • 12851 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Harrisburg, PA
  • Interests:Light Rail & Commuter Rail<br>Passenger Rail Stations

Posted 23 June 2017 - 04:54 PM

 

 

Federal court hands Purple Line legal win

 

A legal victory could help get Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project back on track after a federal judge dismissed environmental claims in a lawsuit that has blocked the project since August 2016.

http://www.railwayag...html?channel=61



#30 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 27 June 2017 - 12:14 PM

WTOP radio, 6/27/17:
 

Another disappointing decision for Purple Line supporters

 

 

WASHINGTON — In another disappointing decision for supporters of the Purple Line, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon denied a request to stay his order that stripped the project of its federal approval.

 

Leon’s ruling on Monday was not unexpected following a hearing earlier this month when he suggested Maryland acted too hastily in signing a $5.6 billion contract to build the 16-mile light rail line from Bethesda to New Carrollton.

 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia could still stay Leon’s order, as Maryland transportation leaders recently filed an emergency motion with the federal appeals court, hoping for movement on the project.

 

Continue here.






0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users