Van Hollen, Cardin, Hoyer, Brown and Raskin Announce $1.7 Billion to Advance the Purple Line

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Anthony G. Brown, and Jamie B. Raskin (all D-Md.) announced a $1.7 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) federal loan to advance the construction of the Purple Line, after significant delays since the construction began in 2017.

The Purple Line, a 16.2 mile east-west light rail line between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, will join all three MARC lines and will connect to the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. The Purple Line will also connect multiple Metro stations along the Red, Green and Orange lines, providing Maryland with an attractive transit option for daily commutes.

“Marylanders have been waiting with anticipation for years for the completion of the Purple Line,” the lawmakers said. “This new federal loan is a critical piece of the financing to move the Purple Line’s construction forward after previous setbacks for the project. The Purple Line will connect Marylanders to jobs across our region and provide a valuable service for neighborhoods currently underserved by existing transit routes. Team Maryland has fought for consistent federal support to complete the Purple Line throughout the challenges that the state has faced with the project, and this new funding marks sound progress on this initiative on behalf of our communities.” In October of 2020, the lawmakers sent a letter to Governor Hogan to express concern over the delayed construction of the Purple Line.

In addition to previous federal funding through the Capital Investment Grant program, in March 2021, the Purple Line Project received $106 million in American Rescue Plan funding to keep the Purple Line on track. 

The TIFIA loan is a replacement and restructuring of the original loan given to construct the Purple Line. The state of Maryland will make payments of the 30-year O&M period of the contract to provide for the repayment of these amounts.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide $1.25 billion over five years for the TIFIA program nationwide, which provides credit assistance to qualified transportation projects of regional or national significance. Find more information on the TIFIA Credit Program here.