The Purple Line, a 16-mile light rail which will run through the University of Maryland, will not open until at least February 2023 and will cost an extra $215 million, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
The line is now almost a year behind the originally scheduled March 2022 opening, and Purple Line Transit Partners — the group of companies responsible for the Purple Line’s construction and funding — says a 2023 completion is only possible if work is accelerated, according to the documents. Without acceleration, opening could be delayed as far as June 2024.
However, Maryland transportation officials say PLTP can do more to accelerate the project’s construction and rejected a February 2023 opening date, according to the documents. In July, Maryland Transit Authority officials called the proposed June 2024 opening “an attempt by PLTP to position themselves to claim acceleration costs.”
In a statement released to The Post, a state transportation spokesperson wrote that project contractors and transit authorities are still developing a schedule to open the line for service by October 2022.
Despite assurances from Maryland officials that construction on the line is on schedule, it has faced setbacks due to lawsuits, permit delays and potential interference with area utilities and freight rail lines since 2017.
Purple Line construction expanded in the last couple months on the campus, with sections of sidewalk near Cole Field House and St. Mary’s Hall blocked off for utility work and station construction. That work will continue through the spring semester, in addition to construction on Rossborough Lane and Campus Drive near University Boulevard.
Contractors will also begin landscaping in preparation for the relocation of the M Circle slightly farther down Campus Drive to the Engineering Fields. There is no date set for further reconstruction of the circle at this time.
This story will be updated.
