WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), along with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Congressmen John Sarbanes (MD-03), John K. Delaney (MD-06), Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) praised action by the Federal Transit Administration to sign the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the Maryland Transit Administration for the Maryland National Capital Purple Line project.
“Job creation and economic development rely on critical infrastructure, particularly public transit,” said Senator Cardin. “Finalizing robust federal investment in the Purple Line is good for our economy and good for our environment. It’s great news for thousands of Marylanders who are currently wasting time, money and gas in gridlock, as well as the communities in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County along the new route. The lack of affordable, convenient transportation choices connecting Maryland communities, along with Metro, MARC and Amtrak, has been frustrating for individuals and businesses throughout our region. But that’s about to change.”
“I am very pleased that the Federal Transit Administration has finally signed the Full Funding Grant Agreement with the Maryland Transit Administration, officially committing federal funds to this critically important project,” said Congressman Hoyer. “The Purple Line will be a boon for our local economy and better connect communities throughout Prince George’s County and the greater Washington region. Furthermore, I am even more confident that with the addition of this new transit link, Prince George’s County will be even better suited for the new consolidated FBI headquarters relocation project. Now that the FFGA has been signed, I am hopeful that this project will proceed without any further delays.”
“From day one, we have been fighting to bring the Purple Line to Maryland – it will strengthen our economy, help combat traffic congestion and air pollution, and improve the lives of families in our state,” said Senator Van Hollen. “We have worked with both the Obama and Trump administrations to secure federal funding for this critical transportation project, and we will fight to make sure it is successfully completed in a way that best serves Maryland and protects the hiker-biker trail and all of the communities along the route.”
“This federal funding commitment is a crucial investment in Maryland’s economy,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “The Purple Line will help decrease transportation costs, reduce traffic congestion, improve economic development in our state and help better connect Marylanders with good-paying jobs across the Washington Metro region.”
“The Purple Line is an extremely important regional transportation project, and I am extremely pleased to see that the Full Funding Grant Agreement was signed today,” said Congressman Delaney. “Infrastructure investments like the Purple Line create jobs, strengthen our economy, and improve the lives of our constituents. We should celebrate this victory today, but must also continue to push for a robust, large-scale infrastructure investment program across the country, like the bipartisan legislation I’ve introduced.”
“From my earliest months in Annapolis to my time in Congress today, I have remained strongly committed to moving the Purple Line forward,” said Congressman Brown. “Using an innovative public-private partnership, the Purple Line leverages private-sector investment and expertise to lower costs for taxpayers while maintaining our commitment to maximize participation by minority-owned businesses, guarantee fair competition for highly skilled workers, and ensure sound environmental protections. With this project, we are taking a balanced, transparent approach that will create thousands of jobs, generate millions of dollars in economic development, revitalize neighborhoods, and propel Prince George’s County forward. The Purple Line will be an example of how we can address the nation’s growing infrastructure challenges.”
“The Purple Line is transportation infrastructure Maryland needs,” said Congressman Raskin. “It will move tens of thousands of people, connect towns and cities east and west, get lots of cars off the road, create thousands of good jobs, and propel small businesses. It’s been a long time coming but we can now celebrate an important new beginning for Maryland.”
The Purple Line, a 16.2-mile light rail system with 21 stations, will connect Montgomery County to Prince George’s County and is expected to take approximately 19,000 cars off the road each day. Along the way, it will connect to three Metrorail lines, all three MARC Commuter rail lines, and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor line. Nearly half of the riders on the new Purple Line are expected to connect to Metrorail and MARC. The project will generate 6,300 construction jobs, as well as 27,000 permanent jobs.
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