PRESS Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA INQUIRIES
240-686-3510 | media@mdpolicy.org

ROCKVILLE, MD (March 4, 2023) — The Maryland Transit Administration announced on Friday yet another delay and a nearly half-a-billion-dollar budget hike for the Maryland Purple light-rail line. The line’s completion date has been delayed and its budget hiked numerous times since construction began, the last time being merely eight months ago when Gov. Wes Moore promised to complete the project in a “fiscally responsible manner.”

“Instead of more false promises and excuses for their poor performance, it’s time for state officials to apologize to the people of Maryland for the Purple Line fiasco,” said Maryland Public Policy Institute President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Summers. “MPPI and numerous other organizations have warned repeatedly that the project would be an ‘expensive catastrophe,’ and it has. For nearly a decade, Maryland residents have dealt with the intrusive construction, seemingly perpetual delays, exorbitant cost overruns, and an exhausting list of justifications from their state government. And the MTA shamelessly continued their parade of excuses with another ‘updated’ opening date and increased construction ‘compensation’ agreement in a Friday-news-dump.”

In its Friday press release, MTA Administrator Holly Arnold claimed that the project remains “a critical transit priority for the region.” Gov. Wes Moore similarly called the line “important” because it “checks off a whole collection of boxes.” Marylanders, however, disagree.

A Gonzales statewide poll of Maryland voters published in February found that an remarkable 64 percent majority think their government should prioritize improving roads and bridges rather mass transit. 

“There seems to be a presumption among transportation officials and politicians that the Purple Line is something Marylanders want from them, no matter the cost,” said Summers. “But the opposite is true.”

Perhaps the most repeated claim about the Purple Line by the MTA is that it will “help relieve vehicle traffic,” as the release noted. However, a technical appendix to the Purple Line’s draft 2008 environment impact study refutes the MTA’s own claim. It admitted that the line will reduce average travel speeds and cause approximately 36,000 hours of additional time commuters will spend in traffic daily.

“The Purple Line has been a preoccupation of Maryland government officials for more than three decades despite residents agonizing over the inevitable costs and congestion it would cause,” said Summers. “This project has served as a stark lesson that politicians’ pet projects are rarely worthwhile. It is time for Maryland’s transit officials and political leaders to show some humility and admit fault for this waste.”

The Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.