Maryland officials to break ground on Purple Line light-rail project

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao today will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Purple Line light-rail route.

The event will take place in Hyattsville, Maryland, according to a media advisory issued by Hogan's office.

The 16-mile route will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton, Maryland. The line will provide a direct connection to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Red, Green and Orange lines, as well as Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC), Amtrak and local bus services.

The Purple Line project is moving forward despite a legal challenge raised in August 2016, when a U.S. district judge ordered the Maryland Transit Administration to recalculate ridership projections for the line due to safety concerns with WMATA's rail system.

However, an appellate court recently reversed the lower court's ruling — a move that paves the way for the start of major construction while the rest of the lawsuit is worked out, radio station WAMU 88.5 reported.

The line is being built in a public-private partnership. Fluor Corp., Lane Construction Corp., and Traylor Bros Inc. will serve as the project's design-build team.

Meridiam Infrastructure Purple Line LLC, Fluor Enterprises Inc., and Star America Purple Line LLC are providing the required equity investment to build the line.