Md. MTA Purple Line approved for engineering phase
Entry into the New Starts Engineering phase is the final milestone required before FTA can sign a Purple Line Full Funding Grant Agreement. With this achievement, MTA can start to incur costs that are eligible for federal reimbursement.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) received notice that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has advanced the Purple Line project to the engineering phase of its New Starts grant program. This action is a key milestone toward securing federal funding for the project and beginning construction next year.
Entry into the New Starts Engineering phase is the final milestone required before FTA can sign a Purple Line Full Funding Grant Agreement. With this achievement, MTA can start to incur costs that are eligible for federal reimbursement.
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Last March, FTA gave the Purple Line project a Medium-High rating and recommended the Purple Line receive a total of $900 million, including $100 million in FY 2015.
The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that runs east-west inside the Capital Beltway between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County with 21 stations planned that will provide direct connections to Metrorail’s Orange Line, Green Line and two branches of the Red Line, and the MARC Brunswick, Camden and Penn Lines.
The Purple Line will go to construction in 2015 and be open for service 2020.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
