Purple Line Will Be Even Speedier Than Thought
Trains Will Connect Bethesda and Silver Spring in 8½ Minutes
Press release issued November 7, 2011
Engineers designing the Purple Line have determined that the light rail trains will travel between Bethesda and Silver Spring even faster than previously thought. The improved performance was revealed by the Maryland Transit Administration at open houses held last week in College Park and Chevy Chase.
How many minutes will it take to travel on the Purple Line between Montgomery County's two biggest urban centers?
A trip from Bethesda to Silver Spring now takes 25 minutes on Metro's J4 express bus at the peak of the evening rush hour. Traffic congestion is expected to be even worse by the time the Purple Line opens. MTA planners had estimated earlier that the trip would take about 10 minutes on the light rail line, but more detailed engineering studies showed that the trains would need less time to make the trip.
“Get to Bethesda in 8½ minutes in rush hour?” said Tina Slater, a Silver Spring resident who is president of the Action Committee for Transit. “For someone who has to drive in today's traffic it's hard to even imagine.” ACT is a citizens group that advocates better transit in Montgomery County.
“This is one more reason not to lose any more time before we build the Purple Line,” added Ralph Bennett, president of Purple Line Now. Purple Line Now is a coalition of citizens, business, labor, civic, and environmental groups that supports rapid construction of the light rail line.
MTA will hold two more open houses, one tonight in Silver Spring, and one in Riverdale Park on Thursday. Project staff will be available to discuss the new travel times.