WASHINGTON 鈥� A battle is brewing over federal funding not only for Metro but also for the proposed Purple Line light rail project.
President Donald Trump proposed last week to slash the federal transportation budget by 13 percent. And the construction of the Purple Line 鈥� with a projected price tag of $2 billion 鈥� is dependent on nearly $1 billion in federal funds.
Following the proposed 2018 budget, transit plans that don鈥檛 have a signed federal funding agreement 鈥渨ould be funded by the localities that use and benefit from these localized projects.鈥�
This could endanger the planned light rail route since state and local officials contend they can’t carry the cost alone.
Proposed budget cuts would endanger Metro funding and many other transportation projects nationwide that Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner expects to see a bipartisan fight in Congress to save them.
鈥淚 am hopeful that we will prevail 鈥� both with respect to the Purple Line and ultimately with respect to Metro,鈥� he said.
The Purple Line project would run 16.2 miles from Bethesda to New Carrollton and would connect with four branches of the Metrorail system, as well as all three MARC commuter rail lines and Amtrak.
The line was scheduled to begin construction in late 2016 and open for service in 2022. But construction remains delayed:聽A November ruling upheld a decision requiring Maryland and the federal government to consider Metro鈥檚 safety problems and declining ridership as part of their assessments for the Purple Line.
鈥淲e need to get on with this project,鈥� Berliner said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to Montgomery County, it鈥檚 important to Prince George鈥檚 County, it鈥檚 important to the state of Maryland.鈥�
As for Metro, Berliner points out that more than a third of its riders are federal workers.
鈥淭he federal government cannot walk from its responsibilities to our Metro system,鈥� he said.
