Brian Frosh

Dear Friend,

As the Washington-area population continues to grow, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia must take steps to improve mass transit and accommodate more commuters. In Virginia, for example, officials are looking to build a new Metrorail extension through Tyson's to Dulles Airport.

In Maryland, the current transportation option being considered is the Purple Line connecting Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The Purple Line would be a 16-mile east-west rapid transit line running inside the Capital Beltway from Bethesda to New Carrollton.

Why is it needed? Planners estimate that by 2030, it will take a full hour and 48 minutes to make that 16-mile trip by car. That will mean many of us will lose even more time stuck in traffic, away from families and work. The Purple Line will help ease congestion on the Beltway. Plus, it offers significant environmental benefits. We need to get much more aggressive about reducing the terrible air pollution in our area. We also need to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Fast, convenient mass transit is an obvious part of the fix. I fully support the Purple Line and will work with my colleagues to evaluate the best alignments for the line and to make sure it is funded.

Many citizens in the area have serious concerns about the Purple Line's path. The proposed path would use the old CSX right-of-way that now accommodates the popular Georgetown Branch interim hiker-biker trail. The temporary Georgetown Branch trail should ultimately be completed and made a part of the Capital Crescent Trail.

I have been an enthusiastic supporter of the Capital Crescent Trail throughout my legislative career. I was instrumental in obtaining state funding for the Capital Crescent Trail, and, as an avid biker, I use the trail each week to commute to work and/or just for pleasure. The CSX right-of-way can accommodate both the Capital Crescent Trail and the Purple Line. And an important condition of construction of the Purple Line must be the completion of the Capital Crescent Trail.

The Maryland Transit Administration recently analyzed the need for the Purple Line and evaluated alternatives ranging from doing nothing to making improvements to existing roads and intersections and expanding bus service, as well as six alternatives for building the line. These construction alternatives include three light rail options and three rapid bus options.

Light rail has clear advantages over any of the bus options. Light rail is faster, more reliable, and it can be expanded years from now to handle additional passengers: just add more cars to the trains.

This report is available for review on the Maryland Transit Administration's website and is available for comment until January 14. At that point the Maryland Department of Transportation will adopt one of the options and will prepare a proposal to the Federal Transit Administration for review. Please take some time to look over the alternatives and express your point of view.

A strong public transportation system can relieve some of the traffic congestion that hurts the quality of life for so many people in this region. Building a well-planned Purple Line is an important step in making sure that Montgomery County and Price George's County continue to be desirable places to live and work.

Sincerely,

Brian E. Frosh