IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TAXPAYERS SHOULD ASK

Before we commit $2 Billion of taxpayer money to build the Purple Line, there are some important questions that should be addressed:

Will the Purple Line effectively relieve congestion?

• Studies show, and the State's project manager confirms, the Purple Line is not intended to replace cars-80% of its riders are projected to come from another form of mass transit.
• Because the Purple Line will be competing for funds, it is likely to push back the Corridor Cities Transit-way that would provide much-needed relief for I-270 congestion.
• Because plans for the Purple Line were developed before plans were set for BRAC, there is no stop on the line to accommodate the huge influx of traffic that will come with BRAC .
• The planned relocation of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda in 2011 is projected to generate an estimated 900,000 new car trips per year, but this area will not be served by the Purple Line.

Have all alternatives been fully explored?

• A recent study commissioned by the Town of Chevy Chase detailed a number of alternatives that may be less expensive, can be implemented more quickly and will serve more people. For example, the alternative Jones Bridge rapid bus plan is projected to cost $550 million, one quarter of the nearly $2 billion estimated for the Purple Line.
• By looking at best practices in other communities, it seems clear there are alternatives that can effectively move more people at a lower cost per rider and with less impact on green space and existing residential neighborhoods
• If other transit alternatives are not fully considered, the federal government is more likely to reject the plan, thereby jeopardizing any transit funding.

What is the impact on the environment and existing neighborhoods along the route?

• As the Purple Line is not projected to dramatically reduce the number of cars on the road, it will not significantly reduce vehicle pollution or improve air quality as originally believed.
• The Purple Line would be built over what is now largely residential and recreational green space, reducing public access to some of the last open space in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties and requiring the destruction of a minimum of 400 mature trees.
• The rail line will have a major impact on the Capital Crescent Trail, used by an estimated 10,000 individuals per week. In places the trail is only 33 feet wide and it is unclear how walkers, hikers, joggers and cyclists can safely coexist unless the path is widened, encroaching on adjacent green space and existing properties.
• The Purple Line is also certain to impact neighborhoods along its route. Serious safety concerns are raised by a high-speed train traveling alongside residential streets and yards, adjacent to schoolyards and pedestrian areas.
• While the State acknowledges there will be an increase in both air pollution and noise levels, it has not yet released specifics on how significant this increase will be.

Life sized representations of Purple Line trains as they will fit on Capital Crescent Trail