Purple Line at least a year behind schedule, reports show

WASHINGTON – Newly obtained reports show the Purple Line is at least a year behind schedule.

The Bethesda-to-New Carrollton rail line was supposed to open in early 2022, but it’s been delayed by a lawsuit, environmental reviews, property acquisitions and coordination with utilities and CSX.

Maryland transit leaders insist a late 2022 opening is still possible.

But in reports obtained by The Washington Post, the companies building the line have said it won’t begin carrying passengers until at least 2023 – and that’s if construction is accelerated.

If not, it could open two years late, in 2024.

State agencies believe the companies can do more to speed up construction. The delays have added more than $200 million to the light-rail line’s cost.