Rail

Maryland Purple Line receives $1.7 billion replacement TIFIA loan

March 4, 2022

The loan replaces and restructures an original loan given to the project in 2016.

The first vehicle assembled for the Purple Line is seen in this 2019 photo.

Maryland’s 16.2-mile Purple Line project was approved for a $1.7 billion Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan through the Build America Bureau. The project had previously been approved for a $874.6 million TIFIA loan in 2016; this loan replaces and restructures the previous loan.

The loan was announced by five members of Maryland’s congressional delegation: U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and U.S. Reps. Steny H. Hoyer, Anthony G. Brown and Jamie B. Raskin (all D-MD).

“Marylanders have been waiting with anticipation for years for the completion of the Purple Line,” the lawmakers said. “This new federal loan is a critical piece of the financing to move the Purple Line’s construction forward after previous setbacks for the project. The Purple Line will connect Marylanders to jobs across our region and provide a valuable service for neighborhoods currently underserved by existing transit routes. Team Maryland has fought for consistent federal support to complete the Purple Line throughout the challenges that the state has faced with the project, and this new funding marks sound progress on this initiative on behalf of our communities.”

The past year has seen the project that will provide an east-west light-rail connection between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, progress under a complex of umbrella of events that saw a new contractor enter the project, increasing costs and an opening date that slid into 2026.

In addition to the TIFIA loan, the project was awarded a $900 million grant through the Capital Investment Grants Program in 2017 and it received an additional $106 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan to keep the project on track.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.