In late 2002 County Executive Doug Duncan introduced a new
proposal for the Bethesda to Silver Spring leg of the Inner Purple Line.
His plan called for a heavy rail Metro line that would go north from the
Silver Spring Metro station along the CSX railroad, turn west to follow
the north side of I-495 (Beltway) and then go south to connect to the
western leg of the Red Line north of the Medical Center/NIH stop. With
this proposal, half of the Red Line trains heading to the Shady Grove
Station would be redirected onto the loop just after the Medical Center
stop and run along the new tracks until they rejoined the Red Line north
of Silver Spring. There would be only one new station near Connecticut
Avenue and the Beltway. This
proposal was designated the "Purple Line Loop" by the County
Planning Board staff.
The disadvantages of this proposal were
immediately obvious. The loop route would not serve Prince George's
County. Because half the trains on the Red Line would turn off onto
the loop, Red Line stations beyond Medical Center and Silver Spring would
actually lose service. And additional problems of cost and
environmental impact soon emerged.
In early 2003 the Montgomery County
Planning Board staff recommended that
this proposal not be carried forward. The Montgomery County
Planning Board and the Montgomery County Council agreed with this
position. Maryland DOT did not accept Doug Duncan’s proposal and requested state and federal
funds only for light rail or bus options.
In January 2008, Purple
Line opponents including Columbia Country Club president J. Paul McNamara
launched a renewed campaign for the Purple Line loop. The main
argument for reviving the loop is that it will serve the expanded Bethesda
Naval Hospital when it merges with Walter Reed under the "BRAC"
process. But analysis by the Maryland Transit Administration shows
that the number of Purple Line riders added by BRAC is tiny compared to
the riders traveling to downtown Bethesda who would be disadvantaged by
the loop. Both a summary
of this analysis and the full
report are available.
Bad Idea, Bad Timing and Bad Politics
The loop proposal would have substantially more serious
negative impacts on Silver Spring, Kensington, and Bethesda neighborhoods
than the current Inner Purple Line trolley/trail proposal. Additionally,
the Duncan loop, eliminates a number of stops that have been embraced by
the communities along the rights of way and would forego a hiker-biker
trail into the heart of Silver Spring.
Concerns with the Loop:
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Neighborhood impacts
would probably be worse than those of the Georgetown Branch option due
to the major construction required at transition points on and off the
Beltway.
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Impacts on Rock Creek
Park would be substantially greater than those of the current Inner
Purple Line design. The alignment proposed would be constructed north
of the beltway for more than 1.5 miles where the Beltway hugs the park
between Chevy Chase and Kensington.
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Substantially more funds
are necessary for a heavy rail line that is underground and above
ground along the Beltway compared to a light rail and trail line
running across property already owned by the County. The $200 million
estimated increase in cost is a fantasy, it would likely be much more.
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The Connecticut Avenue
station would be accessed from the off-ramp on the north side of the
Beltway. Conflicts with off-ramp traffic would be hard to avoid, and
the station would be nearly inaccessible to pedestrians. In contrast,
the Inner Purple Line stop at Chevy Chase Lake would create a real
community center next to existing shopping, and it would be accessible
on foot with no need for more parking.
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Grosvenor would lose
half of its current service, and White Flint, Twinbrook, Rockville,
and Shady Grove would lose half of their current off-peak service. All
stations north of Grosvenor and Silver Spring would lose the
long-promised future increase in service when turn-backs at Grosvenor
and Silver Spring end.
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Impact on Beltway
traffic for the three year construction period is unimaginable. It
would be far more disruptive than recent bridge replacement work (and
will also require additional bridge replacements or modifications)
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Connecting the loop to
the Red Line in North Bethesda would probably require taking property
somewhere in the Cedar lane area where the elevated beltway structure
is brought down to the portal of an underground tunnel leading to
Medical Center.
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Purple Line trains
leaving Silver Spring would follow the Red Line tracks to Union
Station, so the Purple Line would not serve Prince Georges County at
all.
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