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:
 |
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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)
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
