The Montgomery County Planning Board backed building the proposed Purple Line as a light rail system — instead of a bus line — on Thursday, moving the mass transit line one step forward.
The recommendation for the 16-mile line running between Prince George’s and Montgomery counties next goes to the Montgomery County Council, which is slated to vote on the issue by the end of the month.
But the proposed transit line faces several more hurdles before moving ahead. Prince George’s officials also have to vote, then Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will make a final endorsement.
For some 20 years, a transit line connecting the counties had been discussed as a way to provide an east-west link between the Maryland suburbs and to tie into Metro lines that extend north from the District.
Some who live along the proposed route have opposed the line altogether, but especially as light rail because the train would disrupt the popular Capital Crescent Trail that runs along the rail’s right of way. Nearly 50 speakers weighed in at public hearings and more than 950 e-mails flooded into county offices.
“Does the board want to catch a bus or the train?” Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson asked his colleagues Thursday.
The board endorsed building the light rail system 4-1, with Commissioner Amy Presley as the sole opposition. The light rail system would cost more than a bus rapid transit, board members said, but could handle more passengers. State estimates indicate the light rail could board 63,000 passengers daily.
The board also backed running the trains along a surface route on Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring, instead of underground tunnels.
The board recommended the biking and jogging trail should run parallel to the light rail system with large trees planted in between, as similar paths do in Barcelona, Spain, and Freiburg, Germany.
