Montgomery County transportation officials may be encouraging County Executive Ike Leggett to endorse using buses rather than light rail for the so-called Purple Line to link eastern and western parts of the county, an internal report obtained by The Examiner indicates.

The Purple Line is to run parallel to the Capital Beltway, tie together four other Metro lines and extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. A major part of the debate, yet to be resolved, is whether the transit route will be light rail or a bus line.