Maryland Republican senators say taxpayers in the Washington suburbs should pay for the planned Purple Line instead of sharing the costs with rural counties. “If people in Montgomery County want a Purple Line, let them pay for it,” said state Senate Minority Whip E.J. Pipkin, of the Eastern Shore.

The planned 16-mile light rail, which would connect New Carollton to Bethesda, would cost the state roughly $1.6 billion. A $1.8 billion high-speed rail — the “Red Line” — is planned for Baltimore.