The light rail Purple Line originally was expected to cost $5.6 billion and begin transporting passengers by 2022.
Now, the opening date is scheduled for December of 2027, and its price tag continues to rise. It is more than $4 billion above its original cost.
The project is now more than 73% completed, according to Purple Line officials. When completed, the 16-mile light rail will connect Bethesda to New Carrollton.
The most recent cost overrun involves work at the Bethesda station. Originally, only one mezzanine was planned. It was designed to connect the Red Line and the Purple Line boarding areas.
Plans now call for two mezzanines, skyrocketing that cost by about $50 million. According to County Executive Marc Elrich, Metro officials originally estimated the cost of the Bethesda mezzanine to connect the Red Line and Purple Line passengers at $2 million.
With the addition of the second mezzanine, that cost now will be “over $50 million,” he said.
“It’s more than a little aggravating,” Elrich said at a recent news conference. “There have been mistakes.”
He placed the blame for the ballooning final cost squarely at the feet of former Gov. Larry Hogan.
“This all goes back to the previous Governor. This is his doing. This is one of the most mismanaged projects ever,” Elrich said. Hogan “left the state completely vulnerable.”
Most contracts call for binding arbitration when one partner is unhappy, but this contract let an unhappy partner “walk away,” Elrich said.
“This will probably end up being the most expensive light rail project in the world,” Erlich said. “It’s been way too long and too much money.”
When asked if Montgomery County taxpayers will be held responsible for the new costs, Elrich said, “This one is going to be shoved” on taxpayers. “It’s really disturbing. It’s going to be very expensive.”
Not only does an additional mezzanine hike the cost considerably, it may not even be necessary, Elrich said. Without the second entrance, some riders would “only have to work a couple of blocks,” he noted.
When MCM contacted Metro about the Bethesda mezzanine, a spokesperson wrote, “Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone available to speak to this right now.”
The state of Maryland has agreed to reimburse all construction costs incurred as part of this project.
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