Purple Line opening delayed

Purple Line delayed 'til winter 2027, costs soar to $10 billion

The Purple Line project is being pushed back again and some business owners impacted by the construction said the project continues to cost them money, too. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the story.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - The Purple Line has been delayed – again.

Citing the "complex nature of the project," officials announced Friday that the 16-mile light rail project connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties will open in the winter of 2027, five years later than initially planned.

"This project is critical to the region. It is going to be a game changer when it opens, and we’re really just pushing through this period to get to that point," said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold.

Altogether, the project will now cost about $10 billion, despite being initially budgeted for $5.6 billion back in 2016.

SILVER SPRING,MD-FEB28: Construction workers watch as heavy machinery breaks through the end of a 1,000-foot tunnel being built to carry Purple Line trains beneath a Silver Spring neighborhood. This is the break-through on the lower shelf, so the ent

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Some business owners impacted by the construction said the project continues to cost them money too.

"A Friday evening at this time five, six, seven years ago, we would be really busy, and that has not been happening here lately," said Michael Bailey, who co-owns Ebony Barbers Unisex on Bonifant Street in Silver Spring. His customers have been dealing with Purple Line construction for so long, he spoke to FOX 5 about the issue four years ago, back in January 2020.

"Trying to convince our clients that we are here, we are available," Bailey said at the time.

He said not much has changed in the years since.

"They said we were going to be finished working on this street in 2023. It’s 2024 now, and we get another delay," Bailey said Friday night.

SILVER SPRING,MD-FEB28: Workers break through the end of a 1,000-foot tunnel being built to carry Purple Line trains beneath a Silver Spring neighborhood. This is the break-through on the lower shelf, so the entire tunnel is now dug out, February 28,

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Meanwhile, it appears as though the new opening date for the Purple Line may still change yet again.

"You know we couldn’t have predicted back in 2020 that we were going to have a pandemic that massively impacted the supply chain and this project," Arnold said when asked how confident she is in the winter of 2027 opening. "So sitting here today, this change order does put us in a much better position, but you know we can’t predict the future, so I cannot sit here today and say that’s officially it."