The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) has approved the modified P3 Agreement and the MTS consortium will sign the design and construction contract for the Purple Line light rail project.
USD 3.4 billion is the value of the contract under which the consortium comprising Dragados and OHL will have start the full-scale construction in Spring 2022 and to complete the works until 2026.
The design-build cost to complete the Purple Line construction has increased by USD 1.4 billion from USD 2 billion to USD 3.4 billion due to rising material costs across the industry, material shortages due to supply chain challenges, a smaller labor force, increases in the insurance market and other factors.
The project covers the construction of a 26 km LRT and 21 stations linking Washington and four suburbs. It will be constructed between New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and Bethesda in Montgomery County providing transit opportunities in two of the most populated counties in the state.
The overall USD 9.28 billion P3 Agreement to deliver the Purple Line for Marylands includes several elements such as the MTS design-build contract to complete design and construction, the Purple Line Transit Operators to operate and maintain the line for 30 years, Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) to provide management oversight of all elements of the Purple Line for the life of the project and Maryland Department of Transportation to repay debt and equity.
The LRVs are continuing in production at CAF plant in Elmira, New York. Of the 28 vehicles, 8 are completed and available for delivery. An additional batch of 8 LRVs are undergoing static testing and another 8 are currently being assembled. It is expected that in 2023 the vehicles will arrive at the Glenridge operations and maintenance facility in Prince George’s County and in 2024 test track will be completed for local testing and operator training.
The project construction supports more than 6,000 jobs, with 26% for design services going to small and minority-owned businesses and 22% for construction going to small and minority-owned businesses.
The Purple Line light rail project will offer convenient east-west transit access for jobs, school, shopping and recreation, and provide connections across the region with links to five branches of Metrorail, three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak and a host of bus services.
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