How much does Purple Line cost?
The Purple Line is a 16-mile, 21-station light rail line between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George's County, Maryland, being built by the Maryland Transit Administration through a public-private partnership whose original design-build-operate contract was USD 5.6 billion in 2016. Construction began in 2017, stopped when the first contractor withdrew in 2020, resumed in 2022 under a new contractor and was 82 percent complete in September 2025 with service expected at the end of 2027. The Baltimore Banner puts the whole contract at about USD 9.5 billion including operation, while Wikipedia gives USD 3.4 billion for construction alone after the 2022 restart.
Published project estimate
$9.5 billion
Cost basis: 2025
Cost evidence
Basis of the published figure
Project metrics
Key dimensions
- Total lengthPurple Line MD (Maryland Transit Administration)
- 25.75 km
Project record