O'Malley proposes two new rail lines

WASHINGTON -- Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is backing two new light raill lines -- one from Prince George's County to Montgomery County and the other from Baltimore County to Baltimore City.

The proposed 16-mile Purple Line would link the Bethesda Metro station to the New Carrollton stop without dipping into D.C.

The Red Line would run from the Woodlawn area of Baltimore County to the Johns Hopkins Bayview medical campus in east Baltimore. It would be 14 miles long.

Maryland will ask the Federal Transit Administration for funding to help with the projects. They're expected to cost more than $1 billion.

O'Malley's announcement at the New Carrollton Metro station ends the speculation over whether he would support light rail or a high speed bus option.

The light rail option -- a modern streetcar-type system -- would run mostly above ground. Stopping in locations, such as Silver Spring and College Park, studies show light rail would attract more riders and allow for denser clusters of development around designated stops.

The downside of light rail is that it comes with a bigger price tag.

The Purple Line's light rail option is expected to cost about $1.7 billion. A system of rapid buses had a projected price tag of as little as $300 million. Those buses could be up and running faster than a light rail system.

Both the Montgomery and Prince George's County Councils have endorsed the light rail version. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson are on the record as supporting the light rail version. What's more, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board also has voted to support a light rail version of the Purple Line.

If the planning and development of the light rail project stays on track, construction on the Purple Line could start as early as 2012. Completion would be three to five years after that.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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