Purple Line Pick

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is standing behind the light rail option. So too is the County Planning Board and the Prince George's County Council.

After the recommendation is made today, the decision will go to state transportation leaders for the final say. On WTOP's Ask the Governor Program last week, Governor Martin O'Malley all but confirmed light rail will be the choice of the state, saying that option gives the most bang for the buck.

It is the right choice.

The other option would be a bus transit link that no doubt has proven to be successful in other places, and most likely will cost less than light rail -- but it doesn't deliver for the future.

Ridership will expand on the Purple Line, which would connect the Bethesda Metro station to the New Carrollton Stop. By 2030, more than 68,000 riders could be using the system on a daily basis.

Eventually, you could be looking at a "Purple Line Beltway" that connects all the spokes of the Metro System.

To use a bus system would be fundamentally flawed. You wold not have nearly the capacity light rail could handle, and to be honest, more people simply will want to hop on a train rather than a fast-moving bus system.

That is just the simple truth, no matter which way you slice it.

If the Purple Line is viewed as a project that isn't cost effective, you could be looking at "no shot" of federal funding for it. That, as we all know with the Dulles Rail Project, can be a killer.

That's why the light rail option makes the most sense. It will be an effective East-West transit option between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. Riders would be able to travel across the state without having to get on a Metro train into D.C.

Doesn't it seem a bit silly that our region -- which deals with hundreds of thousands of commuters on a daily basis -- doesn't already have this in place?

The decisions on the Purple Line point to the bigger issue of "getting it right" when it comes to transportation.

Monday, various business leaders once again picked up the cry to put the now fast-moving Dulles Metro-rail extension underground through Tysons Corner. That is not going to happen, but it should have.

Unfortunately, Dulles Rail will run on an aerial structure through Tysons Corner once it is finally built there.

There is tremendous support for the tunnel option, but to go back and reevaluate the tunnel could push the project away from federal funds that have been so hard to come by. The project could be delayed further or even worse - scrapped.

As it stands right now, the project is in a review period on Capitol Hill. The Federal Transit Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation have already signed off on it.

Bottom line - the tunnel will not happen.

Land use experts are planning on redeveloping Tysons Corner into a livable, walkable, urban area, which will serve as the region's second downtown.

But it will be a downtown with an elevated train.

Look at the Rosslyn/Court House/Ballston corridor in Arlington and tell me how sinking Metro underground worked out there. Shops, restaurants and business now line the corridor. It is viewed as a transportation success.

Ultimately, there are just too many concerns with the tunnel. Concerns like cost and actually getting it built.

True, it is better to have an elevated structure rather than no Dulles Rail at all. But in the future, lets hope transit leaders "get it right" the first time.

Got a comment? E-mail Adam at atuss@wtop.com. He may use your comment in his next column.

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