Metro Wants Customer Opinions on Potential Changes Due to Purple Line

At the request of the State of Maryland, Metro is considering changes at its Bethesda, Silver Spring and New Carrollton stations to accommodate the Purple Line. The transit line is asking customers to provide their opinions on the changes.

The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail link connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton, with stops in Silver Spring and College Park. The Purple Line will be operated by a public-private partnership overseen by the Maryland Transit Administration.

The changes are:

Bethesda Metrorail Station

• Construction of a new south entrance that will connect with the street level and the Bethesda Purple Line station.

Silver Spring Metrorail Station

• Construction of a new entrance from the south end of the station platform to connect with the upper level of the existing Silver Spring Transit Center and the Silver Spring Purple Line station.

New Carrollton Metrorail Station

• Removal of 500 to 600 parking spaces from the Park & Ride Surface Lot 4 on the station’s north side to make way for the New Carrollton Purple Line station facilities.
• Transfer of 480 parking spaces to WMATA from the State of Maryland. This state-owned Park & Ride Lot is on the south side of New Carrollton Metrorail station.

Customers can provide their opinions on the changes through 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. Comments will be forwarded to the Metro Board of Directors for final review and approval in early 2018. If approved, Maryland will pay for all changes.

Customers can complete an online survey. Or they can attend an open house Tuesday, Dec. 5, beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by a public hearing at 6 p.m. Speakers are requested to register in advance via email at speak@wmata.com.

The hearing will take place at the Metro Headquarters Building, 600 Fifth St. NW, Washington.

Testimony can be submitted via the comment form, found at www.wmata.com/initiatives. The comment form will close on Friday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m.

It will provide the opportunity to submit free-form comments and provide attachments. This option is in addition to your ability to speak at a public hearing.

For those without access to computers or the internet, testimony may also be mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. The comments received by the Office of the Secretary, along with the comment form results and public hearing comments, will be presented to the Board and will be part of the official public hearing record.

Please note all statements are releasable to the public upon request, and may be posted on WMATA’s website, without change, including any personal information provided. Customers without access to computers or internet, may obtain copies of the dockets in their entirety at area libraries or by request from Metro’s Office of the Secretary by calling 202-962-2511.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, gender, religion, disability or family status. If you require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or translation services (free of charge), contact the project team at 202-962-2511 (TTY: 202-962-2033) as soon as possible prior to the public hearing date.

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