---
title: The Promise (and Pain) of the Purple Line
date: 2023-04-18T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/the-promise-and-pain-of-the-purple-line"
section: Articles
---
# The Promise (and Pain) of the Purple Line

*April 18, 2023* — by [Maryland Today Staff](/author/maryland-today-staff)


> As UMD Works to Limit Construction Disruptions, Here Are 6 Reasons It’ll All Be Worth It

*Campus Drive Stop 1920x1080 — A rendering of the Campus Drive Purple Line stop, shown with Cole Field House in the background, illustrates the project’s Art-in-Transit program, which will incorporate artistic designs at all 21 stations.*

Moving around campus this semester feels a bit like maneuvering through a maze, as construction fences, orange traffic barriers and detour signs can turn a trip from points A to B on campus to one that reroutes around L, F and Q.

While the state's construction of the 16-mile light-rail Purple Line is temporarily trying the University of Maryland community's wayfinding skills, at the end awaits a transformative transportation connector that will carry an estimated 65,000 passengers a day and have far-reaching benefits. In the meantime, the university’s oversight groups are collaborating with the Maryland Transit Administration to limit disruptions and make moving around campus as safe and as smooth as possible.

“The Purple Line will bring significant advantages to the university, including improving the way we get around; better connecting campus to the local area and broader region; adding bike lanes; and reducing the need for cars,” said Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Carlo Colella. “Though the campus community will continue to experience inconvenience and detours during the construction process, we are committed to ensuring the safety of our campus community while working to accelerate the construction schedule to the extent possible.”

That schedule now has the Purple Line slated to open for service by October 2026, with major work on campus complete about a year earlier. Here’s how the new transit system fits into the university’s larger vision and how the years-long project will finally pay off:

**Free Rides** Five of the Purple Line’s 21 stations between the New Carrollton Metro Station in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County’s Bethesda station will be on or adjacent to campus: Adelphi Road, Campus Drive, Baltimore Avenue, College Park Metro and Riverdale Park North. UMD students, faculty and staff will be able to ride fare-free among those stops, making traveling from the core of campus to the Discovery District and the Metro faster and easier.

**Environmental Impact** The new transit system is an important component of the university's plan to address the grand challenge of climate change by driving down greenhouse emissions related to campus. According to the project’s final environmental impact statement, the Purple Line is projected to create 27,000 new transit trips in the D.C. region and provide 4,000 daily student, employee and visitor trips within 10 years of opening. Within 20 years, it’s projected to take 17,000 cars off the road, reducing gasoline consumption by an estimated 1 million gallons annually.


*map of Purple Line connections to Metro lines, MARC and Amtrak*



**Sidebar note:**

**Purple Line Forum** Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Carlo Colella will give an update on the Purple Line and answer questions at a [forum](https://calendar.umd.edu/purple-line-forum) at 12:15 p.m. today in the Atrium at the Stamp Student Union.





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Transportation](https://today.umd.edu/topic/transportation)


**Units:** [Division of Administration](https://today.umd.edu/topic/division-administration)