Rail Gains Momentum As Purple Line Pick

"Everyone is afraid of losing everything after all this fight if we recommend something different from Prince George's," Elrich said.

The Purple Line is designed to allow transit riders to travel between suburbs without having to pass through the heart of Washington, as they do now on Metrorail, or ride buses in heavy traffic. Maryland transit officials want to connect population centers at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, and link MARC, Amtrak and Metro stations. Both light-rail trains and buses would run mostly aboveground and on local streets.

Rail proponents say light-rail trains, which would be shorter and quieter than Metro trains and be powered by an overhead electrical wire, would attract more passengers than a bus system. The state's study estimated that by 2030 bus rapid transit would generate as many as 58,900 daily trips while light rail would attract as many as 68,100. A light-rail line's capacity also could be increased more easily than a busway's, supporters say.

Most important, rail supporters say, fixed tracks attract developers who want to ensure that people have a fast and permanent way to ride transit to their shops, restaurants, condominiums and office buildings. Although bus supporters tout the flexibility of routes to change as demand dictates, rail advocates say that flexibility gives developers little assurance that their buildings will remain close to transit.

Busway supporters say a bus rapid transit system would bear little resemblance to the lumbering buses to which Washingtonians are accustomed. The buses are sleeker and roomier, proponents say, and outperform traditional models by using exclusive lanes and stopping much less frequently, only at designated stations.

But some public officials, particularly in eastern Montgomery and Prince George's, say they want trains, not more buses, for the predominantly lower-income passengers a Purple Line is designed to serve most.

"In Prince George's, our public bus system has fallen short. We don't have confidence in a new bus system," said Del. Tawanna P. Gaines (D-Prince George's), chair of the House subcommittee on transportation appropriations. "I think most people think buses aren't as good."

Lower-income transit riders "should be allowed to use a system with the same quality of life" as Metrorail passengers, Gaines said.

The Prince George's and Montgomery councils are scheduled to vote on a Purple Line plan in February or early March. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) will have the final say, but local officials' wishes are expected to carry significant weight, particularly because they probably will have to help pay for it.