The Purple Line Debate: Light Rail vs. Bus Rapid Transit
The Washington area has neither light rail nor bus rapid transit, the two modes of public transportation under consideration for the proposed Purple Line. Here's a look at how the two systems compare.
Bus Rapid Transit
Construction cost: $580 million
Annual operating and maintenance costs: $17.3 million
Silver Spring and University of Maryland campus center: 30 minutes
Silver Spring and New Carrollton: 55 minutes
Daily boardings: 51,800
Pros: Less expensive. Can be established quickly because it is easier to implement in pieces. Buses can use designated lanes on local streets but have flexibility to change routes.
Cons: Less proven track record on attracting development around stations. Developers are often more reluctant to invest because a bus route is viewed as less permanent than a rail line. Attracts fewer riders because it is sometimes viewed as a second-class system.
Annual operating and maintenance costs: $17.3 million
TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN . . .
Bethesda and Silver Spring: 19 minutesSilver Spring and University of Maryland campus center: 30 minutes
Silver Spring and New Carrollton: 55 minutes
Daily boardings: 51,800
Pros: Less expensive. Can be established quickly because it is easier to implement in pieces. Buses can use designated lanes on local streets but have flexibility to change routes.
Cons: Less proven track record on attracting development around stations. Developers are often more reluctant to invest because a bus route is viewed as less permanent than a rail line. Attracts fewer riders because it is sometimes viewed as a second-class system.
Light Rail
Construction cost: $1.2 billion
Annual operating and maintenance costs: $25 million
Silver Spring and University of Maryland campus center: 25 minutes
Silver Spring and New Carrollton: 50 minutes
Daily boardings: 62,600
Pros: Route seen as more permanent. Often viewed as better at promoting economic development around stations. Attracts more riders because it is considered faster and more reliable than buses.
Cons: More expensive. Competition for federal construction money is strong, and state transportation funds are extremely tight.
Annual operating and maintenance costs: $25 million
TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN . . .
Bethesda and Silver Spring: nine minutesSilver Spring and University of Maryland campus center: 25 minutes
Silver Spring and New Carrollton: 50 minutes
Daily boardings: 62,600
Pros: Route seen as more permanent. Often viewed as better at promoting economic development around stations. Attracts more riders because it is considered faster and more reliable than buses.
Cons: More expensive. Competition for federal construction money is strong, and state transportation funds are extremely tight.
NOTE: Estimates are for "medium investment" systems for the year 2030. Cost estimates are in 2007 dollars. SOURCE: Maryland Transit Administration alternatives analysis; Images courtesy of the American Public Transport Association. Published on Jan. 8, 2009.
