Killing the Purple Line is the prudent economic decision - despite billions spent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you don’t have basic facts. The Purple Line isn’t a Wmata project. It’s an MDOT project.

Wmata doesn’t have any light rail.

You shouldn’t be posting on a subject you’re too lazy to do a basic google search on.

If WMATA has no light rail, who runs that total waste of money light rail on H St NE in the heart of DC?

It’s not Wmata. It’s DC Steeetcar, l believe a city agency but I’m not gonna google it for you. So willfully ignorant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you don’t have basic facts. The Purple Line isn’t a Wmata project. It’s an MDOT project.

Wmata doesn’t have any light rail.

You shouldn’t be posting on a subject you’re too lazy to do a basic google search on.

If WMATA has no light rail, who runs that total waste of money light rail on H St NE in the heart of DC?

It’s not Wmata. It’s DC Steeetcar, l believe a city agency but I’m not gonna google it for you. So willfully ignorant

NP. DDOT owns it, a contractor operates it. It's definitely not WMATA though.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you kidding? Bethesda to UMD? We want it. Thousands of college students, university profs and employees are eagerly waiting for it.

Don't be stupid.

oh yes, all those UMD students commuting from downtown Bethesda..

Driving, even with traffic, will be faster

No it won't be - the Purple Line which will have it's own right of way for most of the route will take 9 minutes to go from Bethesda to Silver Spring.

There is no way even at 2AM to cover that distance today in 9 minutes.

Also left out of this discussion is that the project will extend the Capital Crescent Trail (the most used multi-use trail in the country) from Bethesda to Silver Spring.

You won't be taking metro at 2AM either. And while it might take 9 minutes, the trains don't run every minute.

Expected headways are 7.5 minutes during rush hour and 10 minutes the rest of the time.

Can you currently get from Bethesda to Silver Spring in 20 minutes using any other form or transportation at any time of day?

Yes. East-West Highway.

Not when there are lots of other people trying to do the same thing in their cars at the same time as you in your car. Plus unfortunately the people who are in buses get stuck amongst the people who are in cars. One bus full of people, surrounded by lots of cars, each with 1 person. I am thrilled about the Purple Line (9 minutes between Bethesda and Silver Spring) and also about the Capital Crescent Trail.

[Anonymous]

The Purple Line and The Red Line are 2 MDOT projects. The Red Line will be an East West light rail line, in Baltimore. The Red Line seems to be a priority for Governor Wes Moore so it might actually happen. Back in the day red was ahead of purple, but somehow rich Moco got the money ahead of Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

The Purple Line is an excellent example of public transit.

It's connecting existing major business and residential centers (Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park), and some of the busier subway stations. Bethesda metro station currently does about double the ridership of Dulles Aiport stop, and SS does about triple.

There's not a lot we can predict in this world, but I think it's a fair prediction that the population of this area will continue to grow. There's no other feasible way to grow transportation between these areas. Currently you need an hour-long ride on Metro, or a long bus ride on East West Highway to get from Bethesda to SS. East-West Highway can't be expanded (too much development beside it), and neither can 495 for the same reason. The _only_ option left to increase transportation throughput is the Purple Line.

If you want to get mad about public transportation spending, direct your ire towards the Silver Line. It cost over $6 billion, and was more than 4 years delayed. Unlike the Purple Line, there was plenty of room to expand in other ways (roads, bus lanes) since it's all greenfield out there. More people board at stations like Twinbroo and Grosvenor than board the Dulles Airport station.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MontgomeryCountyMD/comments/1equvr7/wmata_ridership_by_station_may_2023may_2024/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Purple Line and The Red Line are 2 MDOT projects. The Red Line will be an East West light rail line, in Baltimore. The Red Line seems to be a priority for Governor Wes Moore so it might actually happen. Back in the day red was ahead of purple, but somehow rich Moco got the money ahead of Baltimore.

The Baltimore Red Line wasn't really ahead of the Purple Line. Also, it wasn't "somehow", it was Larry Hogan. Larry Hogan decided to kill the Baltimore Red Line but proceed with the Purple Line, minus a bunch of "cost-saving" things that would have made the Purple Line nicer.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The is a complete waste of money and it will bankrupt MD. Virginia is not not stupid enough to subsidize this mistake. We will not contribute extra to cover the fiscal shortfall from Marylands irresponsible financial decisions. There is no political will to bail out MD here, so good luck everyone else.

Ummm Virginia just spent even more more money extending Metrorail out to Dulles and Alexandria just spent another $450 million on an infill Metro station.

Virginia spent money on extending Metrorail to connect quickly growing job centers to transit. They’ll easily get a return on the investment. What quickly growing job centers is the Purple Line connecting?

There are many lower income residents of PG County that work in Montgomery COunty where they cannot afford to live. You will have store clerks, home and office cleaners, barristas, fast food employees, gas station attendants and many other hourly employees who cannot afford to live in Montgomery County, now able to live in less expensive areas and commute to work.

You will also have employees and students at UMD, National Archives, FDA, NASA, New Carrolton Federal Building (mostly Treasury employees), Dept of Agriculture commuting Eastbound.

Right now, to travel from one county to the other on public transit, the have to take very time consuming busses (and many bus routes have been cut in the last 3 years) or take Metro downtown. You need green/yellow line in PG county and Red line in Montgomery County. Either way public transit currently takes 2-3 times longer than it will take via Purple line when the route is complete. Also, the Purple line will reduce congestion on the Beltway during typical rush hours as there will be some that take the Purple line instead of having to drive.

The economics of the purple line only seem to make sense to wealthy white people in Bethesda. You seem to think it’s some of transportation bargain for $12.50 each way from one end to the other. Clearly y’all have never been poor. I’ve been poor, and I understand how poor people think. Lower income residents of PG aren’t going to spend $125/wk getting from New Carrollton to Bethesda for jobs. For the same $500 a month they’ll buy a beater car and a tank of gas once a week.

Why do you think it wil be $12.50 each way to ride the Purple Line? The maxium fair on Metrorail is $6.75, so I expect it wouldn't be higher than that.

Also, employers can offer tax-free subsidies for Smartip cards, but they can't for buying gas.

[Anonymous]

No public transportation in the US is profitable. It is a public service that riders pay a portion of the fare for.

In Wmata’s case, Metro / subway is the least subsidized, bus is the in middle, and para transit is the most heavily subsidized.

Wmata spends a lot of money on pensions. There is no easy way to get out of the Union labor agreements. It’s reality people. I know you all live to complain about it though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No public transportation in the US is profitable. It is a public service that riders pay a portion of the fare for.

In Wmata’s case, Metro / subway is the least subsidized, bus is the in middle, and para transit is the most heavily subsidized.

Wmata spends a lot of money on pensions. There is no easy way to get out of the Union labor agreements. It’s reality people. I know you all live to complain about it though.

Likewise, roads.

[Anonymous]

Just fire all of the employees and hire non union workers. Pension liabilities and outrageous salaries are killing the metro.

Metro workers get paid way, wayyy too much.. Those clowns in the booths are do nothing lazy bums who allow fare evasion. They act so onery and pissed off whenever you simply ask them for help because they might have to stop using their phones for 2 minutes. They get paid way too much money to do nothing. Fire them all and save the metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just fire all of the employees and hire non union workers. Pension liabilities and outrageous salaries are killing the metro.

Metro workers get paid way, wayyy too much.. Those clowns in the booths are do nothing lazy bums who allow fare evasion. They act so onery and pissed off whenever you simply ask them for help because they might have to stop using their phones for 2 minutes. They get paid way too much money to do nothing. Fire them all and save the metro.

Another uninformed person heard from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just fire all of the employees and hire non union workers. Pension liabilities and outrageous salaries are killing the metro.

Metro workers get paid way, wayyy too much.. Those clowns in the booths are do nothing lazy bums who allow fare evasion. They act so onery and pissed off whenever you simply ask them for help because they might have to stop using their phones for 2 minutes. They get paid way too much money to do nothing. Fire them all and save the metro.

How much do the booth people get paid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just fire all of the employees and hire non union workers. Pension liabilities and outrageous salaries are killing the metro.

Metro workers get paid way, wayyy too much.. Those clowns in the booths are do nothing lazy bums who allow fare evasion. They act so onery and pissed off whenever you simply ask them for help because they might have to stop using their phones for 2 minutes. They get paid way too much money to do nothing. Fire them all and save the metro.

How much do the booth people get paid?

Too much if it is more than $1/h

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just fire all of the employees and hire non union workers. Pension liabilities and outrageous salaries are killing the metro.

Metro workers get paid way, wayyy too much.. Those clowns in the booths are do nothing lazy bums who allow fare evasion. They act so onery and pissed off whenever you simply ask them for help because they might have to stop using their phones for 2 minutes. They get paid way too much money to do nothing. Fire them all and save the metro.

How much do the booth people get paid?

Too much if it is more than $1/h

They just watch the people evade the fares. They don't even call them out for it or try to shame them. They should at least take a video of them on their phone or say they are being recorded and this evidence will be sent to the police.

[Anonymous]

God, I hate progressives.