A Maryland light rail proposal could get close to a billion dollars in federal funds from President Donald Trump’s budget.
Maryland officials say they need the federal funds to complete the 16-mile rail project’s $2 billion construction, reported The Washington Post. Some are hopeful the project will stimulate the state economy.
“Let’s invest in a Metro system capable of bringing a majority of the federal workforce to work every day but also millions of our constituents to visit our nation’s capital,” Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin said to the Washingtonian.
Former President Barack Obama’s administration was five days away from securing the purple line funding, until a federal lawsuit made it ineligible to receive federal money. Maryland officials kept on the judge to reverse his decision, but on Monday he “ordered that Maryland updates the project’s ridership projections, potentially adding months to a seven-month construction delay,” WaPo reported.
Maryland Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Benjamin L. Cardin both have continued to fight for the purple line, after Trump’s so called “skinny budget” was released in March, according to The Washington Post.
“The good news is the Purple Line is recommended in this budget and specifically cited. The big issue is the lawsuit and resolving that as quickly as possible in a positive way,” said Van Hollen to The Washington Post.
Cardin weighed in on the Trump administration, saying, he “was pleased that the White House had agreed to ‘maintain the Purple Line funding eligibility while the legal challenges are resolved.'”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the money was for a Metro line in Washington, D.C. The funds under consideration are for a light-rail project in Maryland.
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