The fate of the Purple Line could be in jeopardy after a federal judge delayed the project again on Monday. Judge Richard Leon ruled the light-rail project requires further study in light of Metro’s falling ridership, NBC Washington reports.
“I find that defendants have failed to take the requisite ‘hard look’ at the potential impacts that WMATA’s ridership and safety issues could have on the Purple Line project,” Leon said in his ruling. The decision puts the project’s federal funding at risk.
The $125M Congress set aside for the Purple Line last month was contingent on a full $900M federal funding agreement being signed by September. That agreement cannot be signed until a judge reinstates the project’s environmental approval, which Leon vacated in August.
Leon’s August ruling came in response to a lawsuit from Purple Line opponents, citing the safety issues and falling ridership the Metro has experienced. The Federal Transit Administration in December told Leon the line would have sufficient ridership despite Metro’s woes, which supporters argued should be enough for him to allow it to move forward. But Leon took another five months to issue a decision, delaying the ability for his ruling to be appealed.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Jon Banister over at Bis Now
