The Maryland Transit Administration plans to pursue another public-private partnership to complete the Purple Line and operate it long-term if the state does not reach a deal with the initial concessionaire over cost overruns, a top state transit official said Tuesday.
Matthew Pollack, the MTA’s executive director for project delivery, said the state would seek a new partnership, known as a P3, because the companies could help finance the remaining $1 billion of construction and then undertake long-term operation and maintenance of the 16-mile light-rail line.
Maryland officials have been exploring their options since the project’s original concessionaire, a team of companies called Purple Line Transit Partners, terminated the partnership as of Sept. 10. PLTP and the state had been feuding for three years over who should pay for what PLTP said were $800 million in construction cost overruns stemming from more than 2½ years of delays.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Katherine Shaver over at The Washington Post
