Who We Are
What We Want
Why Light Rail?
Rails & Trails
A proven idea
A safer CCT
Pedestrian friendly
Green tracks
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Project Background
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Finish the Trail, Build Light Rail
We say "Finish The Trail/Build Light Rail" because the Purple Line and finishing the Capital Crescent Trail go hand in hand. The Georgetown Branch railroad right of way is a valuable public resource, purchased for use as both a trail and a transitway. The Trail needs the transitway to be completed into downtown Silver Spring.
Light rail can be green and is compatible
with trails, as seen here in Freiburg. |
We are actively working to preserve and extend the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT). The off road Interim CCT now ends in an obscure industrial park far from downtown Silver Spring. The trail must be extended into Silver Spring to complete an off road trail connection between the Bethesda and Silver Spring urban centers. Extending the trail is also needed to connect it with the proposed 8 mile long Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT). The MBT will connect Silver Spring to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Several segments of the MBT are now open, and more are in planning and design. When linked together in Silver Spring, the CCT/MBT will create a trail network for the national capital region that will be an inspiration to pedestrian and bicycle activists across the United States. The Purple Line will also be coordinated with the completion of the Green Trail along Wayne Avenue, which will be extended from Fenton Street to the Sligo Creek Trail.The Columbia Country Club has long provided substantial funding in opposition to a reasonable compromise for the Georgetown Branch. The Club is joined in this effort by several Bethesda/Chevy Chase neighborhood groups including the Town of Chevy Chase. The truth is that: The Georgetown Branch right of way was purchased by Montgomery County with $10 million of our tax dollars, for the specific purpose of using the Bethesda to Silver Spring segment for recreation and transit. The right of way was used for trains decades before the Columbia Country Club was established alongside it.
The interim trail is fenced off from most of the 100' wide right of way through the Club, which is using Montgomery County property rent-free while perpetuating the misconception that this right of way is not big enough for a 25' transitway and 10' hiker-biker trail. Do the Math! That leaves 65' for landscaping and buffering!
There is no viable or cost effective alternative to a trolley-trail project plan to complete the Capital Crescent Trail into Silver Spring. Purple Line opponents argue that the 10,000 weekly interim trail uses should trump sharing the corridor with any other uses. But a closer look at the trail traffic survey shows interim trail use is limited mostly to Chevy Chase neighborhoods, with very little trail use east of Rock Creek. We believe that if the trail is completed through Silver Spring neighborhoods into downtown Silver Spring, trail use will increase to be much higher that it is now.There will be six times as many uses of the Purple Line in one day as there are uses of the interim trail in an entire week. Over 62,000 uses of the Purple Line are expected each day, vs. the only 10,000 uses now seen on the interim trail in an entire week. The trail will be rebuilt as a full width trail with safe separation from transit and with grade separated crossings of all major roadways. It will be completed into downtown Silver Spring. Trail users are being asked to make a reasonable accommodation and can not fairly refuse to share the corridor with transit users.
The Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Georgetown will not be altered by the Purple Line. Neither the State, County or Purple Line NOW! propose using that section of the Georgetown Branch right of way for transit.
The 4 mile Georgetown Branch segment between Bethesda and Silver Spring is a precious public corridor that can be shared by walkers, bikers and transit users. As the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) put it:
"A public right-of-way such as the Georgetown Branch is a community asset that should be designed to serve the broadest population possible. It will take commitment and creativity to make sure that this valuable transportation corridor will serve everyone: transit users, cyclists, and pedestrians. WABA is committed to making that happen."
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
PLN agrees that the CCT/MBT should meet or exceed national standards for hiker-biker trails. For more on how the Purple Line can work in harmony with the Capital Crescent Trail and urban spaces, please click on any of the related links below:
- A proven idea: Rails with trails
- A safer CCT:The Purple Line will make the trail safer.
- Pedestrian friendly: Light rail mixes well with pedestrians.
- Green tracks: Light rail will be green.
For information on why the Purple Line is needed to complete the Capital Crescent Trail, visit Silver Spring Trails
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