The Purple Line may be delayed another 218 days because utility relocations are taking longer than expected. 

The light rail line from New Carrollton to Bethesda is scheduled to open in fall 2026, but that could push to as late as spring 2027, according to documents filed late last year.  The monthly progress reports are part of the regular reporting to bondholders of the project. The Washington Post first reported on the news.

The Maryland Department of Transportation says the contract date for opening has not changed and is working to mitigate the issue and catch up to schedule. 

“We are working on resequencing across the project alignment to achieve greater efficiency,” MDOT said in a statement. “In addition, the Purple Line Team is evaluating several options to accelerate work by adjusting maintenance of traffic, progressing certain work concurrently instead of sequentially, and improving coordination with utilities.

“Building a complex transportation project through a 16-mile corridor of vibrant and active communities is never going to be an easy task,” an MDOT spokesperson said in an email.

The project was already nearly five years behind schedule. Construction could now take nearly double the time that it was initially estimated.