It’s Rail vs. Bus in Purple Line Battle

Should we build the Purple Line here, or just scrap it and run it as a bus line there?

That might be the question for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley when he considers the proposed Purple Line route along Georgetown Branch Trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring.

At least that's what Pam Browning and tree & trail supporters, who joined Browning at the "No Rail on the Trail" 10k run and walking tour Saturday, are hoping.

The current project, which has the backing of Montgomery and Prince George's County officials and both counties' executives, calls for the construction of a light-rail line along trail. It's estimated to cost $1.2 billion.

Browning and her fellow trail advocates told The Washington Post that the trail is an irreplaceable resource. They want a rapid bus line along Jones Bridge Road, north of downtown Bethesda, instead -- an option they say would be less expensive and more "fiscally responsible" in these hard economic times.

But those who support the Purple Line, like Webb Smedley of Purple Line NOW, argue that "the project would ensure the improvement of the trail to Silver Spring with safe road crossings."

"The trail will change, trees will have to be cut down, but new trees will be planted," Smedley told the Post.