A consortium led by US engineer Fluor has been chosen to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a 26km light rail system in the suburbs of Washington DC.
The Fluor team will build the line, and its 21 stations, through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties for the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Administration.
It will then operate the line for 36 years, a deal that is worth a total of $3.3bn, the Washington Post reports.
The Purple Line Transit Partners are Fluor, the Lane Construction Corporation, Traylor Bros; the lead designer is Atkins North America.
Design and construction will begin this year with passenger service scheduled for early 2022.
The line will provide connections to several existing transit providers and improve mobility to economic centres and the University of Maryland in College Park.
It is hoped that project will support community regeneration and development along the corridor.
Hans Dekker, president of Fluor’s infrastructure business, said: "We are proud to enter into a long-term partnership with the state of Maryland and will design, build, finance, operate and maintain this world-class transit link using our proven integrated lifecycle approach."
Images via The Purple Line’s Facebook page
