By: Jan Carlo Marin

The Purple Line — the new light-rail commuter train route that will connect New Carrolton and Bethesda via College Park — is dividing the University of Maryland campus in more ways than one.

As workers put the finishing touches on tracks in the middle of Campus Drive, the construction has made it difficult to cross from the north side of campus to the south, and vice versa. On top of that, there’s a great divide about whether the Purple Line is even worth the effort.

The Purple Line aims to improve the way students, faculty, staff, and visitors access campus. The goal is to enhance commutes to make it easier for students to travel to internships, and give easier access to nearby amenities. By constructing a light rail on campus, it will reduce the number of vehicles operated on campus. 

The Purple Line is a 16-mile light line that will extend from Bethesda,  in Montgomery  County to New Carrollton,  in Prince George’s  County. It will provide a direct connection to the Metrorail Red, Green, and Orange lines. 

Project Manager Casey Ferraro, who assists with the Purple Line coordination efforts at the University of Maryland College Park, said the light rail line will connect to MARC and Amtrak but also will have 21 total stations. Five are on the UMD campus. 

But many University of Maryland students, frustrated by the continual construction on campus, ask: when will it be finished?

The Purple Line construction on the UMD campus is expected to be completed in 2025, while the majority of the construction along the entire route will be done by  2027. The Purple Line is scheduled  to begin carrying passengers in December 2027.

Ferraro said that the original design build contractor ended up quitting the project in 2020 due to unsettled claims regarding work order changes. But in late 2021, the current contractor came on board and resumed work on the continuation of the project after inflation and labor shortages that impacted the construction. 

The total cost of this construction project is estimated at $9.53 billion, about $4 billion over the initial budget in 2016 of $5.6 billion. 

As the project manager, it’s Ferraro’s job to handle complaints that occurred from the students at the University. She said workers are trying to accelerate the construction and finish the work on campus as soon as possible. 

But some students aren’t satisfied – and question whether the Purple Line should have even  been built through the center of campus.

 “I’m worried about pedestrians crossing and walking to class, and how the Purple Line being pretty much central to campus is going to affect walk times to class and with also students can be reckless sometimes,” said Geri Cabunoc, a sophomore studying criminology and criminal justice with a minor in neuroscience “So I just have concerns about the safety and livelihood of the student body.” 

She said she isn’t pleased to see construction on campus overall. “It’s kind of just sad to see that the construction has gone on pretty much since I came to Maryland. And it’s not going to be done until after I’m gone,” said Cabunco. 

Many other students also complained about construction on campus.

“Sometimes there’s a lot of noise going on,” said Faith Rueda, a junior majoring in psychology. “Sometimes they can be distracting when you have a class with a window that’s facing construction, you can just look outside and see what’s going on.

Krystal Tavares, a senior studying in supply chain management and marketing, said she doesn’t think the Purple Line is a great idea because of how it cuts right through the middle of campus. She is in her final year on the University of Maryland’s Dance team, and she said it can be difficult whenever her and her teammates drive to practice every day.

“So we constantly driving through the construction. And it can get a little difficult because every other day, like the driving path of Lot One is changing due to the construction,” Tavares said.. “I feel like a lot of parking spots are being taken away from students because of the construction.”

She said the Purple Line isn’t necessary, adding that her friends have been impacted by the noise, disrupting their sleep schedule. Sometimes they are woken up at 6 a.m.

“I was also thinking about the suicide rates and everything,” Tavares said.  “If the Metro is just right in the middle of campus, let’s say someone is having a bad day, they’ve been thinking about committing suicide. It’s not an easy way but the most feasible, just like I hate to say, but like stepping in front of the train, I feel like that’s just not good for UMD at all,” said Tavares. 

Still, the Purple Line has its supporters, such as Caleb White, a junior studying digital media., He said the transit route will be a great addition to the Washington metro area.

“I know many students, they’re kind of tired walking across campus and just seeing construction everywhere, all the noise and stuff like that,” White said. “I kind of minded at first because the campus isn’t as beautiful as it used to be, but every Maryland student has to go through the phase of construction.”