The Purple Line will make it easier to drink local beer at Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring. Image by Photo by Dan Reed. used with permission.

In case you haven't been following, efforts to build the Purple Line, a light rail system that would run from New Carrollton to Bethesda, has been met with a challenge or two. A federal appeals court recently said construction can begin, and while the project is not a done deal yet, the news got a few people talking about how great the Purple Line will be.

Below is GGWash commenter J-Train-21's response to hearing that a US appeals court had reinstated the Purple Line's environmental approval, which judge Richard Leon revoked in May. While the Purple Line will mean economic growth and access to opportunity, much of it for Maryland residents who need it, it will also mean, simply, more options for enjoying all our region has to offer.

J-Train-21 says it well:

The other day my wife and I wanted to go the new Denizens Brewery in Silver Spring. How nice, we thought, if we could hop on the Purple Line so we don't have to worry about one of us limiting the beer sampling to one pint so we could drive home safely (or possibly miss a bus with 20-30 minute headways that will be stuck in E-W Highway Traffic).

We are marathoners, and how nice it would be to run on an extended CCT all the way to Silver Spring to meet our other running friends there, instead of running to a random gravel lot by a warehouse and then finding our way along the streets mixed with car traffic when running to Silver Spring.

We are bikers too, and how nice it would be to ride on a paved CCT from Bethesda over to Jones Bridge Road (and not mixed in traffic on E-W Highway) so we can connect to Beach Dr / Rock Creek Park on the weekends to use the closed roads in the park. The gravel trail now is too hard on road bikes.

How nice would it be to take the Purple Line to the new SS Library, which we love, and not have to pay to park in the garage or circle around looking for street parking?

How nice would it be to have a one-seat ride over to College Park to take in a game in the fall?

We comment on the benefits of a PL all the time, and— hopefully— it can become a reality soon. The PL isn't just for PG County to reach points west. Some of us in Bethesda (who like living here because we can walk to our jobs) like to travel east for recreation, exercise, and other needs.

BUILD THIS NOW, secure the funding agreement. Let's get the PL party started.

Whether you're into running, cycling, library visits, or University of Maryland sports, the Purple Line is going to be your friend. How else could the Purple Line make the fun things in your life even more enjoyable?