From the California bullet train to the Honolulu rail project, is anyone ever really surprised when rail projects encounter delays and cost overruns?

In Maryland, the 16-mile Purple Line, which will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, has been under construction since August 2017. According to Purple Line Transit Partners, the construction is at least a year behind schedule. The line won’t be carrying passengers until February 2023, a year behind the promised opening date of March 2022.

As if the initial price tag of $5.6 billion were not enough, construction delays will add at least $215 million to the Purple Line’s costs.

As early as 2015, a Maryland Public Policy Institute study warned that the project would likely exceed original cost projections.

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