We previously reported that, in August, Maryland announced plans to utilize a public-private partnership (“P3”) to build and operate its $2.2 billion light rail project known as the Purple Line, which will run between Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. This past Tuesday marked the deadline for companies competing to be the project’s private partner to respond to a Request for Qualifications to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the Purple Line project.
According to the Maryland Department of Transportation (“MDOT”), six groups comprised of local, national, and worldwide private companies made submissions. Those groups are: (1) M-PG Connect LLC (Plenary Group USA Ltd. and Bechtel Development Company Inc.); (2) Maryland Purple Line Partners (VINCI Concessions, Walsh Investors, InfraRed Capital Partners, ALSTOM Transport, and Keolis S.A.); (3) Maryland Transit Connectors (John Laing Investments Limited, Kiewit Development Company, and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate LLC); (4) Purple Line Development Partners (CSCEC and United Labor Life Insurance Company, Inc.); (5) Purple Line Transit Partners (Meridiam Infrastructure Purple Line, LLC, Fluor Enterprises, Inc., and Star America Fund GP LLC); and (6) Purple Plus Alliance LLC Proposer (Macquarie Capital Group and Skanska Infrastructure Development Inc.).
In January, MDOT plans to select no more than four of these groups to submit a detailed proposal for the Purple Line project by next fall. MDOT will then choose the winning proposal by early 2015. The private partner is expected to contribute between $400-900 million, and additional funding for the project will come from the federal government. If that federal funding is obtained, MDOT predicts that construction of the Purple Line will begin in the spring of 2015 with services planned to begin in 2020.