Seattle’s purple streetcar.

Last month, Montgomery County endorsed light rail for the Purple line. It was a big win for responsible urbanism, but it wasn’t the end of the story. Two big hurdles remain:

• Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who will ultimately decide which option to pursue.
• The FTA, which (unless really drastic things happen at TEA time) will ultimately approve or deny Maryland’s application, and either provide or not provide a construction grant.

Given that the Purple line scores so well on FTA’s efficiency guidelines, the feds shouldn’t be a big problem. That leaves the governor’s office as the major question mark. O’Malley likes transit, but I’ve never heard him take a position on the BRT/LRT issue.

Until now. While reading a two-week-old WTOP article about the Montgomery County Council, I noticed this tidbit about the governor:

On WTOP’s Ask the Governor Program last week, Governor Martin O’Malley all but confirmed light rail will be the choice of the state, saying that option gives the most bang for the buck.

If true, the implication is that the Purple line is on track in a way it’s never been before – that at the moment, everything looks thumbs up.

Of course, it’s possible the recession will kill all capital expansion projects, and it’s possible the TEA update will redefine the Federal application process. Who knows. But as of right now, given the information we have, things look good.