When will the decision be made on whether to build the Red Line?

There are a number of steps that must be taken prior to a final decision. Public comments received at the public hearings and during the 90-day comment period, along with comments received from regulatory agencies, will be considered by the MTA in reaching an informed decision on the Locally Preferred Alternative. MTA and MDOT, in consultation with local government and elected officials, will identify the Locally Preferred Alternative and submit the Locally Preferred Alternative request and New Starts Package to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). If FTA concurs that the Locally Preferred Alternative merits consideration, FTA will approve proceeding to the next step of Preliminary Engineering/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PE/FEIS). This normally requires one to two years and includes addressing all outstanding issues and developing the project in greater detail. The PE/FEIS stage includes significant public participation. After completion of the PE/FEIS, approval is sought from FTA to move into Final Design engineering. This request likely will be made in 2010 - 2011. Typically, if a project moves into Final Design it ultimately will be constructed. Therefore, 2010 - 2011 likely will represent the time when a final decision is made on building the Red Line.

When could construction begin?

There are three major phases of the project that must be completed prior to construction. The Planning/Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase will be completed in early 2009, the Preliminary Engineering/Final Environmental Impact Statement phase in 2010 - 2011, and the Final Design/Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition phase in 2012 - 2013. Construction could be initiated at the completion of Final Design/ROW in 2012 - 2013. These dates are contingent upon both federal and state funds being available for the project.

When could the Red Line be in operation?

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 - 2013, contingent upon funding. The length of time to build the Red Line will depend upon the alternative selected. If an alternative is chosen that is predominantly at-grade, the construction timeframe could be three years. If an alternative is selected that includes a tunnel, four years for construction is more likely. Thus, the Red Line could be ready for passengers in the 2015 to 2016 timeframe.