The Purple Line is a new 16.2 mile, light rail transit line, running east-west between Bethesda, Maryland, and New Carrollton, Maryland. The first direct suburb-to-suburb rail link in the region, the project will connect five major activity centers just north of Washington DC with a total of 21 stations and platforms. It will also link commuters to existing transit, helping to ease the notoriously congested Capital Beltway region.