The Purple Line won’t go into service until at least mid-2027.

The long-awaited light rail line faces another construction-related delay, this time due to unexpected complications moving utility lines.

The additional seven months come on top of other delays that put the project four and a half years behind schedule. The 16-mile transit line was originally supposed to open last year.

The project’s backers had hoped that a new contractor, the end of the pandemic and the resolution of lawsuits from Chevy Chase residents would mean a fresh start.

State officials told the Washington Post, which first obtained the report that included the new delay, that they are looking for other ways to speed up construction.

“Building a complex transportation project through a 16-mile corridor of vibrant and active communities is never going to be an easy task,” spokesman David Abrams said.

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