The trail is bustling with activity. Children are playing, bikers are commuting home from work and runners are trying to burn enough calories to indulge in their daily Starbucks macchiato.

Imagine that the trees and bikes have vanished. Instead, a train filled with commuters whizzes by every three minutes, past the fences of Chevy Chase residents.

The Capital Crescent trail runs from Georgetown to Silver Spring. A stretch of this trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring is under threat by the new Purple Line, a light-rail train. This 16-mile route will connect Prince George’s County to Montgomery County, easing travel for thousands of commuters.

Planning for the construction of the Purple Line began in 2003, and work is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2015, said Purple Line Project Manager Michael Madden.

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The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has garnered support for the train and has received permission from the county and the state to receive funding for construction. The line was originally projected to cost $1.2 billion, but the price has since doubled to nearly $2.4 billion.

The train will be constructed in place of the trail, and the trail will be rebuilt to run parallel to the line. Many people in the Bethesda community have voiced opposition to the train despite the plans to recreate the trail.

“I love the trail,” sophomore Dylan Cernea said. “I think it’s important that we keep the Capital Crescent trail for what it is.”

Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail is an organization that works to raise awareness about the problems the Bethesda community may face if the Purple Line is constructed. Organization president Ajay Bhatt joined the effort when he learned that the train could potentially replace his backyard.

“The trail represents a park behind my house,” Bhatt said. “I walk my dog and my child on the trail almost every day.”

Many people know about the Purple Line, but don’t realize exactly where it’s going to be, Bhatt said.

Social studies teacher Bob Mathis runs and bikes on the Capital Crescent trail every day before school. Cutting down trees would be detrimental to the environment, but public transportation takes precedence over protecting the flora of the neighborhood, he said.

“I want to preserve the trail, but I also believe in public transportation,” he said. “I can’t tell everyone to get on a bicycle like me.”

However, construction for the line will not completely destroy the trail. The section of the trail that is threatened is unpaved and stops in Silver Spring. MTA officials are working hard to create another safe and attractive trail, Madden said.

“It’s an emotional issue,” Mathis said. “But I think there can be a compromise.”

One of the Purple Line’s projected stops will be at the University of Maryland campus. Currently, to travel to College Park by metro, one must travel into D.C., switch trains, and ride back out to UMD.

“I would take [the Purple Line] if it’s a straight shot to Bethesda,” said senior Kourosh Ashtary-Yazdi, a prospective UMD student. “It’s a pain to have to switch lines at Metro Center.”

The MTA considered other locations for building the train. It believes that the current location for the Purple Line will minimize environmental and community impacts, improve traffic and transit operations, advance safety and reduce project costs.