Purple Line NOW News - November 27, 2024
In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
-
What's Happening at PLN?
- Your Donations Matched During the Holiday Season!
-
Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
- Fall Community Advisory Team Meetings Presentations Available
- In Case You Missed It - A Round-Up of Newsworthy Items
- Construction Updates
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN? |
Your Donations Matched During Holiday Season!
We are grateful for each and every one of our donors -- past and present! As we always do, we kick off our own fundraising season in the fall and ask that you consider including Purple Line NOW in your holiday given when possible.
***We are so fortunate that we have a long time donor who has matched donations each and every autumn for the past many years -- and we have just received word that they are going to match your donation again this year!!**
That means, if you give a gift, our donor will match that gift dollar-for-dollar until we reach our goal or the end of the campaign. We will bring you more specifics soon, but we are so grateful that our generous donor has offered to help make your gift even more impactful to the work we do!
Below is our list of donors who have given in the past twelve months. We appreciate each and every donation -- and if you don't see your name on the list, we hope you will consider renewing (or giving for the first time!)
Your support will be used to continue this newsletter and to continue our education forums. We meet every month to share information and keep abreast of all things Purple Line which helps us bring the latest news to you.
You can donate easily by clicking the PURPLE button below or the link right HERE.
Featured Donors
The Malloy and Sanders Family
Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater
Purple Line Transit Partners
Purple Line Corridor Coalition
Supporting Donors
Eric Talbot
Engineers
Elizabeth Barbehenn
Ralph Bennett
Nancy and Rob Soreng
Conductors
Nicholas Brand
Jose Galdamez
Gerrit Knaap
Greg Madden
Anita Morrison
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn
Commuters
Gus Bauman, John Carroll, Paul Goldman, Stacy Kaplowitz, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, William Strang, Jerry Withers
Passengers
Glen Bottoms, Tina Curry, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, Lucile Freeman, Richard Gollub, Francine Meyer, Judith Morenoff
HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR |
Fall 2024 Community Advisory Team Meetings Recordings and Presentations
The fall 2024 CAT meetings were held and the meeting presentations and recordings have been posted on their website. You can also catch all of their videos on their YouTube channel!
In Case You Missed It - A Round-Up of Newsworthy Items
- The Purple Line was featured at the Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures Light Rail Conference. Here's a short article about the planned presentation.
- The 7th Annual Talbot Avenue Bridge Lantern Walk to celebrate the newly reconstructed bridge, uniting neighborhoods once divided by racial division, was held on November 16 and honored Charlotte Coffield.You can view a short video of this year's walk on YouTube.
- A recent episode of MTA's Transit Times is dedicated to the Women in Transit and features MTA Director of Metro Operations Carissa Nichols and MTA Electronic Technician Aesha Darby discussing their careers and group support and participation.
- For those readers who live or work in the Baltimore area, save the date for the 2nd Annual City for All Forum on Transportation on Saturday, January 25 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Turner Auditorium 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore MD. Delegate Robbyn Lewis on behalf of Baltimore City House Delegation is organizing the event which will be free and open to the public. Registration will be required. More information to come.
- Purple Line NOW has been given permission to reprint this stunning piece of art entitled "Purple Line Construction" by the very talented local artist Chris Luckman! Her painting has been accepted into the Rockville Art League Winter Members Show and the exhibit will be at Glenview Mansion from December 8 - January 17. There is an opening reception on December 8, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm and all are welcome! Thank you to Chris for capturing the hardworking Purple Line crews all along the project's corridor!
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES |
The November newsletter is out from the Purple Line Outreach Team.
Some photos from social media we thought you'd enjoy!
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STAY CONNECTED |
Get Connected
Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.
Purple Line NOW News - November 13, 2024
Purple Line NOW has been given permission to reprint this stunning piece of art entitled "Purple Line Construction" by the very talented local artist Chris Luckman! Her painting has been accepted into the Rockville Art League Winter Members Show and the exhibit will be at Glenview Mansion from December 8 - January 17. There is an opening reception on December 8, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm and all are welcome.
Thank you to Chris for capturing the hardworking Purple Line crews all along the project's corridor!
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In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
-
What's Happening at PLN?
- Purple Line NOW Needs Your Help!
-
Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
- Fall Community Advisory Team Meetings Presentations Available
- Baltimore Area Transportation Forum
- Construction Updates
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN? |
Purple Line NOW Needs Your Help!
When the autumn leaves start to fall, so does our budget over here at Purple Line NOW. We schedule our fundraising appeal each year at the time when we need it most -- and that time is now! We hope, if you haven't had a chance to consider a donation to Purple Line NOW, you might at this time. And, if you have been a previous donor, but do not see your name on our donor list, that you might consider renewing your donation for the upcoming year.
Our coffers are low and we hope that if you are able you will consider supporting our efforts as we head into the new year (and one step closer to opening day!)
A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports Purple Line NOW!
Below is our list of donors who have given in the past twelve months. We appreciate each and every donation -- and if you don't see your name on the list, we hope you will consider renewing (or giving for the first time!)
Your support will be used to continue this newsletter and to continue our education forums. We meet every month to share information and keep abreast of all things Purple Line which helps us bring the latest news to you.
You can donate easily by clicking the PURPLE button below or the link right HERE.
Featured Donors
The Malloy and Sanders Family
Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater
Purple Line Transit Partners
Purple Line Corridor Coalition
Supporting Donors
Eric Talbot
Engineers
Elizabeth Barbehenn
Ralph Bennett
John Robinson
Ben Ross
Nancy and Rob Soreng
Conductors
Nicholas Brand
Jose Galdamez
Gerrit Knaap
Greg Madden
Anita Morrison
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn
Commuters
Gus Bauman, John Carroll, Paul Goldman, Peter Gray, Stacy Kaplowitz, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Ray Nosbaum, William Strang, Jerry Withers
Passengers
Glen Bottoms, Tina Curry, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, Lucile Freeman, Richard Gollub, Francine Meyer, Judith Morenoff, Mark Posner, Tom Quinn
HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR |
Fall 2024 Community Advisory Team Meetings Recordings and Presentations
The fall 2024 CAT meetings were held and the meeting presentations and recordings have been posted on their website.
Baltimore Area Transportation Event
For those readers who live or work in the Baltimore area, save the date for the 2nd Annual City for All Forum on Transportation on Saturday, January 25 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Turner Auditorium 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore MD. Delegate Robbyn Lewis on behalf of Baltimore City House Delegation is organizing the event which will be free and open to the public. Registration will be required. More information to come.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES |
Construction Updates
Here's a quick video from Maryland Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II on fall progress.
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STAY CONNECTED |
Get Connected
Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.
Purple Line NOW News - October 2, 2024 Inbox
In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
-
What's Happening at PLN?
- Help Purple Line NOW Kick Off Fall Fundraising Campaign!
-
Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
- Fall Community Advisory Team Meetings Set
- Purple Line MD Newsletter is Out
-
Construction Updates
- Georgia Avenue Lane Closure
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN? |
Purple Line NOW Kicks Off Fall Fundraising Campaign
We are dedicating this newsletter to kick off our fall fundraising campaign! We'll resume bringing you news and Purple Line updates in the next newsletter, as well as an update on how our campaign is going. This time of year is tough on our checkbook -- our fundraising from the previous year winds down, our treasurer gets nervous, and so we reach out to our supporters to help.
Typically, we launch our fall fundraising campaign at our September forum, but this year, we were so excited to jump to our special guest, Secretary of Transportation for Maryland, Paul Wiedefeld, that we held off our appeal until today. Each year, in the fall, instead of holding a special event fundraiser, we ask each of you to consider a donation to help us continue our work. In fact, it is the only way we fundraise and the only way we keep our train moving!
A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports Purple Line NOW!
Below is our list of donors who have given in the past twelve months. We appreciate each and every donation -- and if you don't see your name on the list, we hope you will consider renewing (or giving for the first time!)
Your support will be used to continue this newsletter and to continue our education forums. We meet every month to share information and keep abreast of all things Purple Line which helps us bring the latest news to you.
You can donate easily by clicking the PURPLE button below or the link right HERE.
Featured Donors
The Malloy and Sanders Family
Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater
Purple Line Transit Partners
Purple Line Corridor Coalition
Supporting Donors
Eric Talbot
Engineers
Elizabeth Barbehenn
Ralph Bennett
John Robinson
Ben Ross
Nancy and Rob Soreng
Conductors
Nicholas Brand
Jose Galdamez
Gerrit Knaap
Greg Madden
Anita Morrison
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn
Commuters
Gus Bauman, John Carroll, Paul Goldman, Peter Gray, Stacy Kaplowitz, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Ray Nosbaum, William Strang, Jerry Withers
Passengers
Glen Bottoms, Tina Curry, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, Lucile Freeman, Richard Gollub, Francine Meyer, Judith Morenoff, Mark Posner, Tom Quinn
HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR |
Fall 2024 Community Advisory Team Meetings Set
The fall 2024 Community Advisory Team meetings have been set and will be held virtually. You can find more information here.
Silver Spring CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 PM
College Park CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 6:00 PM
Long Branch CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 10, 2024 6:00 PM
Riverdale Park/New Carrollton CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 6:00 PM
Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 17, 2024 6:00 PM
University Boulevard CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 6:00 PM
Bethesda/Chevy Chase CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 12:00 PM
Purple Line MD September Newsletter is Up
You can find their latest (September) newsletter on their website.
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES |
Construction Update - Georgia Avenue
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STAY CONNECTED |
Get Connected
Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.
Purple Line NOW News - September 12, 2024
In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:
-
What's Happening at PLN?
- Highlights from Purple Line NOW Forum
- Fundraising Appeal -- We Need Your Support!
-
Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
- Fall Community Advisory Team Meetings Set
Share This Newsletter
Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN? |
Highlights from Purple Line NOW Forum
We had a wonderful turnout last Wednesday evening for the Purple Line NOW Forum featuring Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld.
We are grateful to the Secretary for his time to bring us up-to-date on the project and to help answer the many questions our attendees had for the panel. We were equally delighted to be joined by Ray Biggs II, Purple Line Senior Project Director, for Maryland Transit Administration, Doran Bosso, CEO of Purple Line Transit Partners, Evan Glass, Montgomery County Councilmember (At-Large), Chair, Transportation & Environment Committee (T&E), and Eric Olson, Prince George’s County Councilmember (District 3), Chair, Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee (TIEE).
Each member of the panel, whose bios are linked here, brought us up to date on all the activity happening along the corridor and in their neck of the woods and each offered thoughtful answers to questions posed to them during the forum.
Not only was the discussion in-depth and interesting (and offered lots of exciting tidbits!), the answers to our questions provided a roadmap for the next few years. Here's a little taste of some of those questions, but we encourage you to view the forum for all of the great content and info!
- The project has blown past the half-way mark and is now 68% done!
- Testing of some of the new rail cars will happen on Veterans Parkway this fall!
- Almost all of the stations along the route are under construction -- nearly 16 of 21 stations!
- Four of the 28 light rail vehicles (LRV) have already arrived with more due in the coming months!
- And finally, nearly 100% of the utility relocation is now complete!
The panel was asked how they are working on keeping the lines of communication open and the relationship healthy between the owner (the state of Maryland) and the concessionaire (Purple Line Transit Partners) and the Secretary spoke about how the teams meet regularly, every two weeks, from the contractor, the designer, and others to update each other and work through any issues that arise. Doran Bosso, CEO of PLTP and Secretary Wiedefeld also meet on a much more regular basis, as well.
The team confirmed that students and faculty at the University of Maryland will be able to ride free between five Purple Line stations on or near campus.
One of the most popular questions from our attendees, no big surprise, is whether the Capital Crescent Trail is still on schedule to open between Bethesda and Silver Spring in spring of 2026. We were relieved to hear Senior Project Director Ray Biggs confirm that they are still on schedule to open by then!
We were thrilled that the Silver Spring Transit Center and other stations re-opened on time at the end of August after the summer closure. Councilmember Glass announced that the county will be keeping some of the bus lanes (that were used to expedite travel during the closure) open through the fall.
The panel was asked what they thought the next three years might look like as far as the Purple Line is concerned. By mid-2026, the project should be nearing the end of major construction and heading into track and train testing, so even though revenue service (a fancy phrase for 'opening day') won't occur until 2027, construction pains and headaches should disappear as they move into the next phase.
With a heartfelt thanks to Secretary Wiedefeld and our outstanding and knowledgeable panel, and you, our attendees who ask the best questions and stay informed every step of the way, we are grateful to everyone who helped make this evening a success! A special shout-out to the PLTP Beyond the Rails Grant Program for helping us make the evening happen through a grant awarded to Purple Line NOW!
Fundraising Appeal -- We Need Your Support!
This morning during our monthly Executive Committee meeting, our treasurer encouraged us to begin our fall fundraising efforts as quickly as possible. We are grateful to all of you who have supported us year in and year out, and to those who help whenever they can. Purple Line NOW exists on a skinnier-than-skinny budget, but with the help of a large team of volunteers and your donations, we are able to bring this newsletter and lots of other educational information, including our forums, to you. With your permission, we will list you as a donor at the event, on our website, and in any other printed materials for a year following your gift.
If you were able to attend the forum and found the information useful, we hope you will consider a donation to our organization to help us continue our work.
You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!
HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR |
Fall 2024 Community Advisory Team Meetings Set
The fall 2024 Community Advisory Team meetings have been set and will be held virtually. You can find more information here.
Silver Spring CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 PM
College Park CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 6:00 PM
Long Branch CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 10, 2024 6:00 PM
Riverdale Park/New Carrollton CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 6:00 PM
Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 17, 2024 6:00 PM
University Boulevard CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 6:00 PM
Bethesda/Chevy Chase CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 12:00 PM
STAY CONNECTED |
Get Connected
Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.