We hope you were able to join us two weeks ago for the second Envisioning the Purple Line Forum where we received an outstanding update of the current status of the project and the path forward to ground breaking!
Maryland's Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn began the evening with a thorough update announcing that the Purple Line Transit Partners (the team awarded the contract to build the Purple Line) has already started pre-construction work in the lead-up to the actual groundbreaking later this fall. Secretary Rahn also explained the benefits of a Public-Private Partnership (P3) and how it will help the project stay on budget and be built within the designated time frame.
A knowledgeable and enthusiastic panel moderated by WAMU's Transportation Reporter Martin Di Caro delved into details of the steps remaining before the project moves forward. Dr. Qingbin Cui, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park, Charles Lattuca, Executive Director for Transit Development and Delivery at the Maryland Transit Administration, and Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal offered thoughtful and detailed analysis and examples of why a P3 makes sense for our region.
In case you missed it, the event was taped and can be viewed here: A Purple Line Update. A very hearty and grateful thanks to videographer John Wetmore for his contribution of skill and time!
 
Stay tuned to Purple Line NOW for the announcement of dates and locations for the next two events in the Envisioning the Purple Line Series.

We have had such a fantastic response to our second forum coming up this Thursday, April 21 that we have now closed registration as all of the seats have been reserved. If you are not sure if you have a reserved seat, contact us immediately so we can check for you. Unfortunately, due to fire marshal constraints and the size of the venue, we are unable to accommodate walk-ins, however, we are planning to tape the event, so check the Purple Line NOW website following the forum for a link to the event.

We do have a waiting list, so if this has been on your calendar as a tentative event, please contact our executive director Christine Scott ([email protected]) so she can add your name to the waiting list. We will let you know if any space becomes available as the event nears.

Thank you for all of your support of Purple Line NOW through the years. We have two more forums planned over the next few months and will let you know as soon as registration is open for those events.

Christine Scott
Executive Director

Purple Line NOW
http://www.purplelinenow.com/

**Event is currently FULL - please contact Christine Scott at [email protected] to put your name on waiting list**

A Purple Line Update - Where Are We Now? What Comes Next?
An overview from the state and counties' perspectives of the next steps for getting the project built - including an explanation of the Public Private Partnership and what it means for the Purple Line

THANKS TO OUR FORUM SPONSORS

Residents, businesses, and stakeholders located near the new transit line’s route are hungry for information about the Purple Line project. Over the next twelve months, PLN will host an informative and innovative series of individual forums led by leading experts in their fields. The varied topics will provide useful information to those impacted by the line, and a path forward as the project gets ready to break ground in 2016!

The second forum, A Purple Line Update - Where Are We Now? What Comes Next? will be held on April 21 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, Second Floor - George & Ruth Tretter Dance Studio, 7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, 20910, however we currently we have a waiting list. If you haven't RSVP'd and would like to attend, please contact Christine Scott and we will add you to the waiting list should space become available. 

We are thrilled to announce that Maryland's Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn will be our keynote speaker! WAMU's Transportation Reporter Martin DiCaro will moderate the forum and the panel will include Charles Lattuca, Maryland Transit Administration, Executive Director for Transit Development and Delivery, Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal, and Qingbin Cui, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

To become a sponsor, please click on this link, Sponsorship Information. For more information, please contact Christine Scott, Executive Director at [email protected] or call 301-500-0756.

On Thursday, members of the Board of Public Works (Governor Larry Hogan, Treasurer Nancy Kopp, and State Comptroller Peter Franchot) voted unanimously to approve the $5.6 billion contract. The Governor cited the line's role as an economic catalyst and Comptroller Franchot revealed that one of the reasons he supports the line is that it is one way to "tackle inequality as it connects communities with jobs," citing as an example the challenge of commuting by bus from Langley Park to Bethesda.

"This is an exciting day as the project has cleared another hurdle and had its financial bonafides verified. The hearing itself also was a valuable opportunity for both the Board of Public Works members and the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration representatives to explain the benefits of the project and to address the concerns of its critics," says Purple Line NOW's Vice President Greg Sanders who was at the State House in Annapolis for the decision this morning.

What does this mean and where do we go from here?

The next step will see Maryland's Department of Transportation working to finalize the full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA). In doing so, the project will then be able to break ground later this year! It is expected the first riders will board the Purple Line in Spring of 2022. More information about next steps can be found in Martin Di Caro's report: Maryland Wraps Up State-Level Approval Process For Purple Line.

Finally, Purple Line NOW wants to thank all parties that had a part in marking this important milestone: from Governor Hogan, his Secretary of Transportation, Pete Rahn, BPW members Nancy Kopp and Peter Franchot, to our terrific Prince George's and Montgomery County Executives, State and Federal Delegations, and County Councils, the newly named concessionaire Purple Line Transit Partners, our devoted and active Purple Line NOW Board and Team, and all of the hundreds of transit advocates who have worked so hard over the past 30 years to get us to this point.

Now, on to closing the contract and the FTA!

P.S. We hope you have already signed up for our April 21 forum entitled "Understanding the Public Private Partnership" at which Secretary Rahn will be keynoting! We are almost at capacity (there is limited space), so if you have not yet reserved your seat, please take a moment to do so.

Purple Line NOW
http://www.purplelinenow.com/