We hope to see you at the College Park Purple Line forum THIS Thursday, January 10 at City Hall! Please forward this email to any folks who live, work, study, or play in College Park. We have an AWESOME program planned - jam-packed with terrific speakers who will highlight the economic development occurring in College Park and update us on plans as the project becomes a reality.

A few things to know about the evening:

• The event is on Thursday, January 10, 2019, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at City Hall in College Park (4500 Knox Road, College Park, MD  20740). If you are driving, please get your free parking pass from the front lobby window.
• We will have a Meet and Greet from 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Because of the number of speakers on our panel, we will start the program portion of the evening promptly at 7 pm.

Seats are filling and we are looking forward to a great crowd for our panel that evening. Attendance, as always, is free and open to the public and media, but your seat must be reserved in advance. Seating is limited to the first 100 folks with reservations.

Speakers for the forum include:

• Fred Craig, Chief Executive Officer of the Purple Line Transit Partners
• Bradley Frome, Senior Policy Advisor to the Prince George's County Executive
• Anna McLaughlin, Assistant Director of Sustainability at the University of Maryland’s Department of Transportation
• George Trujillo, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management, for University of Maryland University College
• The Honorable Patrick Wojahn, Mayor of College Park

As you can see, this is going to be a very informative evening for the community and we hope you will join us!

Media is invited and inquiries can be made to Christine Scott,[email protected].

Purple Line NOW exists only on donations from individuals and businesses who care about the Purple Line - we don't have corporate underwriters and we are not funded by any government entity. Because of your generosity, we are able to bring you information-packed newsletters, educational and informative programs like the one above, and provide a conduit for community issues regarding the project to the folks who can help solve them. We do a lot on a very skinny budget and volunteer elbow grease! If you've benefited by our services or enjoy the information we bring to you, we hope you will consider becoming a sponsor of our programs.

Every penny is important to us and we appreciate all levels of sponsorship! Please consider joining your neighbors and friends who proudly support Purple Line NOW. Your name will appear at all events and on all promotional materials for a year following your donation. The benefits of sponsorship are listed on our website and donating is easy - just follow this link: I'd like to become a sponsor!

We are grateful for you and all you do for the communities in which we live and work.

Christine Scott, Executive Director

From all of us here at Purple Line NOW to all our supporters - we wish you a very Happy Holiday and a bright and happy New Year! The turn of the calendar brings us closer to the day when we will all take our first ride on the Purple Line!

Before heading off for your holiday break, please take a moment to read our reminders below. 

1) If you haven't already done so, make sure you have signed up to attend our next Envisioning the Purple Line Forum on January 10, 2019, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at City Hall in College Park. We are pleased to report that seats are filling and we are looking forward to a great crowd for our terrific panel that evening. Attendance, as always, is free and open to the public and media, but your seat must be reserved in advance. Seating is limited to the first 100 folks with reservations.

Speakers for this forum will include College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn, Purple Line Transit Partners CEO Fred Craig, Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George's County Economic Development & Public Infrastructure Bradley Frome, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management, for University of Maryland University College George Trujillo, and Anna McLaughlin, Assistant Director of Sustainability at the University of Maryland’s Department of Transportation. As you can see, this is going to be a very informative evening for the community and we hope you will join us!

Media is invited and inquiries can be made to Christine Scott,[email protected].

2) As the year comes to a close, we hope you will include us in your annual giving. We exist only on donations from individuals and businesses who care about the Purple Line - we don't have corporate underwriters and we are not funded by any government entity. Because of your generosity, we are able to bring you information-packed newsletters, educational and informative programs, and provide a conduit for community issues regarding the project to the folks who can help solve them. We do a lot on a very skinny budget and volunteer elbow grease! If you've benefited by our services or enjoy the information we bring to you, we hope you will consider becoming a sponsor of our programs. We appreciate all levels of sponsorship - so do consider joining your neighbors and friends who proudly support Purple Line NOW. Your name will appear at all events and on all promotional materials for a year following your donation. The benefits of sponsorship are listed on our website and donating is easy - just follow this link: I'd like to become a sponsor!

Thank you for helping to make this year one of progress for this outstanding project. We are grateful for you and all you do for the communities in which we live and work.

Season's Greetings!

Christine Scott, Executive Director

We were shocked and saddened to learn this morning that longtime Purple Line supporter, former Purple Line NOW board member, Rockville resident, pollster, and dreamer of big dreams, Keith Haller passed away yesterday, far too soon, at age 70. We are still processing the news, but wanted to immediately express our gratitude for his support after the 2014 election, when he helped explain the value of the Purple Line to the incoming Governor and convey his grand vision for the bright economic future of the project. We also appreciate his role in supporting local media as a co-founder of Maryland Matters, which is already playing a vital role in covering local news in a time when such journalism is under threat or already lost in much of the nation. We regret that we won’t be able to take the first ride on the Purple Line with you, Keith, but your legacy will live on in your work to make our county more prosperous and better informed.

Reserve Your Seat NOW - Space is Limited!

If you haven't already done so, please mark your calendar for the next Purple Line NOW forum on January 10, 2019, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at City Hall in College Park.

Attendance, as always, is free and open to the public and media, but your seat must be reserved in advance. Seating is limited to the first 100 folks with reservations, so make sure to save your seat.

Plan to come and hear what is happening right now in College Park and what is on the horizon once the project is completed. The speakers for this forum will include College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn, Purple Line Transit Partners CEO Fred Craig, Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George's County Economic Development & Public Infrastructure Bradley Frome, Associate Vice President, Facilities Management, for University of Maryland University College George Trujillo, and Anna McLaughlin, Assistant Director – Sustainability, UMD Department of Transportation Services. As you can see, this is going to be a very informative evening for the community and we hope you will join us!

Media is invited and inquiries can be made to Christine Scott,[email protected].

Please Consider Becoming a Purple Line NOW Sponsor

Purple Line NOW exists because generous individuals, businesses, and organizations support us by becoming a sponsor of the Envisioning the Purple Line series. The financial support we receive from your sponsorship allows us to put on these events, provide educational newsletters and information about ongoing construction issues, and keep abreast of any hurdles along the way.

Please take a moment to become a sponsor - your name will appear at all events and on all promotional materials for a year following your donation. The benefits of sponsorship are listed on our website and donating is easy - just follow this link: I'd like to become a sponsor! There are several levels of sponsorship - and we appreciate them all! Thank you for considering us in your holiday giving this year - we appreciate you more than you know.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW

Have You Heard About the Purple Line’s Railcars?

We have been updating you for several months about the construction of tunnels and right-of-ways for the Purple Line. However, one of the most exciting things for us are the railcars themselves, as the rails alone don’t transport you anywhere! The biggest news about the railcars themselves is the innovative design that came out of the contract competition. As you might remember, Maryland paid each of the companies a fee so that they could keep the best ideas from each proposal. One of the more inventive ideas was to use only a single modular railcar rather than two railcars, back-to-back, which is the default for light rail systems around the country. This style is increasingly common in railcars, including heavy rail, around the world but new to the United States.

These open gangways mean about 10% more capacity for the cars, which holds 80 people seated and up to 431 people shoulder-to-shoulder. There’s also planned wall racks for bikes to allow them to fit in even when the trains are crowded. The railcars' maximum speed is 50 miles per hour, with an average speed of 20 miles per hour across the 90% dedicated right of way. At 136 feet across five modules, the Purple Line will have the longest railcars in America as reported by Greater Greater Washington. The manufacturer is the Spanish firm CAF which also made the Cincinnati streetcar. The steel frames are fabricated in Spain and then shipped to Elmira, New York for assembly. There’s a drive test track in New York to test them on, but final testing after assembly will be at the Glendridge yard in Prince George’s County.

We had an early peek at the arriving railcar frames on Twitter. At the last Envisioning the Purple Line forum in July, Fred Craig, CEO of Purple Line Transit Partners, gave a positive update on the manufacturing process and commented on how quiet the light rail vehicles are. He compared the noise they produce to that of an electric car, though of course they will have bells and other options to make noise when needed. Fred Craig also compared the cars to rolling computers and we look forward to sharing more with you about their features as we learn more. Towards the end of 2019, we’ll have a chance to see them in action, running back and forth on a test track at the Glenridge facility.

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

Just a note - the next edition of the Purple Line Now NEWS will be delivered on January 9, 2019. In the meantime, we wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season. Once again, a great big thank you for your interest and your time in making this project come to life!

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Please feel free to share this bi-weekly newsletter with others who may appreciate information about the project. As always, if you have any feedback on how we can improve the newsletter, drop us a line! 

If you find the information contained in our newsletter useful, please consider a donation to us - we are a not-for-profit organization with an active group of volunteers and one quarter-time employee. We operate on a bare-bones budget and appreciate every donation we receive.

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.

Mark Your Calendar and Reserve Your Seat

If you haven't already done so, please mark your calendar for the next Purple Line NOW forum on January 10, 2019, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at City Hall in College Park!

Attendance, as always, is free and open to the public and media, but your seat must be reserved in advance. Seating is limited to the first 100 folks with reservations, so make sure to save your seat.

Plan to come and hear what is happening right now in College Park and what is on the horizon once the project is completed. The speakers for this forum will include College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn, Purple Line Transit Partners CEO Fred Craig, Bradley Frome, Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George's County Economic Development & Public Infrastructure, and representatives from both University of Maryland University College and The University of Maryland. As you can see, this is going to be a very informative evening for the community and we hope you will join us!

Media is invited and inquiries can be made to Christine Scott,[email protected].

Become a Sponsor and Help Us Continue These Terrific Events

Purple Line NOW exists because generous individuals, businesses, and organizations support us by becoming a sponsor of the Envisioning the Purple Line series. The financial support we receive from your sponsorship allows us to put on these events, provide educational newsletters and information about ongoing construction issues, and keep abreast of any hurdles along the way.

Please take a moment to become a sponsor - your name will appear at all events and on all promotional materials for a year following your donation. The benefits of sponsorship are listed on our website and donating is easy - just follow this link: I'd like to become a sponsor! There are several levels of sponsorship - and we appreciate them all! Thank you for considering us in your holiday giving this year - we appreciate you more than you know.

Purple Line NOW is Thankful for Supporters Like YOU

We hope you all had a good Thanksgiving! In the lead up to ours, Purple Line fans and other transit supporters participated in the Silver Spring Thanksgiving Parade. We are thankful for those bringing the Purple Line into reality and for everyone constructively participating with the Community Advisory Teams as both suggestions and critiques provide valuable feedback. If you would like to see more pictures of the multi-modal parade marchers, check out a small collection we’ve shared on our Facebook page, courtesy of Action Committee for Transit.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW

Lyttonsville Bridge On Pace to Reopen Next Month

The reconstruction of Lyttonsville Place bridge appears to be on schedule to deliver before the calendar turns to 2019

When we last visited the construction site in mid-September, the abutments (i.e. support elements) on either side of the bridge were just beginning to take shape. But, as you will see in the pictures below, a lot has happened since then.

In addition to Purple Line trains, the Capital Crescent Trail will travel underneath the bridge against far wall in above photo

The biggest change is that the steel girders that form the backbone of the bridge have been put into place. Next, concrete will be poured into the structure to form the roadway.

It appears construction of the bridge has entered the final stage, but there's still much that needs to occur before the bridge can reopen to vehicular traffic. Among other things, the concrete and stone parapets need to be built, the road needs to be paved and the connection to Brookville Road needs to be completed. Nonetheless, judging by the progress made so far, it shouldn't be long now before this vital neighborhood link is restored.

The new bridge will intersect Brookville Road approximately 50 feet northeast of its old location

The timing of the bridge replacement is fortuitous because the old bridge, which was constructed in 1966, had exceeded its useful life. In recent years, access was restricted to heavier vehicles due to its deteriorating condition. If the bridge were not being replaced as part of construction on the Purple Line, the county would have needed to spend several million dollars to replace the deck. 

Another view of Lyttonsville Place bridge from Brookville Road

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

Upcoming Community Advisory Team (CAT) Meetings

• Glenridge – November 29,  Purple Line Project Office (6811 Kenilworth Avenue - 1st Floor Training Room, Riverdale, MD 20737 from 6:30 – 8 pm.
• Lyttonsville – December 4, Rosemary Hills Elementary School (All Purpose Room) 2111 Porter Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910 from 7 – 8:30 pm.
• University Boulevard – December 6, Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School, (Multi-Purpose Room), 8201 15th Avenue, Langley Park, MD 20783 from 6:30 – 8 pm.

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Please feel free to share this bi-weekly newsletter with others who may appreciate information about the project. As always, if you have any feedback on how we can improve the newsletter, drop us a line! 

If you find the information contained in our newsletter useful, please consider a donation to us - we are a not-for-profit organization with an active group of volunteers and one quarter-time employee. We operate on a bare-bones budget and appreciate every donation we receive.

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.