In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Become a Purple Line NOW Donor
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Spring Community Advisory Team (CAT) Meetings Scheduled
  • Purple Line Equitable Housing Training Series
• Construction Updates
  • Interview with Art-in-Transit Artist
  • See the Purple Line Under Construction
  • Purple Line Officials Update Timeline for Spring Street Bridge Work
  • Purple Line Construction Updates to County Councils
  • Dynamic Testing for Maryland's Purple Line Light Rail Vehicles is Underway!
    
    

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Become a Purple Line NOW Donor

We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support we have received from so many in our community. This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our donors—people like you who believe in the power of public transportation to strengthen our communities. We couldn’t do what we do without your contributions which enable us to continue our mission of advocating for a successful Purple Line and a transit-friendly future.

Donations help sustain our efforts to produce our informative newsletters, host free forums, and work diligently to champion transit-friendly policies. These resources also help us support Purple Line-adjacent bills as they make their way through our general assembly and policies on a bi-county level that affect all of us.

If you didn't have an opportunity to give (or it slipped to the bottom of your to do pile!), we are always in need of financial support and appreciate every gift, no matter the season. You can donate by clicking on the purple "DONATE TODAY" link below.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Together, we are making a difference—one step closer to a brighter, better-connected Maryland!

Why Your Support Matters: With your help, Purple Line NOW can continue to advocate for this essential transit project that connects communities, reduces congestion, and promotes sustainable transportation. Your matched donation will directly support:

• Annual Community Forums: Engaging with key Purple Line and community leaders.
• Bi-weekly Newsletters: Keeping you informed with important updates and construction information.
• Community-wide Information Sharing: Through our quarterly board and monthly executive committee meetings.
• Connecting and Problem-Solving: Helping connect residents and workers with the right person on the project to solve problems or bring attention to an issue.

We Love Our Donors

Featured Donors
The Malloy and Sanders Family
Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater
Purple Line Corridor Coalition

Supporters
Elizabeth Barbehenn
Ben Ross
Eric Talbot

Engineers
Brian and Bee Ditzler
Isiah Leggett
John Robinson
Nancy and Rob Soreng

Conductors
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

Commuters
Anne Ambler & John Fay, Gus Bauman, Marney Bruce, John Carroll, Margaret Chasson, Elaine Emling & Michael Jenner, Margaret Greene, Gerrit Knaap, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Francine Meyer, Anita Morrison, Rodolfo Perez, Mark Perlman, Tom Quinn, Jerry Withers

Passengers
Glen Bottoms, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, William & Kay Gilcher, Jennifer Judd, Tom Pogue, James Riley

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Spring Community Advisory Team (CAT) Meetings Scheduled

The Spring 2025 Community Advisory Team meetings have been scheduled and are coming up next week!. As always, you can find the transcripts of the meetings at the project website.

• College Park CAT Meeting: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 6:00 PM
• Long Branch CAT Meeting: Thursday, April 24, 2025 6:00 PM
• University Boulevard CAT Meeting: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 6:00 PM
• Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside CAT Meeting: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 6:00 PM
• Riverdale Park/New Carrollton/Glenridge CAT Meeting: Thursday, May 1, 2025 6:00 PM
• Silver Spring CAT Meeting: Tuesday, May 6, 2025 6:00 PM
• Bethesda/Chevy Chase CAT Meeting: Thursday, May 8, 2025 6:00 PM

Purple Line Equitable Housing Training Series

(Passing along an event that may be of interest to some of our readers from our friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition)

April 30 | 8:30am - 2:00pm | 
National Center for Smart Growth (Anacostia Building, 1 Physics Ellipse Drive, College Park, MD 20740)

Event hosted by Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) and Enterprise Community Partners

With the Purple Line light rail poised to open in late 2027, now is the time to ensure equitable growth for all who live, work, and invest in the Purple Line corridor. The Purple Line will connect multiple communities across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and like other large-scale transit investments in our region, raises questions about who will benefit. Renters and homeowners living near the Purple Line already experience rapidly rising costs and displacement pressure. Further investment is needed to allow people living near the Purple Line to thrive.

You can find registration and fee details here.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

An Interview with Artist Lewis Legge's Art-in-Transit Installation at Campus Drive-UMD Purple Line Station

As many of you know, one of the most exciting parts of the ongoing construction is the installation of art designs into each of the Purple Line stations. According to the project website, "The Art-in-Transit program recognizes public art as an integral element of the transit project and further enhances the Purple Line’s high-quality stations, aesthetic treatments and landscape designs. Art will be incorporated into stations and certain other project structures including bridges, fencing and lighting."

Artists for the program were chosen through a multi-stage process designed to promote professional, high-quality art projects. Over 700 artists submitted their qualifications, and the Purple Line Art-In-Transit Selection Committee—comprising representatives from the Purple Line Team, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP), art professionals, the University of Maryland, the Arts Councils of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and local community members—selected 80 artists to submit concept proposals.

With canopies going up and art being installed, we are now able to see each respective artist's vision come to life.

One of those artists, Lewis Legge is behind the Campus Drive-UMD art installation. Listen to an interview with Mr. Legge here.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

See the Purple Line Under Construction

From Greater Greater Washington (D. Reed, April 8 2025) comes a great article on construction progress along the route with awesome photos!

Purple Line Officials Update Timeline for Spring Street Bridge Work

In case you missed it, for those in or around the Silver Spring area, Purple Line officials have indicated that the bridge will remain closed through summer 2025. Read more at Source of the Spring.

Purple Line Construction Updates to Prince George's and Montgomery County Councils

Earlier this year, both county councils were given updates from Purple Line officials, including confirming the Capital Crescent Trail is expected to open during the Spring of 2026. You can watch the briefings for both Prince George's TIEE committee and Montgomery County TE/ECON committees on their respective websites.

Dynamic Testing for Maryland's Purple Line Light Rail Vehicles is Underway!

Photo courtesy of MDOT MTA

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news as we release this newsletter—dynamic testing for the Purple Line light rail vehicles has officially begun!

This milestone has been years in the making and marks a significant step forward for the project. According to a press release issued earlier today, "This phase of testing will take place on a one-mile test track located next to the project’s Operations and Maintenance Facility along Veterans Parkway in Glenridge, Maryland. All eight light rail vehicles currently onsite are ready to begin dynamic testing."

In the most recent Purple Line newsletter, Ray Biggs, II, Senior Project Director for the Maryland Transit Administration, shared that the project is now 76% complete—more than three-quarters of the way to opening day! Currently, 20 stations are under construction, and more than 67,500 of the planned 193,100 feet of track have been laid. Traffic along University Boulevard has also shifted to the final phase of construction, allowing track work to progress in the center of the roadway.

Director Biggs emphasized the progress, noting that eight of the 28 light rail vehicles are already on site, with the remaining 20 prepared to make their way to Maryland. We know that as track construction nears completion and the bulk of the heavy work wraps up, the project will transition to a quieter phase, with mandatory testing becoming the focus. 

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld echoed the excitement, stating: "This is a monumental moment for the Purple Line as the project begins systems testing and brings us closer to service. With the project at 76% complete, seeing the light rail vehicles on the tracks is a welcome sight that shows our continued progress. Thank you to the team for their hard work and the public for your continued patience as we move closer to finishing the Purple Line."

Want to see the progress for yourself? [Watch a video of the testing here.]

This is a tremendous day for the Purple Line project! Let’s take a moment to congratulate the dedicated crews and staff whose hard work is turning this vision into reality!

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