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

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • We Want to Hear from YOU!
  • Are You a Purple Line NOW Donor?
• Purple Line in the News
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Community Advisory Team Meeting Schedule Set
• Construction News & Project Features
  
  • Open House to Meet New Builder
  • Photos from Around the Corridor

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

We Want to Hear from YOU!

We have just three issues left before our 100th issue of Purple Line NOW News! Thank you to those who have sent blurbs of memories from the early days (specifically, the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s!) We need more! Pictures are particularly fun -- and if someone is rocking those muttonchop sideburns while advocating for what was (eventually) to become the Purple Line, all the better!

If you didn't catch it in our previous newsletters, we are planning a commemorative issue and want to take a stroll down memory lane -- back to the beginning of the project, when the idea of a Purple Line was just a hope and a dream. If you were around these parts back then and have photos, an anecdote or two, or even a memory of the work that went into imagining an east-west light rail train, finding support from elected officials, applying for federal funding, or any other hurdle (or achievement), PLEASE send them our way!

Here are four questions we would LOVE for you to answer -- cut and paste into an email or just send a free-form blurb -- whatever works for you. We will include as many as we can in the issue, but time is running out. Send to Christine Scott, Executive Director at [email protected]. Thank you! 

1) What are you most looking forward to when the Purple Line opens (besides the end of construction!)?

2) If you were around during the early years, do you have a specific memory of advocating for the project or a hurdle that the project overcame?

3) What positive changes do you expect to see in our communities once the Purple Line opens?

4) Once the Purple Line opens for passengers, which station(s) do you anticipate using most?

Are You A Purple Line NOW Donor?

Each month, we rotate onto our Donors List those who have made a financial contribution to Purple Line NOW in the previous month. If that includes you, your name will stay on that list for a full year following your contribution. Thank you, thank you!

**If you do not see your name on our Donors List, we hope you will consider helping us continue our work!** 

We use every donation we receive to continue our newsletter, continue offering regular webinars, continue being a strong liaison to help connect you to people who can solve your issues, and continue our strong advocacy for the project in every way possible. If you would like to know more about who we are, why we are asking for donations, and what we do with your gift once it arrives on our doorstep, you can read all about it in our November newsletter.

Thank you so much for your consideration! Unless you tell us otherwise, your name will be listed on our website and in publications for a year following your donation.

THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

Shaver, K. “Unions protest lack of labor agreement on Purple Line construction.” Washington Post, 25 May 2022.

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Community Advisory Team Meetings to Resume in June

Dates for the Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings have been set. Please note: these meetings will be in-person at the locations noted below.

• Bethesda/Chevy Chase
  June 7, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
  North Chevy Chase Elementary School
  3700 Jones Bridge Road
  Chevy Chase, MD 20815
• Riverdale Park-Glenridge/New Carrollton
  June 9, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  Purple Line Project Office
  6811 Kenilworth Avenue (1st floor)
  Riverdale, MD 20737
• Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside
  June 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
  Rosemary Hills Elementary School
  2111 Porter Road
  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• College Park
  June 16, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  Purple Line Project Office
  6811 Kenilworth Avenue (1st floor)
  Riverdale, MD 20737
• Silver Spring
  June 21, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
  Silver Spring International Middle School
  313 Wayne Avenue
  Silver Spring, MD 20910
• University Boulevard
  June 23, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  Purple Line Project Office
  6811 Kenilworth Avenue (1st floor)
  Riverdale, MD 20737
• Long Branch
  June 28, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  Oak View Elementary School
  400 East Wayne Avenue
  Silver Spring, MD 20901

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Open House to Meet New Builder

As you probably know, the new builder for the Purple Line, Maryland Transit Solutions, was introduced to the public last week at two open houses, one held in Prince George's county and one held in Montgomery county. Greg Sanders, PLN’s Vice President, attended both and provides us with the following update:

The open houses were an opportunity to see both familiar faces from MTA and the Concessionaire and also to meet the project manager and construction manager for the new builder, respectively Terry Gohde and Julio Velez. The open houses had a range of great new graphics including depictions of how roughly half the stations will look in their final form, as well as updated projects maps that provided additional detail on station layouts. These should be available online soon.

Much of the value of these sessions is the ability to ask specific questions regarding concerns about construction near your neighborhood or business, as well as questions about the future commute. If you missed the open houses, the upcoming Community Advisory Team meetings are another great opportunity to ask these questions (see dates for the CATs above.) One thing I learned about the process was that one reason the testing process takes so long is that each light rail vehicle must be individually tested to make sure it will smoothly clear the station platforms, and the trolley atop the vehicle will stably connect with the overhead wires. The first run through goes at a slow pace, not under its own power, and testers will ride atop the vehicle to get an up close view of how the trams are connecting to their power source. According to the opening remarks, we should expect the testing to be finished in October 2026 for the beginning of revenue service.

While we are glad to have the builder finally on board and gearing up to be fully operational in August, it is also important to note that there were about 50 protesters from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) outside the open house held in Silver Spring. Union workers want a "Project Labor Agreement" (PLA), noting that Maryland’s former Secretary of Transportation Greg Slater gave assurances that the new builder contract would contain that agreement.

According to the Washington Post, Purple Line Transit Partners CEO Doran Bosso emphasized that they “are committed to paying fair and competitive wages” and is agreeable to meeting with the union to figure out a way to work together to deliver the project in an “on-time and on-budget manner.” Council members for both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties are involved and pressing for a resolution that benefits workers in our respective communities. You can read more here.

Photos from Around the Corridor

Thank you to MDOT MTA for the following photos! Do you have a snap from around the corridor you'd like to share? Send them along to [email protected]. Photos must be your original. 

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