Dear Friends,

After the winter we’ve all just slogged through, it feels downright joyful to welcome you to this early‑spring edition of Purple Line NOW News. The warmer days and longer light are finally creeping back in, and along the Purple Line corridor, you can feel that same sense of forward motion. We also want to give a heartfelt shout‑out to the hardworking crews who have been out there day after day -- even through the freezing temperatures of the past month or two -- keeping construction moving and making visible progress despite the weather. Their dedication has been nothing short of remarkable.

This issue is packed with updates: construction progress as the project edges closer to major completion milestones, station areas that are finally starting to look like real stations, the latest on closures and detours (including what’s happening with the Spring Street Bridge), expanded vehicle testing, and a preview of the upcoming Community Advisory Team meetings. 

We’re also sharing several terrific new photos from MDOT MTA, including a rare treat: a Purple Line vehicle in motion, in full daylight. It’s a glimpse of what’s coming, and it’s hard not to feel a little thrill seeing it!

As always, we’re grateful to have you reading along. If you’re able, we hope you’ll consider supporting Purple Line NOW with a donation using the link below -- it helps us keep this work going, and we appreciate every gift.

For now, enjoy the impending sunshine, settle in, and let’s dive in together.

Warmly,
Christine

WHAT'S HAPPENING!

Help Support Our Work

As we finally step out of a winter that felt like it might never end, it seems like the perfect moment to say how grateful we are for this community. Purple Line NOW continues its work the same way we always have -- without corporate underwriting, government grants, annual dues, or big institutional funding. What keeps us going is you: neighbors, supporters, and friends who believe in transparency, community engagement, and having a reliable place to turn for Purple Line news.

Your generosity -- whether it comes once a year, once in a while, or whenever the spirit moves you -- keeps our forums free, our newsletters landing regularly in inboxes, and our advocacy steady and strong. Truly, every contribution helps sustain this work.

If spring has you feeling inspired to renew your support or make a gift, you’ll find the link just below. No pressure, just our sincere thanks for considering it. From all of us at Purple Line NOW: thank you for standing with us, for believing in this project, and for helping us carry this momentum into the brighter, warmer months ahead.

Construction Nears a Major Milestone

The Purple Line is now approaching 90% completion, a benchmark that feels especially significant after years of starts, stops, and re‑starts. According to reporting from Bethesda Magazine and as you heard at our December forum, state transit officials confirmed that the project is entering its final stretch of heavy construction, with much of the remaining work focused on station finishing, bridge completion, and system integration.

Across the corridor, you can see this progress taking shape. From New Carrollton to Bethesda, crews are installing track, completing bridges over major commuter routes like Connecticut Avenue and the Kenilworth Avenue/Riverdale Road intersection, and finishing structural work at stations. MDOT MTA’s construction update portal continues to show a steady cadence of activity in every community along the line.

Station Areas Taking Shape

One of the most encouraging signs for corridor residents is the amount of station‑area work now visible from the street. At several locations, including Riverdale Park–Kenilworth, new sidewalks, stairs, and elevator towers are in place, giving a real sense of what the finished stations will feel like. While each station is at a slightly different stage, the overall trend is clear: the Purple Line is transitioning from heavy civil construction to the more detailed, human‑scale work that signals a project nearing completion.

A Closer Look at Closures and Delays

Not everything has moved as quickly as hoped. The Spring Street Bridge in downtown Silver Spring remains closed, with the reopening now expected later this spring. The bridge has faced repeated delays due to complex utility relocation and coordination with Metro, CSX, and MARC -- three major rail systems that run beneath the structure. Reporting from Source of the Spring last December noted that the closure has stretched more than a year beyond the original target date, underscoring the challenges of rebuilding infrastructure in such a constrained and heavily used corridor. 

Elsewhere along the route, MDOT MTA continues to post high‑impact detours and lane shifts, particularly in Silver Spring, Long Branch, College Park, and Bethesda/Chevy Chase. These updates change frequently, and the agency’s interactive map remains the best way for residents to stay ahead of disruptions.

Testing Expands as the System Comes to Life

Another bright spot this month is the continued expansion of light‑rail vehicle testing. While full systemwide testing is still ahead, the project team has been steadily increasing the number of segments where dynamic testing is underway. This phase is critical: it’s where vehicles, signals, power systems, and communications equipment all begin working together as a unified network.

Transit officials have indicated that more details about testing progress will be shared during upcoming community meetings in April.

Community Engagement Ramps Up

Speaking of April, the Maryland Transit Administration has announced a new round of Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings, scheduled for April 14–28. These virtual sessions will offer residents and business owners a chance to hear directly from project leaders about construction progress, upcoming milestones, and what to expect as the project moves toward its late‑2027 opening.

CAT meetings have long been a cornerstone of the project’s community engagement strategy, and this next round comes at a particularly meaningful moment, when the project is far enough along that residents can begin to see the future taking shape.

All CAT meetings are scheduled from 6 pm - 7:30 pm, with Microsoft Teams links posted at Purple Line MD | Public Meetings and Events. The Spring 2026 CAT schedule is:

Tuesday, April 14 University Boulevard
Thursday, April 16 Long Branch
Tuesday, April 21 Lyttonsville/Woodside
Wednesday, April 22 Riverdale Park/New Carrollton
Thursday, April 23 Bethesda/Chevy Chase
Monday, April 27 College Park
Tuesday, April 28 Silver Spring

Looking Ahead

With spring around the corner and construction entering its final phases, the Purple Line corridor is buzzing with activity and anticipation. There are still hurdles to clear -- bridge reopenings, detours, and the complex choreography of system testing -- but the momentum is unmistakable.

As always, Purple Line NOW will continue to track these developments closely and keep you informed every step of the way.

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