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

• What's Happening at PLN?
  
  • Highlights from Purple Line NOW Forum
  • Fundraising Appeal -- We Need Your Support!
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Fall Community Advisory Team Meetings Set

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Highlights from Purple Line NOW Forum

We had a wonderful turnout last Wednesday evening for the Purple Line NOW Forum featuring Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld.

We are grateful to the Secretary for his time to bring us up-to-date on the project and to help answer the many questions our attendees had for the panel. We were equally delighted to be joined by Ray Biggs II, Purple Line Senior Project Director, for Maryland Transit Administration, Doran Bosso, CEO of Purple Line Transit Partners, Evan Glass, Montgomery County Councilmember (At-Large), Chair, Transportation & Environment Committee (T&E), and Eric Olson, Prince George’s County Councilmember (District 3), Chair, Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee (TIEE).

Each member of the panel, whose bios are linked here, brought us up to date on all the activity happening along the corridor and in their neck of the woods and each offered thoughtful answers to questions posed to them during the forum.

Not only was the discussion in-depth and interesting (and offered lots of exciting tidbits!), the answers to our questions provided a roadmap for the next few years. Here's a little taste of some of those questions, but we encourage you to view the forum for all of the great content and info!

• The project has blown past the half-way mark and is now 68% done!
• Testing of some of the new rail cars will happen on Veterans Parkway this fall!
• Almost all of the stations along the route are under construction -- nearly 16 of 21 stations!
• Four of the 28 light rail vehicles (LRV) have already arrived with more due in the coming months!
• And finally, nearly 100% of the utility relocation is now complete!

The panel was asked how they are working on keeping the lines of communication open and the relationship healthy between the owner (the state of Maryland) and the concessionaire (Purple Line Transit Partners) and the Secretary spoke about how the teams meet regularly, every two weeks, from the contractor, the designer, and others to update each other and work through any issues that arise. Doran Bosso, CEO of PLTP and Secretary Wiedefeld also meet on a much more regular basis, as well.

The team confirmed that students and faculty at the University of Maryland will be able to ride free between five Purple Line stations on or near campus.

One of the most popular questions from our attendees, no big surprise, is whether the Capital Crescent Trail is still on schedule to open between Bethesda and Silver Spring in spring of 2026. We were relieved to hear Senior Project Director Ray Biggs confirm that they are still on schedule to open by then!

We were thrilled that the Silver Spring Transit Center and other stations re-opened on time at the end of August after the summer closure. Councilmember Glass announced that the county will be keeping some of the bus lanes (that were used to expedite travel during the closure) open through the fall.

The panel was asked what they thought the next three years might look like as far as the Purple Line is concerned. By mid-2026, the project should be nearing the end of major construction and heading into track and train testing, so even though revenue service (a fancy phrase for 'opening day') won't occur until 2027, construction pains and headaches should disappear as they move into the next phase.

With a heartfelt thanks to Secretary Wiedefeld and our outstanding and knowledgeable panel, and you, our attendees who ask the best questions and stay informed every step of the way, we are grateful to everyone who helped make this evening a success! A special shout-out to the PLTP Beyond the Rails Grant Program for helping us make the evening happen through a grant awarded to Purple Line NOW!

Fundraising Appeal -- We Need Your Support!

This morning during our monthly Executive Committee meeting, our treasurer encouraged us to begin our fall fundraising efforts as quickly as possible. We are grateful to all of you who have supported us year in and year out, and to those who help whenever they can. Purple Line NOW exists on a skinnier-than-skinny budget, but with the help of a large team of volunteers and your donations, we are able to bring this newsletter and lots of other educational information, including our forums, to you. With your permission, we will list you as a donor at the event, on our website, and in any other printed materials for a year following your gift.

If you were able to attend the forum and found the information useful, we hope you will consider a donation to our organization to help us continue our work. 

You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Fall 2024 Community Advisory Team Meetings Set

The fall 2024 Community Advisory Team meetings have been set and will be held virtually. You can find more information here.

Silver Spring CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 6:00 PM

College Park CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 6:00 PM

Long Branch CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 10, 2024 6:00 PM

Riverdale Park/New Carrollton CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 6:00 PM

Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside CAT Meeting #13
Thursday, October 17, 2024 6:00 PM

University Boulevard CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 6:00 PM

Bethesda/Chevy Chase CAT Meeting #13
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 12:00 PM

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