Hello Friends,

We missed you during our short August break, but we’re back, energized, and excited for all that fall has in store! As we ease out of summer and step into the gentler rhythms of the season, we’re delighted to bring you another issue of the Purple Line NOW News. There’s a lot happening along the corridor right now, and this edition is full of updates, community news, and a few events flagged for your interest.

Before we dive in, we also want to mention that Purple Line NOW is in one of our thinner stretches of the year. Our annual fundraising season begins later this fall, but until then, we’re relying on the generosity of friends like you to help us bridge the gap. If you’re able to lend a hand, even modestly, it truly keeps us going.

Below, you’ll find the full lineup for the Fall 2026 Community Advisory Team meetings, all happening virtually and all designed to keep you informed about construction progress, testing, outreach, and what’s ahead as we move closer to opening day. We’ve also got a look at the Spring Street Bridge work, where things are shaping up for an opening that will make a big difference for walkers, cyclists, and future Purple Line riders.

You’ll read about where live wire and LRV testing is happening right now, plus a combined update on leadership changes at MDOT MTA, including a note on Holly Arnold’s farewell message and a highlight of Tony Bridges’ introduction message, as well.

We’re also flagging an important community event at the University of Maryland focused on affordable and connected communities. If you care about safer walking, biking, rolling, and better access to transit stops, this one is for you.

And finally, we share warm wishes for Councilmember Will Jawando as he recovers from a recent health scare. His office has released a message to the community and we wanted to make sure you saw it and could join us in sending support.

Purple Line NOW is also hard at work planning our next public forum -- this one focused on Operations -- which we expect to host sometime this fall. Stay tuned for details.

So grab a cup of something cozy, settle in, and enjoy this issue. As always, we’re grateful you’re here and grateful for your continued interest in the Purple Line and the communities it connects.

Warmly,
Purple Line NOW

 

WHAT'S HAPPENING!

A Heartfelt Request for Support Through a Thin Stretch

As many of you know, Purple Line NOW operates on a very lean budget. We do not receive corporate underwriting, government grants, or annual dues. What keeps this work going is you -- neighbors, supporters, and friends who believe in transparency, community engagement, and having a reliable place to turn for Purple Line news.

Later this year, we will head into our fall and winter fundraising season, but right now we are in one of our thinnest stretches of the year. At our late August Executive Committee meeting, our treasurer shared that our balance had dipped below $1,000. That is a tough number when regular expenses like website management, staff time, and outreach tools come due. We always make every dollar count, but this is one of those moments when we truly feel the pinch.

If you are able to help bridge this short period before our annual campaign begins, we would be deeply grateful. Even modest gifts make a real difference in keeping our newsletters consistent, our public forums free, and our advocacy strong. And if now is not the right time for you, please know that we appreciate you just as much. Your engagement and support in all its forms matter.

We are always humbled by the generosity of our donors, listed below, and we never take it for granted. You keep this work moving forward, and we are so thankful.

If you feel inspired to give, you can do so here: https://www.purplelinenow.com/donate or by clicking the donate button below.

Thank you, truly, for helping us stay afloat during this thin stretch and for standing with us as we continue this work for the corridor and the communities we all care about.

With Gratitude to Our Generous Donors

We are deeply grateful for the support of everyone who helps keep Purple Line NOW strong. Your contributions make our work possible, and we appreciate you more than we can say.

Presenting Donors

The Sanders‑Malloy Family

Featured Donors

Maryland Department of Transportation
Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater

Supporters

Elizabeth Barbehenn
Nancy and Rob Soreng

Engineers

Isiah Leggett
Ben Ross

Conductors

Anne Ambler & John Fay
Posey Eitzen
Jodie Kulpa‑Eddy
John Robinson
Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

Commuters

Gus Bauman
Ralph Bennett
Mike DeLong
Elaine Emling & Michael Jenner
Peter Gray
Drs. Troy Jacobs & Kawsar Talaat
Gerrit Knaap
Francine Meyer
Kathy Porter
Tom Quinn
Webb Smedley
John Undeland

Passengers

Louise & Ross Capon
John Carroll
Margaret Chasson
Patrick Dougherty
William & Kay Gilcher
Michael Larkin
Jay Miller
Judith Morenoff
James Riley
Michael Volk
William Young

Fall 2026 CAT Meetings Are Just Around the Corner!

As summer winds down and fall starts peeking around the corner, it’s time for the second series of Purple Line Community Advisory Team (CAT) Meetings for 2026. These meetings happen twice a year and are one of the very best ways for neighbors to hear directly from the Purple Line team -- what’s happening now, what’s coming next, and how all the pieces fit together as we inch closer to opening day.

Each CAT focuses on a specific segment of the corridor and the conversations are always lively, informative, and full of great questions. If you’ve ever wondered about construction updates, upcoming work, testing and safety, outreach efforts, or just want to get a sense of how things are progressing in your neck of the woods, this is your moment.

All fall 2026 CAT Meetings will be held virtually from 6:00–7:30 p.m. The links will be posted on the Purple Line events page, so keep an eye out. The Outreach team will also send their usual reminders along with an invitation to pre-submit your questions. (A lifesaver for those of us who think of our best questions at 2 am!)

As always, please feel free to share these dates with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, community groups -- anyone who might be curious about the Purple Line or has questions they’d like answered. The more voices in the room, the better.

Fall 2026 CAT Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, October 13: Lyttonsville / Woodside (MC)
Thursday, October 15: College Park (PG)
Tuesday, October 20: University Boulevard (PG)
Wednesday, October 21: Long Branch (MC)
Thursday, October 22: Silver Spring (MC)
Tuesday, October 27: Riverdale Park / New Carrollton / Glenridge (PG)
Wednesday, October 28: Bethesda / Chevy Chase (MC)

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

Spring Street Bridge: A Peek at What's Ahead

If you’ve driven, walked, or biked anywhere near Spring Street lately, you’ve probably noticed the steady progress on the bridge work. The county and project team have been signaling that the Spring Street Bridge is on track for opening soon, and while they haven’t pinned down a public date yet, the finishing touches are clearly underway.

The bridge is a key connector for downtown Silver Spring -- not just for cars, but for pedestrians and cyclists who will rely on it to reach the future Silver Spring Library and Dale Drive stations. Once it opens, we’ll finally get a sense of how the redesigned intersection and sidewalks will function with Purple Line trains running nearby.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

We’ll keep an eye out for the official opening announcement, but it’s safe to say this one is nearly ready for its close up.

More on Purple Line construction updates: https://purplelinemd.com/construction

Live Wire and LRV Testing Happening Right Now!

Testing continues to be one of the most exciting parts of the Purple Line story -- because it’s the part that looks and feels like a real transit line coming to life.

As of this week, live wire testing and LRV movements are active between the Lyttonsville Operations & Maintenance Facility and Bethesda Station and expanding outward from there. You may see trains gliding through the corridor at odd hours, especially overnight, as crews test braking, acceleration, communications, and power systems.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

Testing has also been reported in portions of Silver Spring, particularly near the future Manchester Place and Silver Spring Library stations. If you’re out and about and spot a train, feel free to send us a photo -- safely, of course -- we love seeing these glimpses of the future. Send photos here: [email protected].

Leadership Transitions at MDOT MTA

The Maryland Transit Administration is entering a new chapter, and we wanted to take a moment to highlight both the thoughtful goodbye message from outgoing Administrator Holly Arnold and the warm welcome message from incoming Administrator Tony Bridges.

Holly shared a reflective and heartfelt note as she stepped down from her role on September 1. She looked back on the challenges of the past five years -- from pandemic recovery to major systemwide improvements -- and expressed deep gratitude for MTA employees and riders. Her message underscored the progress made across every mode of transit and her optimism for the agency’s future.

Hello Transit Rider,

After much reflection, I have made the decision to leave the MTA. My last day will be September 1, 2026. This decision has not been made lightly. Serving as Administrator has been one of the greatest honors of my professional career, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have worked in public service for the people of Maryland.

When I stepped into this role in June 2021, we were navigating unprecedented challenges resulting from decades of underinvestment and a global pandemic. Together, we faced those challenges head-on and worked tirelessly to strengthen the agency, improve service for our riders, and build a strong foundation for future growth. Every one of our accomplishments over the past five years was made possible by the dedication, professionalism, and commitment to serving the residents of Maryland by MTA employees.

As I reflect on my time here, I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together:

• We dramatically increased service reliability, with core service missed trips continuing to trend down, and achieved over 93% on-time performance consistently for Mobility.
• We focused on customer service with the creation of our Customer Experience Office and hiring of our Rider Experience Director.
• We launched real-time information across every mode, including Mobility, and improved the information available to our riders.
• We advertised and brought on a new design-build contractor for the Purple Line and advanced the project to over 90% complete.
• We relaunched the Baltimore Red Line and advanced design on this critical east-west connection.
• We secured over $300 million in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration to support every mode across the agency.
• We partnered with Amtrak to secure over $6 billion in grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration to advance the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program and the Susquehanna River Bridge project.
• We updated our fare tariff for the first time in decades, expanding access to students and low-income riders.
• We launched our new signal system from Metro and put our first nine new railcars into service.
• We began annual service planning for our commuter modes to better align service with rider needs.
• We focused on the needs of our employees and established the Office of Organizational Development and the Office of People and Culture.
• We uplifted our communities by showing up for them
• We focused on the future through the development and publication of the Central Maryland Regional Transportation Plan, the BMORE Bus plan, and the MARC Growth and Transformation Plan.
• We increased ridership to over 70 million in 2025, representing a robust recovery from pandemic-era declines.

Most importantly, I am proud of the culture we have continued to build together on behalf of our riders – one centered on our core values: safety, fairness, respect, customer focused, and continuously improving. Every day, I have been inspired by the passion and resilience of MTA employees, whose work matters and makes a difference in the lives of all Marylanders.

The future of MTA is bright. I am excited to see the MTA move forward and achieve even greater success. As I look ahead, I know the agency is in good hands with the appointment by Governor Moore of Tony Bridges as the next MTA Administrator. I look forward to working with Tony during this transition to MTA's next chapter.

Thank you for your support, your partnership and, above all, for riding public transit. It has truly been a privilege to serve you.

Holly Arnold

Incoming Administrator, Tony Bridges also shared a message with riders as he begins his tenure, emphasizing his commitment to building a transit system that works for Marylanders -- safer, more reliable service, clearer communication, and a customer experience worthy of a world class system. He noted that this work takes time, but improving the rider experience is at the heart of everything the agency does.

A Message to Our Riders,

As the new administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration, I want to introduce myself and share my commitment to you.

I am truly excited and humbled to be back with the Maryland Transit Administration and to once again be part of a team that performs this work every day with distinction, professionalism and pride.

Every day, hundreds or thousands of Marylanders rely on MTA to get to work, school, appointments, and everything in between.  That trust is something I take seriously, and I'm committed to earning it every day.  

My priority is simple: building a transit system that works for you.

That means safer, more reliable service.

Clearer communication when things don’t go as planned.

And a customer experience that reflects the world-class system Maryland deserves. This won’t happen overnight, but I want you to know that improving your experience is at the center of everything we do. I encourage you to share your feedback — your voice will help shape the changes we make. 

Thank you for riding with us, and for your patience as we work to serve you better.

Tony Bridges,
Administrator

Complete Streets: A Critical Conversation -- ACT Meeting Held on September 8

Last night, our friends at the Action Committee for Transit hosted an important conversation that ties directly into the Purple Line’s future: “Have Complete Streets Reached a Dead End?” The event featured Dustin Robertson, Senior Program Manager for Thriving Communities at Smart Growth America.

If you weren’t able to attend, ACT shared that they hope to upload the recording to their YouTube channel. As soon as it’s posted, we’ll pass the link along so everyone can watch the discussion.

The conversation focused on something Montgomery County continues to struggle with: far too many crashes that injure or kill people who are walking, biking, or rolling. Dustin’s work centers on Complete Streets and the intersections of mobility, health, and equity -- exactly the kind of thinking we need as the Purple Line approaches opening. Sidewalks, bikeways, safe crossings -- these aren’t extras. They’re essential pieces of making transit accessible to everyone.

Learn more about ACT: https://www.actfortransit.org/

Affordable Connected Communities 2026: A Timely Conversation at UMD

Even though this event will take place the day after this newsletter arrives in your inbox, we didn’t want you to miss it. The University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth is hosting Affordable Connected Communities 2026, a gathering focused on one of the most important questions facing our region right now: how do we build communities that are both affordable and well connected to the places people need to go?

The conversation will bring together planners, researchers, advocates, and community leaders to talk about housing, transportation, equity, and the kinds of investments that help neighborhoods thrive. These are issues that sit right at the heart of the Purple Line’s mission -- connecting people to opportunity, reducing barriers, and strengthening the fabric of the communities along the corridor.

If you’re able to attend, it promises to be a thoughtful and energizing discussion. And if you can’t make it, keep an eye out for recordings or summaries afterward. Events like this often spark ideas that ripple outward into local policy and community conversations.

Learn more or register here: https://www.umdsmartgrowth.org/affordable-connected-communities-2026/

Warm Wishes for Councilmember Will Jawando

Many of you may have already seen the news from the Office of Councilmember Will Jawando, but we wanted to take a moment to share it here and send our heartfelt support.

Over the weekend, Councilmember Jawando experienced a heart attack during his regular Saturday pickup basketball game. Thanks to the quick actions of friends on the court and the exceptional care at The George Washington University Hospital, doctors were able to place a stent right away, and his medical team is confident in his full recovery. He is resting comfortably and is expected to return home later this week to recover with his wife, Michele, and their children.

His office released the following statement:

“On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, Councilmember and Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive Will Jawando experienced a heart attack during his regular weekend pickup basketball game. He was immediately taken to The George Washington University Hospital, where doctors successfully placed a stent. His doctors are confident in his full recovery given his strong overall health.

“The Councilmember is resting comfortably and is expected to be discharged later this week to recover at home with his wife, Michele, and their children. Following his doctor's guidance, Councilmember Jawando will adjust office activities in the coming weeks, while his office remains open, available, and ready to help meet the community’s needs.

“Councilmember Jawando and his family are grateful to God for the friends who acted quickly and to the exceptional doctors, nurses, and staff at The George Washington University Hospital. They are deeply thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from neighbors, colleagues, and supporters from across the county and state.”

Please direct any inquiries to Councilmember Jawando's Chief of Staff, David Kunes, at [email protected] or at 240-350-5104. We’re sending warm wishes for a smooth, steady recovery and look forward to seeing him back on his feet soon.

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