The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County. It will provide a direct connection to the Metrorail Red, Green and Orange Lines; at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. The Purple Line will also connect to MARC, Amtrak, and local bus services. Stations will be
Montgomery County
Prince George's County
The Purple Line will be powered by overhead wires known as a catenary system. As a transit system separate from Metro, it will operate mainly in dedicated or exclusive lanes, allowing for fast, reliable transit operations. Most of the alignment will be at the road way level, though short segments will be elevated or underground.
The Purple Line is owned by the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA). In spring of 2016, MDOT MTA selected a private-sector partner, Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) to design, build, operate, and maintain the light rail system for 35 years.
MDOT MTA is the project lead, with the support and close coordination of a team that includes the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA), and local municipalities in the project area.
AERIAL MAP FROM ELLIN ROAD TO VETERAN PARKWAY
Purple Line construction update: As of May 1, 2025, Campus Drive near River Road has a traffic shift with one lane in each direction to allow track installation to the Metro station. Pedestrian and bicycle access is maintained. Until about May 22, 2025, 23rd Avenue and Guilford Road at University Boulevard (MD 193) remain right-turn only due to track and utility work (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays and weekends as needed). Follow on-site signs.
Until about May 22, 2025. Crews have established a work zone in the center of University Boulevard to facilitate track and utility installation. Work may occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
5/1/25
CAT Advisory meeting
Report by Deanna Enchanique
Purple line is 76% complete
5/1/25
CAT Advisory meeting
Report by Deanna Enchanique
Purple line is 76% complete
Questions:
When is testing across 450? Do you have a time frame? (Summer. They will let the communities know in advance)
When is the intersection into the back of the Glenridge shopping center reopening? (Work in that area is still ongoing. It will probably not be open until closer to the end of the project, as it's serving as a storage yard)
Daisy:
How are you planning to improve the traffic on Annapolis road/Glenridge shopping center? Gallatin Street light is awful. Blocking intersection, unable to turn onto 450 towards New Carrollton station. (Very end of construction at that intersection. Over couple months it will go into final phase and be completed. Current configuration for a couple months, then completion)
Jeyson:
Timeline on Bike Trail. Can you please provide an estimated timeline for the completion of these sections? (Within the next year)
Additionally, I’d like to ask how this new segment will integrate with the broader bike lane network. It appears there are currently gaps in connectivity between the Baltimore Avenue–UMD station and Riverdale Park North–UMD, as well as between the Riverdale Park–Kenilworth station and Beacon Heights–East Pines station and lastly along Ellin Road to New Carrollton station. Are there plans to address these missing links to ensure a more continuous and accessible biking infrastructure between the purple line alignment and trails and bike paths in adjacent communities? (Talks ongoing to work on those different projects, but nothing solid RN)
Wanda Brooks:
Big grey boxes on annapolis rd and veterans. Is there is a plan to put artwork on those boxes so they arent a sore thumb? (If those are utility infrastructure they would have to be coordinated through the utlities. Will get back to Wanda about that.)
2/10/25
Update: Work on Ellin Road and the New Carrolton Metro station continues.
Ellin Road to Emerson Place is now open.
At the maintenance yard, the Purple Line trains have arrived.
11/12/24
As of November 12, the Emerson Place is still open. The normal metro pedestrian access is still available.
Heading left after reaching the top of the escalator. There is also the detour that leads to the intersection
of Ellin Road and 2U parking entrance.
10/23/24
The date was postponed to on or around October 25, crews working with the Purple Line will close Emerson Place at Ellin Road for approximately one month. This closure is in place to install tracks and complete roadway reconstruction. Once the track installation is complete, Ellin Road will open from Emerson Place to Hanson Oaks Drive. This configuration will allow two-way traffic between Emerson Place and Veterans Parkway. Please follow all on-site signage. Work may occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays and weekends, as needed.
There has a lot of developments of the construction on various locations. Tracks are being installed on Veteran's Parkway, utility green poles have been installed, Glenridge station has been built, traffic signal for turning on Ellin Road is active, partial of Ellin Road is open. Road conditions continues to be horrible. Also, traffic shift is bottlenecking traffic on Annapolis Road.
Bus loop construction & Pedestrian access
10/23/24
Current New Carrolton metro station Kiss and Ride will be temporary closing on or around October 27 until Fall of 2025.
9/8/24
On or about October 4, 2024, crews working with the Purple Line will close Emerson Place at Ellin Road for approximately one month. This closure is in place to install tracks and complete roadway reconstruction. Once the track installation is complete, Ellin Road will open from Emerson Place to Hanson Oaks Drive. This configuration will allow two-way traffic between Emerson Place and Veterans Parkway. Please follow all on-site signage. Work may occur from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays and weekends, as needed.
There has a lot of developments of the construction on various locations. Tracks are being installed on Riverdale Road. A lot of green pole for the electricity source have been installed, Annapolis Road/Glenridge Station and Beacon Heights/East Pines Station (intersection of Riverdale Road and 410/Veteran Parkway) are finished. Ellin Road to Hanson Oak Neighborhood was opened in the summer 2024.
5/9/24
Bridge over Riverdale Road is installed.
Purple Line CAT Meeting
5/2/24
Construction updates video:
https://youtu.be/MjRjXmRPYWQ?si=sIhrE0qU-kECG8TC
Purple Line CAT Meeting – 6/9/2022
Written report by Deanna Enchanique
Credit MDOT MTA
Powerpoint from the meeting:
Landscape Plan for New Carrollton can be found here: https://www.purplelinemd.com/construction/plans
Presenters:
David Abrams - Director of Communications
James Mitchell - Program Manager
Jeanine Ferris - Area 3 Manager
Dwain Sanders - Operations Manager
Carla Julian - Stakeholder Manager
Maryland Transit Solutions is the Design-Builder (signed onto project April 2022), and they were present at the meeting.
Service on the Purple Line is expected by the end of 2026 (fully open). They will not open only part of the alignment, as outlined by the previous builders. Riverdale to New Carrollton is still going to be the test track, but it will not be open to passengers at all until the end of 2026.
Currently, 77% of the utility relocation work is complete.
The Timeline is currently:
Summer 2022 – Work Starts with new Builder
Fall 2023 – Vehicle delivery
2024 – Test Track from Riverdale to New Carrollton
Winter 2025 – Systemwide testing. Empty trains will be run through the entire alignment.
Fall of 2026 – Open for Passenger Service
(timeline can be seen on Powerpoint Page 10)
Train Cars:
Ordered 26 rail cars. They look really beautiful! Please take a look at the powerpoint page 11.
The rail cars will have a capacity of 80 seated and 400 standing. It will have low floors with wide doorways and flexible spaces and folding seats for wheelchair and bicycle storage.
The company manufacturing the rail cars IS NOT THE SAME as the one who made the WMATA cars, which are currently experiencing issues and had to be pulled from service.
Six Month Look Ahead:
Utility work continues. The waterline relocation along 410 is anticipated to be completed Fall of 2022. They’re trying to complete all the utility work prior to the groundwork for the rails.
Riverdale will be an “aerial” station, and since it is so complex, it has a high priority for completion.
Ellin Road will still remain closed. I asked when we can expect the roadway to reopen, and the team said there is still a lot of work to be done. They do not anticipate Ellin Road to be open any sooner than Winter/Spring of 2023.
The New Carrollton Bus Loop will be temporary closed starting at the end of this year (2022) and into 2023 (where the work trailers are currently situated).
I was assured that New Carrollton WILL remain open to pedestrian traffic, even with the Bus Loop closed.
Questions can be sent to outreach@purplelinemd.com
There will be a lot of traffic changes at the 410-450 intersection as they continue utility work, and eventually will be installing the rails themselves.
They also anticipate they will have to close our portion of Ellin Road (where WLH intersects with Ellin) at some point to put in the rails that span Emerson Place.
They recommend signing up for text or email notifications of traffic changes.
Purple Line CAT Meeting
11/1/23
Report written by Deanna Echanique, Liaison
November 1, 2023
Gary Witherspoon is presenting.
Showed a rendering of the East Pines Beacon Heights station and the Glenridge station, but run in dedicated spaces instead of with traffic.
Ray Biggs II (MTA) Presenting
Fall 2023 update Video
The Riverdale station will be the first complete station. The 1100 workers are making measurable progress along the alignment. A significant improvement is the new stormwater management system - 53% of the pipework is complete. These critical environmental upgrades must be completed before the tracks go in. The elevator connecting to the red line is nearing completion. Lots of pedestrian bridges. Concrete is complete for the elevated platform in Kenilworth.
More than half of the purple line stations are under construction, including showing pictures of installed canopies. Work is extensive in UMD college park - its lookin pretty good.
The Glenridge facility is now fully operational. Track installation is under way. Light rail vehicles are scheduled for delivery in early 2024.
In total, the project is 58% complete. 60 active construction sites. Underground utility relocation is 98% complete. More than half of the overhead catenary pole foundations are complete - this is to give the trains power. 3 out of 10 traction power substations are installed. Most of the trains are complete. 11 of the 28 stations are under construction.
Doran Bosso presenting
TIMELINE
Summer 2025 Test Track complete
2025/2026 Winter systemwide testing begins
Spring 2027 passenger service
Tim Stevens presenting
Riverdale Park - foundations complete, canopies installed, platforms complete, started underground utilities.
Upcoming - complete electric, complete utilities, begin track installation.
Haig drive at River Road will be closed for approximately 1 month, this winter. Access to Riverdale Community Park from River Road will be temporarily closed. Pedestrian detours will be in place around the work zone.
Kenilworth Avenue Station
Installed new curb and sidewalk. Traffic shift to create work zone to put up the bridge. Begin install of new ramp over east-west highway.
Upcoming - continue bridge ramp, complete piers, install girders over east west.
December 2023 - detour Kenilworth Ave and East west will be implemented to place the light rail bridge to the aerial station. Nightly- 10pm to 5am, weekends, 10pm to 5am. December into a few weeks into 2024.
Riverdale Road - complete water and sewer relocation. Continue storm drain. Installed overhead power system and foundations, and curb for track. Upcoming - complete improvements to BWI Parkway. Nighttime closures on southbound BWI Parkway ramp.
Mustang Dr to 64th - closing roads in the near future. Mustang Dr will close down for track installation. Once mustang is open they will close down 63rd. Next 6 months.
Mustang will close to allow the construction, but will not occur until the new 64th avenue is complete. Occurring December.
Beacon Heights - new road, sidewalk complete. Will continue building foundations of beacon heights-east pines station.
Veterans Parkway - continuing storm drain install, track placement, stormwater management and planter boxes.
Upcoming - track placement, storm drain install, Stormwater management facilities. 6 months track will be placed on the full stretch of veterans looking close to completion.
Glenridge Facility - continuing work on the building and rail yard tracks. Soon they will begin site lighting and prepare the yard for delivery and conditioning of the new light rail vehicles.
Glenridge access bridge - completed placement of the concrete deck for the bridge. Completed wing walls. Not open for access yet, only for construction, but it is completed to enter the mall.
Glenridge Station - lookin good. station foundation, platform, canopy complete.
Northbound side of Veterans and Ellin Roads completed on northbound side. Completed drainage work, implemented long term traffic shift to northbound.
Upcoming - Isn't tall track and underground services across the southbound lanes, installing new traffic signal. Ellin Road looking to open by the end of this year, early next year.
They are still working on storm drains through Ellin road to Hanson Oaks. Over head catenary system poles installed. Completed substation at New Carrollton and they are finishing up final utility tie-ins.
NEW CARROLTON
Working in the WMATA lot, building retaining walls.
New Presenter - Carla Julian
Purple line team members supported the Riverdale community.
Existing traffic patterns will change as work occurs, as needed. Work may occur on both sides of the road and across roadways.
Beyond the Rails Community
Funding for community grants. 12 grants per year - November 30th is the deadline for this round.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Teena - How likely is it that opening will happen in spring 2027? Glenridge - for stations without parking areas - will there be a kiss and ride or drop-off station?
Answer: Spring 2027 is still the target date from Fall 2026. They are trying to stay on target. Parking is NOT included in any of the stations -as this is a transit project. They are trying to get cars off of the road.
Steve Hartiq - What connections if any are planned for the New Carrollton station for bike and pedestrian infrastructure?
Difficult to get to on foot or by bicycle.
Answer - Bike and pedestrians planned throughout the corridor. Will submit - some are posted on the website but will send them directly
Deanna (me)- Will we have a chance to do a meet and greet with the vehicles? See the trains before they go on the rails, invite CAT members/the public ,etc?
Answer - they will get back to us.
Steve again - tentative timing for flyover at Riverdale Park?
Answer - January, should be done.
Teena again - Along veterans after Glenridge, is the train elevated or is it with traffic? Could not tell from pic
Answer - Level crossing/at grade from Veterans into Ellin Road.
Ray Biggs - they got our emails and will provide info.
Utility work continues
8/12/22
Utilities are being replaced. If you live on Decatur Road, you will see Verizon truck have been working on the power lines. Today, some residents experiencing no internet.
Construction restarted in 2022.
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Purple Line Train Model at New Carrolton Library
1/15/2020
If you go to the New Carrolton Library you will see a model of how the Purple Line train will look like.
