After nearly ten years, Maryland’s highly anticipated Purple Line is tantalizingly close to completion. In fact, social media posts last week showed a train being tested across the University of Maryland campus. Which begs the question: How soon will the Purple Line be open? The answer: Not for a while still. The Purple Line’s construction began in 2017. Now, after delays due to the Covid pandemic as well as cost increases, it is expected to finally debut in late 2027. But this month, the Maryland Transit Administration is kicking off several Spring Advisory Team meetings, beginning on April 14. The sessions, held from 6 to 7:30 PM on Microsoft Teams, will provide opportunities for the public to get construction progress and testing updates on the light rail from project leadership throughout the month. In the meantime, here’s the latest on the Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) new light rail system, including potential impacts on Metro commutes this summer. What is the Purple Line? The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that will connect Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. It will consist of 21 stations, running from Bethesda to New Carrollton, with 11 stations in Prince George’s County and 10 in Montgomery County. How close is it to completion? The construction of the Purple Line is 88.8 percent complete, the MTA says. This includes design and construction of the stations and delivery of the light-rail vehicles. Rail installation is currently 87 percent complete, and all tracks in Prince George’s County are installed, with nearly 168,000 of 193,100 feet of track laid overall. How often will the trains run, and what is the expected end-to-end travel time? Purple Line light rail vehicles are expected to operate every 7.5 minutes during peak periods in each direction between Bethesda and New Carrollton, and every 10-12 minutes in off-peak hours, according to Maryland Transit Administration. The travel time of the entire 16-mile ride is expected to be about 63 minutes from end-to-end. More scheduling information is expected in the upcoming months, MTA says. Where will it connect? The Purple line will connect with the Red Line at the Bethesda and Silver Spring stops, the Green Line at College Park, and the Orange Line at New Carrollton. It will also connect with the MARC commuter rail, and local and regional bus networks. How will it be designed for accessibility? Most of the rail line will be at road level, with only short sections above ground, at the elevated Kenilworth Station in Prince George’s County, and underground at the Plymouth Avenue Tunnel in Montgomery County, according to MTA. The new station platforms are also expected to be smaller than Metrorail stations, measuring only about 140 to 200 feet long. They will feature shelters, benches, and ticket vending machines. Trains and platforms will be ADA-accessible and will incorporate special noise damping measures for a quieter ride. How will construction impact Metro commutes? To accommodate construction related to the Purple Line, Metro’s Red Line trains will not run between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights for two months this summer, from July 6 to September 6. WMATA will operate free shuttle buses for passengers at the Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Medical Center, Grosvenor-Strathmore, and North Bethesda stations. After nearly ten years, Maryland’s highly anticipated Purple Line is tantalizingly close to completion. In fact, social media posts last week showed a train being tested across the University of Maryland campus. Which begs the question: How soon will the Purple Line be open? The answer: Not for a while still. The Purple Line’s construction began in 2017. Now, after delays due to the Covid pandemic as well as cost increases, it is expected to finally debut in late 2027. But this month, the Maryland Transit Administration is kicking off several Spring Advisory Team meetings, beginning on April 14. The sessions, held from 6 to 7:30 PM on Microsoft Teams, will provide opportunities for the public to get construction progress and testing updates on the light rail from project leadership throughout the month. In the meantime, here’s everything that you can expect from the Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) new light rail system, including potential impacts on Metro commutes this summer. What is the Purple Line? The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that will connect Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. It will consist of 21 stations, running from Bethesda to New Carrollton, with 11 stations in Prince George’s County and 10 in Montgomery County. How close is it to completion? The construction of the Purple Line is 88.8 percent complete, the MTA says. This includes design and construction of the stations and delivery of the light-rail vehicles. Rail installation is currently 87 percent complete, and all tracks in Prince George’s County are installed, with nearly 168,000 of 193,100 feet of track laid overall. How often will the trains run, and what is the expected end-to-end travel time? Purple Line light rail vehicles are expected to operate every 7.5 minutes during peak periods in each direction between Bethesda and New Carrollton, and every 10-12 minutes in off-peak hours, according to Maryland Transit Administration. The travel time of the entire 16-mile ride is expected to be about 63 minutes from end-to-end. More scheduling information is expected in the upcoming months, MTA says. Where will it connect? The Purple line will connect with the Red Line at the Bethesda and Silver Spring stops, the Green Line at College Park, and the Orange Line at New Carrollton. It will also connect with the MARC commuter rail, and local and regional bus networks. How will it be designed for accessibility? Most of the rail line will be at road level, with only short sections above ground, at the elevated Kenilworth Station in Prince George’s County, and underground at the Plymouth Avenue Tunnel in Montgomery County, according to MTA. The new station platforms are also expected to be smaller than Metrorail stations, measuring only about 140 to 200 feet long. They will feature shelters, benches, and ticket vending machines. Trains and platforms will be ADA-accessible and will incorporate special noise damping measures for a quieter ride. How will construction impact Metro commutes? To accommodate construction related to the Purple Line, Metro’s Red Line trains will not run between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights for two months this summer, from July 6 to September 6. WMATA will operate free shuttle buses for passengers at the Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Medical Center, Grosvenor-Strathmore, and North Bethesda stations. The post The Latest on Maryland’s Upcoming Purple Line first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less