Montgomery County residents living near or along the future Purple Line can find out the latest information about the project to build the light-rail line that will travel from Bethesda to New Carrollton during virtual community meetings scheduled in May, according to project officials.
“Progress of the Purple Line has reached an exciting period, and our team looks forward to sharing this progress with the public,” Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II said in a press release.
Biggs said the meetings will show how future Purple Line stations along the 16-mile route are taking shape as well as miles of installed track and completed features of the project such as the new Talbot Avenue Bridge in Lyttonsville.
The Purple Line is a 21-station light-rail line that will connect riders to the Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines as well as to the MARC and Amtrak trains and local bus services. Construction of the line has faced numerous delays since the project’s inception, but state transportation officials expect the long-awaited Purple Line will be open for service in late 2027. Construction on the line began in 2017.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) and the Purple Line project team are hosting the community meetings.
The state agencies divided the light-rail line’s route into eight geographic areas that are each represented by a community advisory team (CAT): Bethesda/Chevy Chase, Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside, Silver Spring, Long Branch, University Boulevard, College Park, Riverdale Park and Glenridge/New Carrollton.
According to the Purple Line website, CATs are comprised of representatives appointed from neighborhood and civic associations, representatives from business associations and local governments. The teams aim to promote two-way information sharing between MDOT MTA; Purple Line Transit Partners, which is building the line; and the community. The teams also provide a forum for community members and stakeholders to engage with project staff and identify and address issues and concerns related to the project.
Here is the schedule for the CAT community meetings:
- May 2, for Riverdale, New Carrollton and Glenridge areas
- May 7, Silver Spring
- May 9, University Boulevard
- May 14, Bethesda/Chevy Chase
- May 16, College Park
- May 21, Lyttonsville
- May 23, Long Branch
All meetings are scheduled to run from 6 to around 7:30 p.m. They will be held via Microsoft Teams and links are available on the CAT webpage.
On the CAT webpage, residents can also access information on past meetings for their area in English and Spanish.
Questions on the CAT meetings can be directed to the Purple Line outreach team via outreach@purplelinemd.org.