Purple Line team reports major construction progress, dynamic train testing to start this spring

The Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line partners briefed the Prince George’s County Council Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee on Feb. 20 on construction progress, upcoming train testing and community outreach for the 16-mile, 21-station light-rail project.

The update, led by Ray Biggs, senior project director for the MTA Purple Line, said the project has moved from “momentum” into what the team calls a year of “transformation.” “You should start to see a lot of rail, a lot of OCS poles and all of that starting to go up,” Biggs said, describing visible changes arriving across both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

The briefing emphasized near-term testing and construction milestones. Biggs and other presenters said eight of the 28 light rail vehicles are already at the project’s operations and maintenance facility and that the team expects delivery of the remaining vehicles this year. The team plans to begin dynamic testing of light rail vehicles on a dedicated one-mile test track in Prince George’s County this spring; system testing is scheduled to…