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 begin in 2026 with revenue service targeted for the end of 2027.

Construction metrics provided to the committee included: roughly 35–38% of track installation complete, 20 of 21 stations under construction, and about a dozen station canopies installed. Alberto Furniture, a construction representative who led the county-level progress update, said work on several University Boulevard stations is advancing and that track installation in some corridors has reached 38% completion. “The track work is progressing well,” he said.

Committee members focused on traffic impacts and communications tied to intensive, short-duration closures. The Purple Line team said a temporary traffic pattern at the New Hampshire/University Boulevard and Riggs Road intersections will restrict certain movements during track installation and that the Riggs closure would begin the night of Feb. 20. Ray Biggs described the approach as a shorter, more restrictive closure intended to complete work quickly and “get out of the public’s way.” Council member Dena Fisher pressed for clearer advance notice to residents and asked that the county and project coordinate with local law enforcement to limit cut-through traffic in nearby neighborhoods.

The presenters also reviewed community and business supports. Jacqueline Hartman, assistant secretary at the Maryland Department of Transportation, described a new MDOT-administered small-business grant program launched Feb. 10 to assist businesses affected by construction. “We negotiated $4,000,000 of funding that comes back to the state to provide these business grants,” Hartman told the committee. The first application period is open until March 14; the team said future tranches will prioritize businesses most impacted during each period.

Purple Line Transit Partners described a separate “Beyond the Rails” community grants program administered by the concessionaire; staff said awards are distributed roughly every six months and the next deadline for that fund is May 2025. Operators’ representatives said they have staffed training and maintenance teams in place to support upcoming dynamic testing and initial operations, and that operator and first-responder training will run in parallel with vehicle testing.

Committee members asked for more specific schedules for work at several problem intersections (Annapolis Road/Veterans Parkway, Baltimore Avenue/US 1 and sections of Campus Drive) and for follow-up on timing for permanent paving and removal of utility plates. The Purple Line team committed to return with dates and agreed to work with council members on bilingual outreach and targeted distribution of grant and hiring information.

The presentation included outreach materials and social-media alerts the project uses to notify businesses and residents. The team advised residents to consult purplelinemd.com and the project’s outreach email for details and sign-up for alerts.

The committee did not take any formal action on the Purple Line during the Feb. 20 meeting; the discussion was an informational briefing and included multiple requests from council members for additional, more detailed schedules and localized communications.

Looking ahead, the Purple Line team said dynamic testing will be the immediate priority and that track and systems installation will continue across the alignment through 2026.