The first Purple Line railcar may arrive in Maryland by the end of 2020

Construction on Maryland’s Purple Line light rail continues to chug along. The state recently posted two briefings showing new photos, updates, and renderings, including the tasty tidbit that the first railcar is already going through the manufacturer’s factory testing in New York and is scheduled to be delivered to Maryland by the end of 2020.

According to the briefings, the Purple Line is still scheduled to open between New Carrollton and College Park in December 2022, with the remaining section to Silver Spring and Bethesda opening in mid 2023.

The briefings were for community groups in Silver Spring and College Park, and thus concentrate on those areas. Here are some other interesting pieces of info:

Photos of the Purple Line’s dramatic flyover crossing above Silver Spring Metro have become common, but one helpful aerial shows what the entire complex looks like from above. You can see how the Purple Line station will be opposite the bus station from Metro and MARC.

Here’s what it will look like when finished:

Nearby, Silver Spring Library station will look like this:

And here’s the newly-built Purple Line bridge over Northeast Branch, just east of College Park Metro:

Take a look at these and other Purple Line community briefings, and let us know what’s interesting to you!