Maryland transit officials revealed the first Purple Line light rail vehicle to arrive in the state on Thursday.
The 142-foot-long vehicles, currently the longest of their kind in the United States, are assembled in Elmira, N.Y., and then transported to the Operations and Maintenance Facility in Prince George’s County.
Montgomery County Councilmembers Kate Stewart, Evan Glass, and Maryland State Delegates Lorig Charkoudian and David Moon attended the unveiling. Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, MTA Administrator Holly Arnold, FTA Regional Administrator Terry Garcia Crews, MTA Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II, and Purple Line Transit Partners CEO Doran Bosso were also present.
Officials first released photos of the vehicles in 2021 and shared video teasers on social media in January of this year.
“Celebrating the arrival of the Purple Line’s first light rail vehicle is the latest significant milestone in getting this much-needed new transit line up and running,” Wiedefeld said Thursday. “This new light rail vehicle embodies the many benefits transit provides from connecting communities to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The progress being made is because of the commitment and effort over the past year and a half to expedite work along the alignment.”
Welcomed the Purple Line rail vehicles to MD! 🚊🚊What an incredible vision into the future of transit in our region as we continue working to connect people to jobs & opportunity. My staff and I continue to work with state and local partners to reduce disruption to residents. pic.twitter.com/fk7NhVn1Sf
— Councilmember Kate Stewart (she/her) (@cmkatestewart) July 11, 2024
Spain-based rail car manufacturer CAF is building the vehicles, which have a capacity for 430 passengers and seating for 80. It can accommodate up to eight wheelchairs and features eight bike racks to encourage passengers to take their bicycles or scooters onboard. Additionally, the all-electric vehicles have been designed to reduce noise as they travel through communities.
Once delivered to Maryland, the light rail vehicles will undergo extensive commissioning and testing followed by static track testing scheduled to begin later this year; CAF is expected to deliver the complete fleet of 28 light rail vehicles by the end of 2025.
The 16-mile, 21-station Purple Line, which has been embattled by mounting delays and escalating costs, is more than 65 percent complete and is currently slated to begin operation in winter 2027.
Photo Courtesy of The Purple Line Project