Purple Line reaches final rail milestone, service still set for late 2027

Prince George’s County is closer to a Purple Line ride, but the central question is whether the line’s transit promise is worth a project whose cost has climbed to about $10 billion and whose construction has already disrupted homes, streets and small businesses along the corridor.

Crews installed the final rail segment on May 7, marking a major construction milestone for the 16-mile light-rail line that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton. State officials said the project was about 88% complete, with 21 stations planned, including 11 in Prince George’s County and 10 in Montgomery County.

The line is supposed to connect riders to Metro at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, along with MARC and Amtrak service. But passenger service is still not expected until late 2027, years after the project was originally expected to open in 2022 at a cost of $5.6 billion.

For Prince George’s communities along the route, the milestone came with a sharper focus on the damage done before the first train ever carries riders. Rep. Glenn Ivey was expected to announce nearly $1 million in federal funding for a University of Maryland-led effort to study displacement risks, stormwater runoff, environmental protection and the pressure construction has placed on homes and small businesses near the line.

That concern has been building for years. In November 2024, University of Maryland researchers said a $1.6 million Federal Transit Administration grant would support a Purple Line Corridor Coalition effort focused on preserving affordable housing, protecting neighborhood assets and creating access to green space for about 200,000 residents living along the future line. The work reflects a long-running worry in places such as Riverdale Park, Glenridge and along University Boulevard, where construction has reshaped traffic patterns and neighborhood access.

State leaders have also tried to blunt the strain on local businesses. Maryland created the Purple Line Small Business Grant Program in 2024, a four-year, $4 million fund intended to help merchants survive construction-related closures and detours. By December 2025, the state said it had invested $2 million in nearly 200 small businesses. By May 2026, that total had grown to nearly 250 grants and $2.6 million.

The physical buildout has advanced alongside the financial burden. The first Purple Line light-rail vehicle arrived in July 2024, and Maryland says the fleet will total 28 cars, each 142 feet long and able to carry 430 passengers. Dynamic testing is expected to continue through 2026 before service starts in late 2027. The line’s concept dates to 2001, and the federal government put $100 million into the project in 2014. For Prince George’s County, the next milestone will not be the final rail segment. It will be whether the promised access finally outweighs the years of cost, delay and disruption.