Purple Line light rail vehicles unveiled in Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — It’s been a long time in the making. The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail system that will extend from New Carrollton to Silver Spring and Bethesda. 

It's not expected to open until 2027, but we're getting a first look at the rail cars, which transit leaders are calling the future of transportation.

The first Purple Line light rail vehicle was unveiled in Prince George’s County on Thursday. At 142 feet long, it’s nearly half the size of a football field, and is currently the longest of its kind in the U.S. 

The train can hold up to 430 passengers – double the size of current Metro trains. Transit leaders say this environmentally sustainable travel option will help make transit more equitable in the state.

"We have 21 stations – meaning that you can get onto [trains] in your neighborhoods," Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II said. "You don't have to travel to a station."

The next step is testing. That process will take about a year. There will be 28 of the light-rail vehicles operating when construction is completed in the winter of 2027.    

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