Now that the Purple Line project is more than 80 percent complete, testing of light-rail vehicles is set to begin on the University of Maryland campus in early January.
The testing on campus is expected to be conducted overnight on selected days from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., according to a campus-wide email on Thursday by this university’s chief administrative officer Charles Reuning. Testing from the College Park Metro Station to the east is set to start mid-November.
“This is an exciting step toward full system operation, which is scheduled for December 2027,” Reuning wrote in the email.
The high-voltage power lines will soon be energized and should be treated with the same caution used with any overhead power lines, the email read.
The wires are safe for anyone at ground level, Reuning wrote, but people should not get near them with any tall objects and should not throw anything on them. The email advises people to call 911 if a power line is downed.
Due to gaps in the rails, micromobility riders and wheelchair users are urged to take precautions such as using bike paths, avoiding rails when riding parallel to the tracks and crossing the tracks at a 90-degree angle, the email read
Five of the 21 Purple Line light-rail stations will be on or around this campus, the email read.
