The first railcars for the Purple Line are being built and tested in New York right now and are slated to arrive in Prince George’s County by the end of the year.

With construction still underway on the 16-mile light rail line, work is also continuing on building the railcars that will be used.

According to a briefing from Purple Line Transit Partners, the first complete railcar is about 60 percent through testing at its location in Elmira, New York, and will be sent to the Glenridge maintenance facility in Prince Georges County and operations facility for further testing in late 2020.

The current goal is to open the first phase of the Purple Line from the New Carrolton Metro station to the College Park Metro station by December of 2022.

The coronavirus pandemic has not significantly delayed that schedule, as construction workers are considered essential.

The Purple Line will have the longest railcars in the nation at 136 feet long. Making the trains longer was part of how Governor Hogan reduced the budget for the Purple Line.