Construction on the Purple Line is slated to resume this spring.

Once scheduled to begin running as early as this upcoming March, the 16-mile light rail line was delayed by lawsuits, pandemic-related construction problems and cost overruns.

But work will restart within a few months by a new contractor made up of two of the world’s largest heavy-construction firms, Dragados and OHL, both of which are based in Madrid.

Officials now expect that trains will be running on the Purple Line in 2025, putting the project about three years behind schedule.

Still, the project is on track. The state bought additional railcars, which will allow trains to run more frequently, reducing the wait time for passengers at stations, and a 17,000-square-foot maintenance facility just outside Riverdale Park is ready for operation.

In the meantime, the University of Maryland is working with housing advocates and nonprofits on the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, an effort to limit or offset rising rents in areas along the transit line.

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