MARYLAND Department of Transportation (MDOT), Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and Purple Line Transit Partners, have signed the final financial documents for a $US 5.6bn PPP contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the 26km light rail Purple Line north of Washington DC.

MARYLAND Department of Transportation has selected the Purple Line Transit Partners consortium as preferred bidder for the $US 2bn Purple Line light rail public-private partnership (PPP) project.

SERVICES on Washington DC's DC Streetcar H/Benning Line are due to begin on February 27 after more than a decade of planning, construction and testing.

KEOLIS confirmed on July 14 that it has been granted a five-year extension by Virginia Railway Express (VRE) for the operation of commuter rail services from Washington D.C. to Manassas and Fredericksburg in northern Virginia.

WASHINGTON Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) celebrated the launch of its new Kawasaki 7000 series trains on April 14, when the first train entered passenger service on the Metrorail Blue Line.

TEST operation began on August 4 on the first modern tram line in Washington DC, which runs along H Street and Benning Road in the northeast of the city.

WASHINGTON DC celebrated the largest-ever expansion of its metro network on July 26 with the inauguration of the initial 18.7km five-station section of the Silver Line from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue in Reston.

Nearly half a century after the first metro line opened in the US capital, the system is under increasing pressure to cope with the demands of a growing city. Keith Barrow reports from Washington, DC on how the city's transport authority is seeking to overcome years of underinvestment and build a foundation for future expansion.

THE United States Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a record of decision on March 20 approving plans for the 25.8km Maryland Purple Line LRT, which will serve the northern suburbs of Washington DC.

WASHINGTON Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) formally launched trial operation of the first Kawasaki 7000 series metro train at Greenbelt station on January 6.