The Maryland Department of Transportation recently issued the first round of awards via its Purple Line Small Business grant program; a program launched in February 2025 to support small businesses along the state’s newest light rail line.
[Above photo by the Maryland DOT]
The agency said those grants – which ranged from $1,000 to $40,000 – will help local business owners sustain operations, preserve jobs and expand services along the Purple Line light rail corridor. The four-year program ultimately plans to issue $4 million to eligible businesses along that corridor, Maryland DOT noted.
“Maryland’s investment in the Purple Line represents a tremendous economic growth opportunity that will connect communities from Bethesda to New Carrollton,” said Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland DOT secretary, in a statement. “These grants will support small businesses whose operations are impacted by construction to ensure they are ready to thrive once the Purple Line opens.”
[Editor’s note: The Maryland Transit Administration – a division of the Maryland DOT – began “dynamic testing” of Purple Line light rail equipment in early April on a one-mile test track located adjacent to the project’s operations and maintenance facility along Veterans Parkway in Glenridge, MD.]
The agency said that businesses that applied for — yet did not win — a grant during this first round of awards are encouraged to apply again during the next funding cycle, which opens June 2, with applications due by June 27.
The Purple Line is a 16-mile, 21-station light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. It will directly connect to Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, as well to Maryland Area Rail Commuter or MARC trains, Amtrak trains, and local bus services.
The project is 76 percent complete with more than 80,000 feet of track installed and all 21 future Purple Line stations now under construction. Additionally, 19 miles of new and improved sidewalks are being installed along the Purple Line corridor, along with trails and new bike paths.
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