When does the Capital Crescent Trail through Chevy Chase come back? The date you hear most is December 2026. It comes from the Purple Line project's listing for the Georgetown Branch Interim Trail, which gives the closure window as "September 2017 - December 2026." That listing tracks how long the interim trail arrangement is expected to last. It doesn't announce an opening, and the county's own budget document points to a later date.
The corridor behind Chevy Chase Lake is already busy again, though not with walkers and cyclists. Purple Line light rail vehicles have been running test trips on the tracks between Lyttonsville and Bethesda since this summer. The trains got back to the old Georgetown Branch first. The trail will follow in stages, and the stretch that ties it into downtown Bethesda is scheduled to finish last.
Five dates, five different milestones
Each date attached to this project measures something different. Here they are side by side.
| Date | Where it comes from | What it actually measures |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Montgomery County, 47th Street Phase 2 | Target to finish the 47th Street surface path |
| December 2026 | Purple Line Updates & Detours page | End of the listed interim trail closure window |
| Spring 2027 | Montgomery County FY27 capital budget | Construction completion of the main trail along the Purple Line, per MTA's schedule |
| Summer 2027 | MCDOT, Capital Crescent Surface Trail Phase 3 | Completion of the Phase 3 project, which covers both the Elm Street Park trail link and the park's playground and fitness upgrades |
| Late 2027 | Maryland Transit Administration, May 2026 | Expected start of Purple Line passenger service |
For the main trail, the most reliable line is in Montgomery County's FY27 capital budget. It says "construction completion of the main trail along the Purple Line alignment is expected by Spring 2027 per MTA's current schedule." Even that is a construction date. It is not an opening date.
The county said as much in its August 11, 2026 announcement of its FY27 Vision Zero work plan. Finishing the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring is on the list, and the county wrote that it "continues to work with the Purple Line to determine which parts of the trail can be opened prior to completion of the rail line's construction." No opening day or ribbon-cutting has been announced. The Purple Line's FAQ says the county and MTA will open the trail as soon as it is safe and feasible. It doesn't set a fixed date.
Older forecasts are still in circulation. In September 2025, Bethesda Magazine reported that the trail might be open to bikers, walkers and runners by summer 2026. The county's spring 2027 schedule now replaces that estimate.
The trains are already running
The rail side of the corridor is much further along. In a July 16, 2026 release, MTA said Purple Line construction was 90% complete, with all rail tracks installed as of early May. The same release announced live-wire testing on 2.5 miles of dedicated track. Testing starts at the Lyttonsville Operations and Maintenance Facility and runs through Chevy Chase to Bethesda Station. Operators test acceleration and braking at different speeds and may sound the horn and bell from time to time.
Sources disagree about when testing started. MTA's release says live-wire testing in this segment began "this week," meaning the week of July 16. A Bethesda Beacon report dated July 9 described the first light rail vehicle run on the Bethesda tracks. A September Beacon update and a Town of Chevy Chase notice both put the start in June. One likely explanation is that earlier vehicle movements came before the formal live-wire phase. Either way, trains have been moving through the corridor since midsummer.
Timing matters more than the start date. MTA said the first week of testing would run overnight, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., before moving to weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The project's current Bethesda/Chevy Chase notice says most testing happens between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., but "LRV movement could occur at any time, day or night." MTA also notes that you may not hear a train coming:
The Purple Line's light rail vehicles are quiet, producing about the same noise level as cars and trucks.
During this phase the test trains don't interact with road or pedestrian traffic. MTA still tells people to stay off the tracks and station platforms. The project notice adds that the public should stay outside the project limits.
What the new trail will look like, west to east
Since 2017, the trail people knew has been replaced by an interim route. The rebuilt trail will be a different facility from the old gravel path. The county budget describes the main trail from Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda to Silver Spring as "a largely 12-foot-wide hard surface hiker-biker path," with connector paths, added landscaping, and lighting at trail junctions, underpasses and other key spots. Purple Line materials specify 12 feet of pavement with two-foot buffers and formal local access points.
Here is the route from west to east, with the landmarks you'll pass:
- 47th Street and Elm Street Park. A 10-foot shared-use path runs along 47th Street from Willow Avenue to Elm Street Park. The north end of the park is being rebuilt to carry the route on to the main trail.
- The main trail beside the tracks. Crews are building the Purple Line and the Capital Crescent Trail together along the former Georgetown Branch between Elm Street Park and Rock Creek Park, with work permitted through fall 2026.
- The Connecticut Avenue bridge. The trail crosses Connecticut Avenue on its own new bridge. Next to it, work continues on the Purple Line's Connecticut Avenue station at Chevy Chase Lake, including utility installations, retaining walls and other station elements.
- The Jones Mill Road underpass. The trail goes under Jones Mill Road through a new underpass. Utility relocation, retaining wall construction and completion of the west side of Jones Mill Road are scheduled through fall 2026.
- The Rock Creek crossing. The trail gets its own bridge over Rock Creek, separate from the rail bridge. The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail says the new trail bridge sits lower than the old trestle, and the ramp down to Rock Creek Trail is designed as a single switchback on the east side.
- Silver Spring. At the Silver Spring Transit Center, the Capital Crescent Trail connects to the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the Green Trail.
Several of these sites are still active work zones this fall. That fits a spring 2027 construction finish better than a December opening.
Why the Bethesda end comes last
The schedule puts the western end of the corridor last. The 47th Street Phase 2 path was about 90% complete in the county's September update, with completion targeted for October 2026. County photos dated August 6, 2026 show finished sections, but no source confirms they are open to the public.
The next piece is Phase 3. It pairs a surface trail connection at Elm Street Park, running to the future trail near the Air Rights Building, with new playground and fitness equipment in the park. MCDOT says the project begins in summer 2026 and finishes in summer 2027. On September 28, 2026, crews had cleared the site of trees and were installing silt fence. The page gives one date for the whole project and doesn't date the trail link separately. The county's budget document splits the two. It says the 47th Street path and the Elm Street Park trail connection "will be completed in FY26" and puts the park reconstruction in FY27. With site clearing only just finished in late September, the trail link's FY26 target looks like it has already slipped.
Then there is the tunnel. A proposed passage would run about 1,000 feet from the west side of 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, under Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street, to Elm Street Park. Plans call for a 12-foot concrete path with two-foot shoulders, lighting, security, emergency phones and emergency exits. The county lists it as a separate project in final design. Bid preparation, utility relocation and construction all fall beyond the current six-year budget period.
Until then, getting from Wisconsin Avenue to Elm Street on foot means a detour. Pedestrian access between the two remains closed. The posted detour uses the Wisconsin Avenue crossings at Elm Street and Waverly Street, then goes west on Hampden Lane to Woodmont Avenue and on to Elm Street. Work at the Elm Street site includes overnight concrete pours, with two shifts running weekdays and weekends as needed.
Where to get answers that change week to week
Different agencies handle different parts of the trail. The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail identifies the Montgomery County Department of Transportation as manager of the trail along the Purple Line corridor. Montgomery Parks maintains the existing trail south of Bethesda Avenue. The Purple Line project sends questions about the interim Georgetown Branch Trail to MCDOT. For closures and test schedules, the project offers text and email alerts through Maryland Transit Solutions, its design-build contractor. Those alerts are likely to be one of the first places a partial opening shows up.
If you're thinking about how a home near the Connecticut Avenue station, Jones Mill Road or the Elm Street Park end of the trail fits your plans over the next year, Cox & Cox Group can walk you through the construction schedule block by block. Contact us and let's solve your home needs.
