Three public projects on the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail are underway at the same time this fall, and each one is at a spot where people get on or off it. Hyattsville is building a stage and lawn on the old Spot pop-up site behind Yes! Organic Market. Mount Rainier has closed the Levee Trail crossing at Chillum Road to add a raised crosswalk and a flashing beacon. Purple Line light-rail cars run test trips every night through the crossings around College Park and Riverdale Park.
The businesses along the trail made this shift first. Franklins in Hyattsville gave its ice cream shop a door that faces the trail. The breweries and bakeries between Mount Rainier and College Park already serve as stops for group rides. The city projects are catching up to them, and you can see that on almost any walk north from the District line.
Three projects, three points of access
Here is where each project stands as of early October 2026.
| Project | Location | Status, fall 2026 | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trolley Trailhead Park, phase two | 5215 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville | Under construction, projected to finish early 2027 | Covered stage, lawn for 60 people, playground, bike repair station, tree-lined path to the trail |
| Levee Trail crossing | Chillum Road, Mount Rainier | Started in August; trail closed during construction | Raised crosswalk, activated flashing beacon, ADA-accessible ramps, improved sidewalks |
| Purple Line testing and streetwork | College Park–UMD to Adelphi Road; Veterans Parkway to College Park–UMD | Nightly test runs; passenger service forecast for winter 2027 | Repaved streets, new sidewalks, new signals on Campus Drive |
The Hyattsville park has the longest history of the three. The Spot opened in 2021 as an informal pop-up park for concerts and community events. It started as an idea from the SoHy Co-op, a nonprofit that supports local businesses, and was paid for with a grant from Anacostia Trails Heritage Area. It became a regular spot for public art and live music. The city is now turning it into a permanent park with $1.4 million in grants. The groundbreaking took place at 10:30 a.m. on June 13, during Trolley Trail Day, with residents and elected officials there. In the meantime, the city has set up a viewing platform for what it calls "construction vehicle enthusiasts of all ages."
The crossing in Mount Rainier is smaller in scale, but it matters more to anyone who uses that route every day. By late September, the contractor had put in drainage on both sides of Chillum Road. The city says the trail stays closed until the crossing is finished. Its September 24 update also lists other street-safety projects that are finished or nearly finished. The 31st Street and Food Forest traffic-calming work has its bump-out and raised crosswalk in place, and only the stamped pavers and sidewalk markings remain. On 35th Street, new sidewalks, ADA ramps, a bump-out and high-visibility crosswalks are done.
The businesses faced the trail first
Before the stage and the new crossing, the trail already had businesses lined up along it, and the clearest list of them comes from this year's Trolley Trail Day. On Saturday, June 13, Arrow Bicycles led a brewery ride at 11:30 a.m. with these stops:
- Proteus Brews
- Tacos a la Madre
- Denizens Brewing Co.
- Town Center Market
- Franklins Brewery and Restaurant
- Sangfroid Distilling
- Streetcar 82
- Maryland Meadworks
All eight places on that list are already set up for people arriving on foot or by bike. Franklins goes furthest. Its ice cream shop at 5123 Baltimore Ave. opened in fall 2025 with a door onto the Trolley Trail, and during Trolley Trail Day it ran a pit stop with a Full Picture Games vending-machine game.
Further north in Riverdale Park, Manifest Bread reopened in May 2025 in a larger bakery and restaurant space serving sandwiches and pastries. Call Your Mother has run a food truck at Riverdale Park Station, 4599 Van Buren St., since February 2025. Both took part in the 2026 trail day. Not every trailside business has stayed open. The Le Fantome food hall in Riverdale Park closed in spring 2025.
The trail day schedule also showed how far the route reaches. Activity hubs ran from Mount Rainier's Memorial Park, where Breathing Space Yoga set up a yoga obstacle course, through North Brentwood's Entrepreneur Park and Hyattsville's Melrose Skate Park, up to the Hollywood Farmers Market and the Berwyn Business District. The day ended at the College Park Aviation Museum with a rock concert that included food and drinks from Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. and Simple Pleasures Ice Cream. The June list is the most recent full record of which businesses were taking part, so it's a good idea to check hours before heading out on a fall weekend.
After dark, trains share the crossings
North of Hyattsville, the Purple Line is the biggest project near the trail, and it now has a regular nightly schedule. In College Park, light-rail cars run test trips between the College Park–UMD Station and the Adelphi Road UMGC–UMD Station every night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Police or traffic-control staff manage the intersections, and the project says pedestrians may wait briefly while a car passes. Between Veterans Parkway and College Park–UMD, which takes in Riverdale Park, testing runs from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Most of the daytime work is on the streets around the line. By August 2026, crews had installed or replaced more than 17 miles of sidewalk along the route. They were also repaving nearby streets, building the Riverdale Park–Kenilworth Station and finishing signals on Campus Drive. At the Kenilworth station, stairs, an elevator tower and a new sidewalk beside the tracks were already in place by March. Near the College Park–UMD Station, MARC and Metro riders may run into pedestrian detours from time to time and should follow the posted signs.
The completion date depends on the source. In May, the Hyattsville Wire reported that all the track was laid and construction could finish by the end of 2026, with passenger service starting in winter 2027. The project's own updates page says construction is expected to last through 2027. Either way, this fall and winter you can expect light-rail cars at crossings late at night and crews on the streets during the day.
October on the trail, stop by stop
The fall calendar follows the same route, mostly at places where the trail meets a town center or a park.
- Saturdays through Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Hollywood Farmers Market at 9803 Rhode Island Ave. has locally grown produce, handmade goods and live music, according to the City of College Park. It was one of the activity hubs on Trolley Trail Day.
- Saturdays into December. PG Parks lists the College Park Farmers Market at 5211 Campus Drive on Saturdays from late April through December.
- Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m. Riverdale Park's October Town Crier lists a Walk & Talk.
- Oct. 23, 6 to 9 p.m. Rave at the Grave takes place at Duvall Field in College Park.
- Oct. 30, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Mount Rainier holds its annual Halloween Parade & Trunk-or-Treat. Lineup starts at 5 p.m. at Richardson Park.
- Oct. 30, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Riverdale Park holds its own Trunk or Treat the same evening.
- Oct. 31. The Station at Riverdale Park lists a Riverdale Art Market. Vendors haven't been announced, and the listing still says "September Market," so check back before you plan around it.
October 30 has two Halloween events about an hour apart in start time, in two towns on the same trail. Mount Rainier's parade starts first, and Riverdale Park's begins at 6:30. Note that the Chillum Road crossing in Mount Rainier is still closed while construction continues.
Just off the trail, a few changes on Route 1
The newest openings near the trail are one block over, on Route 1 and in downtown College Park. Duck Donuts set a grand opening for September 19 at 4360 Knox Road. Northwest Chinese Food planned to move back to College Park on August 15, at 7401 Baltimore Ave. It shares the space with Li Chun Cafe, which serves lunch, while Northwest Chinese takes the evening shift. A few blocks south, Little Blue Menu at 7242 Baltimore Ave. is scheduled to close this fall and reopen as a traditional Chick-fil-A in 2027. No closing date has been announced.
Back in Hyattsville, the park at 5215 Baltimore Ave. is in its second phase of construction, which is projected to finish in early 2027. That phase pays for the stage, the lawn and the bike repair station. The plans also include a tree-lined path from the new park to the Trolley Trail.
Projects like a new trailhead park, a rebuilt crossing and a light-rail line change how a neighborhood works day to day, and they often affect how buyers see the blocks nearby. If you want to talk through what these projects mean for your own street in Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park or College Park, Thrive Team is happy to walk through the details with you. Start a Strategy Call whenever you're ready.
