DALLAS - FORT WORTH | Rail Transportation
 

Here's a map I created showing the new routes for light rail and commuter rail coming on line in the next few years. Additionally there will be a second downtown route either in subway or on the surface... still being decided now.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/1...ail2018hc0.jpg

DART's Green Line and Orange Line construction...

Watch the Building and Growing the Green Line video here:

http://www.dart.org/video/flashvideo...ejune2007.html

www.dart.org

http://www.dart.org/images/expansion...largefeb07.gif

http://www.dart.org/images/expansion/orangelinemap.gif

http://www.dart.org/images/expansion...rowlettmap.gif

DCTA tracks diesel railcars
Transit authority to open bids on cleaner vehicles for rail line
07:03 AM CST on Friday, February 29, 2008
By Dan X. McGraw / Staff Writer
http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/...29.935f830.html

The Denton County Transportation Authority’s long-awaited rail line reaches a milestone next month when the agency’s board of directors opens bids on 12 commuter-rail vehicles.

The board plans to award a bid in late May so a manufacturer can begin building the rail vehicles.

The rail line will connect Denton to Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Green Line in Carrollton in 2010.

...

The vehicles will be able to operate on electrified and non-electrified rails, said Dee Leggett, the agency’s spokeswoman.

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With local governments supporting the agency, DCTA will no longer use federal funds to help pay for the project, enabling the authority to streamline and expedite some of the processes, Leg­gett said.

...

http://www.raildcta.net

http://www.commentmgr.com/projects/U...LPAMAP_web.jpg

The Fort Worth T's SW to NE rail corridor (http://www.sw2nerail.com/).

https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/...TA_EISmap2.jpg

http://www.commentmgr.com/projects/s...B0108a_web.JPG

Another rail line not previously discussed...

Cities weighing rail service on BNSF line
Proposed route runs from TRE in Irving to Highway 380 in Frisco
01:03 PM CST on Saturday, March 8, 2008
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
ssandoval@dallasnews.com

City managers from Irving to Frisco know begging won't advance DART's plan to someday start rail service between their cities.

Not when soaring construction costs are complicating efforts to keep even the agency's higher-priority projects on schedule.

So the managers of Irving, Farmers Branch, Carrollton and Frisco are taking a different approach. They want to study the feasibility of rail service along the 25-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe line – and look for a way to pay for it.

The managers expect to ask their city councils this month to authorize them to form a DFW Rail Coalition, possibly with a paid staff.

Each city in the coalition would contribute money based on its population. Businesses, chambers of commerce and other entities would be invited to participate.

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Providing rail service along the BNSF right of way is already included in DART's 2030 long-range plan, DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said. But so far the idea, like other parts of the plan that have not been funded, is merely part of the agency's "vision."

Mr. Lyons said DART would support the cities' efforts to speed the line's development by finding a way to pay for it. If the cities develop a plan, they could seek to contract with DART to build or operate the service, or find another way to build it.

...
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...309bnsfmap.jpg

Very cool.

Nice. What is the timeframe for connecting downtown Dallas with DFW airport?

December 2013

Good info!

I can't wait for the rollout!

Is the SW to NE rail line in FW a real possibility? I can't imagine conservative FW coming up with the money to make it happen. Have things changed that dramatically in the past few years?

Fort Worth is not the same place it was even as recently as three-five years ago. There has been tremendous population growth and significant central-city development.

The Southwest-to-Northeast line is very real. Currently, The T is doing its Environmental Impact Study (required for projects that use federal funds). Once this is completed and finalized (likely by the end of the year), the project will be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration to move forward. They're also underway on the engineering side of things as well. If things go smoothly, the line will be up and running as early as 2012.

(Incidentally, the current plan will be the primary route on the map. That's been pretty much decided since the map was made.)

The Southwest-to-Northeast line is just the beginning, though. Fort Worth is also in the early stages of planning a modern streetcar system for the urban core. The Fort Worth Central City Redevelopment Committee has made their official recommendation and proposal to the city council - the city needs a modern streetcar.

Short-term, the proposal wants to see a line from downtown to the Cultural District via 7th, downtown to TCU/Bluebonnet Circle via the Near Southside, and a line to Texas Wesleyan from downtown via the Near Southside and Evans/Rosedale. Later expansion lines include the Trinity Uptown/Mercado/Stockyards line, the Six Points line, and an extension of the Cultural District line all the way to Ridglea Village.

This is a rough map of the proposal:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2118/...26f4ef3d_o.jpg

The system would use modern on-street cars and is based on the Portland, Oregon system:

http://fortworthology.com/blogpics/modernstreetcar1.jpg

The City Council has endorsed the plan as well and is now examining funding. The plan is for the city to build the line and turn the daily operations over to The T.

Damn! This would be the sort of thing I dreamed about for the city back when I was growing up there in the 50's. Looks like the Bluebonnet Circle line would partly use the old Frisco right of way along 8th Av. Those sleepy rail yards were part of my playscape back in the day. I still kind of miss FW, and it is great to see it finally waking up.

Go Ft. Worth!!! This is phenomenal news!

Would you D/FW guyz do me a huge favor??? Make you neglectful sibling to the southeast jealous so that we'll move faster with our transit stuff ;)

Wow, that would look great in FW. I just wished either DART or the T would put their eyes on Arlington and Grand Prairie. These cities are some of the largest in DFW with many attractions and apparently are being surrounded by cities with public transportation.

I thought Houston was about to start construction on their new lines.

Anyway, is the orange line a go for Dallas? I read that they ran into cost problems. Has that been solved. I really hope it has. That's probably the biggest important line of all the lines in that map.

Arlington+mansfield seriosly need to hook up with Dallas/fort worth. Move south fools theres nothin in frisco! JK

Yes it is still planned to open in 2011 with construction starting late 2008. DART will just have to take on more debt now to pay for it.

Here's the article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...t.28874b4.html

The 5 lines were approved last October. METRO is starting to open offices at one point along each of the corridors to do the design work from within the neighborhoods. Designs and Funding are the next hurtles to cross and will be resolved in time.

I think they need to move up into Allen/Mckinney just for the sake of completeness. I'm very excited about this though and I can't wait until people start using the public transit more.

The T put up a new video showing their SW to NE rail line...


Name of video: Virtual Train Ride

Description: Climb aboard a computer simulation of the proposed commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Grapevine and D/FW Airport. The $470 million project is slated to open in 2013. (April 2, 2008. Video by Gordon Dickson)

Link to this video: http://sb1.thefifthnetwork.com/VCMS/...8-7a211f0278fe