mass transit (again) (Houston, Dallas, Austin: sales, 2013, renting)

[dallas,texas]

Dallas Mass Transit is doing great. For those who did not understand, here is the map of the current and future lines

http://www.renaissancetower.net/img/gallery/dart.gif

I think the extensions will be great. Look, these go almost everywhere! I still think cars will be the main way to get around, but these new lines are a relief.
I read an article on how Houston should model there lines like Dallas, and Dallas sure is doing great with rail lines! One comes by my house, maybe ill start using DART all the time instead

[lh_newbie]

"These go almost everywhere" is a bit of a stretch. I love DART, but while it's come a long way in a relatively short period, it is still in it's infancy. Maybe a toddler.

As long as the expansion plans continue to develop and TOD's are part of the overall metro growth plan, we'll rapidly become a strong mass transit oriented region.

I would still love to see a Houston-to-Dallas rail line like the Dallas-Ft Worth line to tie the two regions together.

Brian

[texasplanner]

DART's website is DART.org - Dallas Area Rapid Transit. There's also a trip planner there. The current expansion will add another 44 miles to the system and link Carrollton/Farmers Branch to the downtown area as well as to Fair Park.

Also, Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) will be connecting with DART in Carrollton. Conceivably, one could ride from Denton to Dallas without having to get in a car.

[rentingindfw]

yes they are expanding. but let Dallas screw it up by not having trains going directly to each airport.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by rentingindfw

yes they are expanding. but let Dallas screw it up by not having trains going directly to each airport.

DART will reach DFW airport hopefully by 2013, at a place called "the 13th station". It will be a junction where DART will connect with a rail line in Northern Tarrant county that will travel to southwest Fort Worth.

Dallas wanted to build a tunnel on the Green line to connect to the Love Field terminal, but the Federal FTA decisively refused the request. They said that if Dallas built the tunnel on its own, DART would forfeit $600 million for the Green line.

Instead, the LOve Field station will be at the edge of Love Field and will connect to the terminal by a "people mover".

[MaryS80]

The light rail is great, but the bus service is terrible.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by MaryS80

The light rail is great, but the bus service is terrible.

The bus system is terrible everywhere. I live in the DC area now. We love metro as it is one of the best in the nation. But we hate the bus. We simply do not like overcrowded busses that stops and go and share the same road with the rest of the cars.

I really would like to see the entire area covered in rail. I don't think any metro has that except NYC. Chicago's is great but it won't reach Dupage County. DC is starting to do so with the new silver line running from Dulles through Downtown DC to the RFK. Does Ft. Worth have any ideas on the table to have any rail in place to cover there side of the metro? Also, after the last expansion into Rowlett, are there anymore expansions on the table to have it grow from 93 to something like 157 miles of rail? that might be in the 2060 plan.

Or how about this, let 2018 be the last expansion and form the DFWTA and institute heavy rail (like the trains in DC)covering the entire metro with DART still running it's light rail system.

[lukeache]

Are they expanding the Red Line further North into McKinney? That would only make sense!

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by lukeache

Are they expanding the Red Line further North into McKinney? That would only make sense!

That depends on funding sources to be established by the Texas legislature. Currently, the strategy is to pass a bill allowing a municipality to exceed current sales tax limits in order to join the DART system. There must be a local election to enable this. Many municipalities are unable to join because their local sales taxes have reached the state limit, or are not able to contribute a 1% tax to DART without exceeding the limit. McKinney is in that situation.

A more likely possibility is that McKinney will fund a separate train line of its own to connect with DART at Plano. More likely, Collin County would do it, rather than McKinney in particular. Denton county already is building a rail line from Denton to the DART line in Carrollton.

Essentially, the DFW area is very anxious to extend train service beyond the DART system and create a train structure comparable to cities like Boston or Chicago. The real problem is funding and enabling legislation from Austin.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by Spade

Does Ft. Worth have any ideas on the table to have any rail in place to cover there side of the metro? Also, after the last expansion into Rowlett, are there anymore expansions on the table to have it grow from 93 to something like 157 miles of rail?

Or how about this, let 2018 be the last expansion and form the DFWTA and institute heavy rail (like the trains in DC)covering the entire metro with DART still running it's light rail system.

Fort Worth is working on a plan to create what is called "commuter rail" from the DFW airport, through the northwest Tarrant county suburbs, to soothwest Fort Worth. The line will not be electrified, will have less frequent service than Dallas' DART, and the stations will be farther apart.

There are expansion plans aplenty. One new line will extend into West Dallas, possibly along Ft Worth Avenue, another will extend toward Mesquite. The Cotton Belt line from Plano to Addison to Carrollton will become a DART rail line, and a spur will extend toward the Dallas intermodal rail depot in southeast Dallas county. Downtown Dallas will receive another rail line, possibly a subway.