Fort Worth to Grapevine to DFW Commuter Rail ... A good thing ? (Dallas: apartment, construction)

[carpe777]

I suppose this is a very good thing, but , I must admit, as a business owner in Grapevine I'm already tired of the commuter train horns ....and, depending, on the wind and cloud coverage, I can easily hear them at night, at my residence near Bedford.

I've never lived near the TRE ( realize it may not be the same ), but I have worked close to TRE stations and never remember such distinct and loud horns.

Curious what others, especially ChristieP, think ?

Carpe

[ChristieP]

The train horns were only used during testing the last few weeks. They will only be used for emergencies after the service officially starts tomorrow. All of the crossings have been upgraded to "quiet zones" with new crossing arms. There has been a ton of discussion about this on the City of Grapevine's Facebook page, in the Community Impact magazine, and on NextDoor.

Personally, I think it is fantastic that we will have commuter rail through downtown Grapevine. Back when I worked in downtown Fort Worth, I said I would be the first person on the train when it started service. I see how the DART rail has worked so well in Dallas, and I hope this does the same for Grapevine!

[jbb303]

I have trouble believing that anyone hasn't heard about the quiet zones and that the horns were only a part of testing. Trinity Metro has mounted a huge PR campaign about the quiet zones and there has been something in the news almost daily for the past 6 weeks.


Yes, it's a good thing. Development along the line is already happening in Grapevine and North Richland Hills. The impact won't be much, especially at first, but anything that has the potential to take cars off of the road is a good thing. There's already talk of using the money saved on the initial construction to extend the line south of downtown to the hospital district. That's a huge opportunity to get even more commuters off of the road.


Everyone will get used to the noise, what little there is, in a short time. The only people that really complain about rail line noise are people with no experience living near it.

[carpe777]

Originally Posted by jbb303

I have trouble believing that anyone hasn't heard about the quiet zones and that the horns were only a part of testing. Trinity Metro has mounted a huge PR campaign about the quiet zones and there has been something in the news almost daily for the past 6 weeks.


Yes, it's a good thing. Development along the line is already happening in Grapevine and North Richland Hills. The impact won't be much, especially at first, but anything that has the potential to take cars off of the road is a good thing. There's already talk of using the money saved on the initial construction to extend the line south of downtown to the hospital district. That's a huge opportunity to get even more commuters off of the road.


Everyone will get used to the noise, what little there is, in a short time. The only people that really complain about rail line noise are people with no experience living near it.

Wow...why the judgment ? I admit I don't watch Metroplex local TV news much at all but I listen to local news/talk radio and not much about the quiet zones.... I've heard of the quiet zones for regular rail and see the signs everywhere for that.

I agree that it's a good thing....it actually won't affect overall traffic on the roads that much...just do the numbers... but it is a good thing.

Carpe

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by carpe777

I agree that it's a good thing....it actually won't affect overall traffic on the roads that much...just do the numbers... but it is a good thing.

Changing perceptions is half the battle to convert drivers into transit riders. Texas has actively disdained pt since the post-war period with the Interstates, but NYC and Chicago has maintained a culture of transit ridership for city residents and suburban commuters. Before the war, there was a transit culture in Texas because people would rather take a smooth street car ride instead of riding in a horse-and-carriage on bumpy (and sometimes muddy) streets and car ownership was rare and maintenance expensive.

[Tallie225]

Yes its a great thing! I read about the ribbon cutting ceremony in Nrh the other week. It's great. Hopefully less cars on the road. Plus in the month of Jan they are giving free rides.

I personally don't mind the train sounds. I like them. In California I used to live in an apartment right next to tracks and barely heard them.

Anyway I think its a positive addition. Finally public transportation. I think its weird Nrh doesn't have a bus system...

[Campeador]

It is unquestionably a GREAT thing. This metro area is among the top 5 in the nation, but has the public transportation system of a city outside of the top 100. Finally, we can get to the airport from Downtown Fort Worth without an $80 taxi ride or $50 uber or spending an hour and a half dropping someone off/ picking them up. This is so overdue.

[HEBres21]

Originally Posted by Campeador

It is unquestionably a GREAT thing. This metro area is among the top 5 in the nation, but has the public transportation system of a city outside of the top 100. Finally, we can get to the airport from Downtown Fort Worth without an $80 taxi ride or $50 uber or spending an hour and a half dropping someone off/ picking them up. This is so overdue.

It has a stop at DFW?

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by HEBres21

It has a stop at DFW?

Yes, Terminal B, IIRC.