DART celebrates 10 years at DFW Airport
DALLAS, Aug. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recent transit discussions have centered on Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) Silver Line regional rail project and its potential to connect future passengers to Terminal B at DFW Airport once it opens for commercial service later next year or in early 2026.
But did you know that DART has been serving DFW Airport for a decade?
In fact, DART was the first transit agency in the Southwest to offer direct rail service—from station to terminal—to a regional or international airport. On August 18, 2014, DART set a precedent with its first trip from DFW Airport’s Terminal A to downtown Dallas.
“Transportation to DFW International Airport has been part of DART’s vision since the agency was founded in 1983,” said John Hoppie, a project manager in DART’s development department who worked on the Orange Line extension to DFW Airport. “This was a milestone for us and the Dallas region.”
The Orange Line began service in 2010 and was expanded two years later to include stops in the city of Irving, allowing riders to reach the University of Dallas, Las Colinas, the Irving Convention Center and Dallas College’s North Lake Campus. The 5-mile extension from the Belt Line station to DFW Airport brought DART’s light rail system to the nation’s second-busiest airport (four months ahead of schedule) and expanded its service to 90 miles and 62 stations.
DART opened a deferred infill station, Hidden Ridge Station, in 2021, giving riders an additional stop to access the various retail, entertainment, and business options in Las Colinas. Additional infill stations, that is, planned stations that can be added to existing rail service at a later date, near Loop 12 and South Las Colinas would bring the total number of Orange Line stations to 15, keeping the trip between downtown Dallas (from Pearl/Arts District Station) to DFW Airport under an hour.
Currently, there are over 60 Orange Line trips scheduled from Pearl/Arts District Station to DFW Airport during the week and 48 on weekends. DART serves an average of 15,500 passengers daily and 8,400 per weekend on the Orange Line.
Trinity Metro, which shares operation of the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) between Dallas and Fort Worth, became the second transit agency in the Southwest to offer direct rail service to the airport when it began operating TexRail from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Airport in 2019. DART will share station space with TexRail at DFW North Station in Grapevine once the Silver Line opens for commercial service, providing DFW Airport with direct rail service from three of the nation’s 75 largest cities (as of the 2020 U.S. Census) – Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano.
The Silver Line provides a second direct rail connection to DFW Airport, connecting riders in the northern DART service area from its starting point in Plano to stops in Richardson, North Dallas, Addison, Carrollton and Grapevine. DART also offers service to Dallas Love Field Airport via the Green Line and a dedicated bus line from the Inwood/Love Field Station to the airport.
David Ehrlicher, DART’s chief architect and assistant vice president who was instrumental in planning the Orange Line light rail project, said the extension to DFW Airport 10 years ago was key to making everything else work.
“The Orange Line extension to DFW Airport is important because it provides passengers with the opportunity to become DART customers and travel to downtown Dallas and other destinations throughout the DART service area with a single transfer,” Ehrlicher said. “DFW Airport is a major access point for business and leisure travelers across the United States. By adding direct rail service to DFW (Airport), we are providing those same travelers with an easy connection to all that the Dallas area has to offer, while also providing locals with a convenient way to reach their business or leisure destinations.”
For more information about the Orange Line, as well as DART rail maps and schedules, visit DART Rail System.
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CONTACT: Anna Kurian Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) 2147493800 [email protected]
