Dallas Morning News
February 23, 2010
Expanding the reach of rail transit in North Texas will take progress big and small on multiple fronts. Here are a couple of areas where things are quietly heading the right way:
In Austin – House Speaker Joe Straus officially invited ideas on new ways of paying for transportation projects. The speaker announced special committees last week to study needs and report to him on, among other things, "using alternative funding options at the state and local levels."
In North Texas – A coalition of cities and transportation agencies has stepped up efforts to develop the long-proposed east-west Cotton Belt rail link to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It would connect northern suburbs and North Dallas to the airport and run through downtown Fort Worth. DART owns the Cotton Belt right of way but doesn't have the money to put the project together.
Again, innovation is called for. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is finishing a report on ways the six cities on the east side of the airport can team up with property owners and DART to start the new line.
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Showing posts with label DART. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DART. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Recession rattles Carrollton's plans for transit development
Dallas Morning News
Dianne Solis // February 17, 2010
The city of Carrollton hoped some zip in downtown development would emerge with the arrival of a rapid transit station from DART.
The historic plaza with its gazebo and cluster of shops and restaurants provides the building blocks, they reasoned.
But Tuesday night, they gave a second amendment to developer High Street Development unit of Trammel Crow, due to the steep slump in the economy.
Start-up of construction will be moved back eight months to June 1, 2011, for a project that includes 170 residential units and retail in the first phase and 125 more residential units in the second phase. A previous contract amendment split the development into two phases back in October.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Dallas May Get Subway Downtown
WiredPRNews.com
February 2, 2010
Dallas city planners are considering plans for further developments in the area that may include a subway station downtown. As reported by NBC DFW News, the subway plans of Dallas Area Rapid Transit are being considered as a possible means to relieve congestion in the downtown area.
MORE
February 2, 2010
Dallas city planners are considering plans for further developments in the area that may include a subway station downtown. As reported by NBC DFW News, the subway plans of Dallas Area Rapid Transit are being considered as a possible means to relieve congestion in the downtown area.
MORE
Commuter Rail Success Stories
Empire Report
Jack C. Swearengen // January 28, 2010
Dallas’ DART light-rail system, which has an average weekday ridership of 70,000 trips, registered an increase of more than 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and more than 10 percent for the year. "People who were used to driving did the math and figured they could buy a monthly pass ($50) for less than a tank of gas," said Morgan Lyons, a spokesman for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. As gasoline prices fell, other benefits became more apparent. Instead of traffic-clogged drives that could take up to an hour, riders could be on the train for 35 to 40 minutes and do work or relax. "When you have to start making decisions about all the little things, other little things become equally important," he said.
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Jack C. Swearengen // January 28, 2010
Dallas’ DART light-rail system, which has an average weekday ridership of 70,000 trips, registered an increase of more than 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 and more than 10 percent for the year. "People who were used to driving did the math and figured they could buy a monthly pass ($50) for less than a tank of gas," said Morgan Lyons, a spokesman for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. As gasoline prices fell, other benefits became more apparent. Instead of traffic-clogged drives that could take up to an hour, riders could be on the train for 35 to 40 minutes and do work or relax. "When you have to start making decisions about all the little things, other little things become equally important," he said.
MORE
Monday, January 25, 2010
DART to Dallas: Help Fund Rail by Convention Center Hotel
Dallas Morning News
Micheal A. Lindenberger // January 18, 2010
If the Dallas City Council wants the new downtown rail line to run by the convention center hotel, it might have to help Dallas Area Rapid Transit pay for the $824 million project, DART leaders say.
MORE
Micheal A. Lindenberger // January 18, 2010
If the Dallas City Council wants the new downtown rail line to run by the convention center hotel, it might have to help Dallas Area Rapid Transit pay for the $824 million project, DART leaders say.
MORE
Of Ethnicity & DART Ridership
Dallas Morning News Transportation Blog
Rodger Jones // January 12, 2010
Rodger Jones // January 12, 2010
Interesting talk with DART VP Todd Plesko and spokesman Morgan Lyons on the subject of ethnicity, ridership and equity, stemming from my post on a lawsuit out of Chicago that touches on these issues.
DART's data on ridership, Plesko said, is based on surveys of riders by Austin consultant NuStats. From 2007, here's an ethnic breakdown of how DART's riders described themselves (different methodology from national study):
Rail only - 23 % black, 57 % white, 15 % Hispanic, 5 % other
Bus & rail - 61 % black, 22 % white, 11 % Hispanic, 6 % other
Bus only - 55 % black, 24 % white, 15 % Hispanic, 6 % other
Systemwide ridership: 49 % black, 31 % white, 14 % Hispanic, 6 % other
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Area transportation needs face financial hurdle
Fort Worth Business Press
Leslie Wimmer // December 21, 2009
Funding will be the major hurdle for North Texas to begin a regionwide transportation overhaul.
Officials from area businesses, governments and community organizations gathered at the Fort Worth Sheraton on Dec. 11 to listen to speakers discuss economic development, transportation plans and funding challenges during the “Tracks to the Future: Rail and Economic Development in North Texas” event.
About 300 people attended the day-long event which was hosted by a number of area organizations. Speakers included State Sen. Wendy Davis; members of Fort Worth’s City Council; Mayor Mike Moncrief; representatives from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; the Denton County Transportation Authority; the Texas Department of Transportation; the cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Portland; and other area business and government leaders.
Vision North Texas Project Manager Karen Walz told the event’s crowd that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is expected to hit a population of 12 million by 2050.
“Think about what that means if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and taking care of growth the way we have been,” she said.
MORE
Leslie Wimmer // December 21, 2009
Funding will be the major hurdle for North Texas to begin a regionwide transportation overhaul.
Officials from area businesses, governments and community organizations gathered at the Fort Worth Sheraton on Dec. 11 to listen to speakers discuss economic development, transportation plans and funding challenges during the “Tracks to the Future: Rail and Economic Development in North Texas” event.
About 300 people attended the day-long event which was hosted by a number of area organizations. Speakers included State Sen. Wendy Davis; members of Fort Worth’s City Council; Mayor Mike Moncrief; representatives from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority; Dallas Area Rapid Transit; the Denton County Transportation Authority; the Texas Department of Transportation; the cities of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Portland; and other area business and government leaders.
Vision North Texas Project Manager Karen Walz told the event’s crowd that the Dallas-Fort Worth region is expected to hit a population of 12 million by 2050.
“Think about what that means if we just keep doing what we’ve been doing and taking care of growth the way we have been,” she said.
MORE
Realizing the dream in Rowlett
Dallas Morning News
Ron Miller of Rowlett // December 13, 2009
Ron Miller of Rowlett // December 13, 2009
During the settlement years of mid-America, after the Civil War and before 1890, two things almost assured the future of any new town for the first 150 years after its establishment. The first thing needed for a secure future was a railhead. The railroad must come to town. The second thing needed was a cattle trail, which subsequently would become a numbered highway.
Today, development of a prime suburban city takes a little more work.
Rowlett was a sleepy little wide spot in the road 34 years ago. It had 1,500 people. Now it has a population of 55,000. It had no railroad or cattle trail, and any roads were only two lanes without shoulders. There were no stoplights.
Rowlett grew simply because Dallas spilled out over its lip. Mesquite, Garland, Richardson and Plano all grew into major cities. Each of these cities had one feature in common. All had major highways to accommodate them. Rowlett probably should have been gobbled up, since it had few of the required resources. But it wasn't. Somehow, the little town survived and grew modestly.
Then it seemed to grow faster than contemporary civic planning could keep up. Some nice things were missing: nice parks, bike paths, hiking trails, upscale commercial development – and the jobs resulting from commercial development.
Rowlett is only now receiving a railhead and a major highway. A cattle trail was dismissed as unnecessary. DART is busy planning for the construction of the DART Blue Line, and the North Texas Tollway Authority is busy building the extension of the President George BushTurnpike through Rowlett and connecting with Interstate 30.
MOREStreetcar struggle between downtown and Oak Cliff won't go away anytime soon
Dallas Morning News
Rudolph Bush // November 27, 2009
Rudolph Bush // November 27, 2009
Today, Michael Lindenberger and Roy Appleton report today on the ongoing effort to build a a starter streetcar system in Dallas (sorry McKinney Avenue trolley, we're not counting you in this).
They write: The initial focus has been on a downtown loop that planners want as a complement to a second downtown light-rail line that is expected to open in 2016. But Oak Cliff leaders are urging City Hall to explore beginning with a loop that would connect downtown Dallas and Oak Cliff, where they say a trolley line would have a bigger impact on economic development.
As I understand it, the only way the council will consider shifting an initial line to include Oak Cliff is if Dallas gets approval of federal funding grants that include an Oak Cliff line.
If the city isn't lucky enough to win those grants (and they are very competitive), then City Hall will move forward on a plan to build the downtown line with a variety of local funds, including tax increment and public improvement dollars from properties along the planned downtown streetcar loop.
It's Possible to Live Without a Car
DFW CBS 11
Ginger Allen // November 20, 2009
If someone took your car away today, how would your life change? You're about to meet a woman who gave up her car, moved to Downtown Dallas, and completely changed her daily routine. She proves that it may not be as hard as you think.
Wendy Loven's boots are getting a lot of use these days. That's because two years ago, the Euless resident decided to give up her suburban lifestyle to fulfill a life-long dream.
"It's always been a dream of mine to live downtown ever since I was a little girl," she said.
Now that she's living downtown, she decided to take the life-changing decision a step further by giving up her car.
MORE
Ginger Allen // November 20, 2009
If someone took your car away today, how would your life change? You're about to meet a woman who gave up her car, moved to Downtown Dallas, and completely changed her daily routine. She proves that it may not be as hard as you think.
Wendy Loven's boots are getting a lot of use these days. That's because two years ago, the Euless resident decided to give up her suburban lifestyle to fulfill a life-long dream.
"It's always been a dream of mine to live downtown ever since I was a little girl," she said.
Now that she's living downtown, she decided to take the life-changing decision a step further by giving up her car.
MORE
Friday, December 25, 2009
Who goes car-less in Dallas?
Dallas Morning News Transportation Blog
Rodger Jones // October 26, 2009
To be more specific: Who is car-less by choice in this town?
No doubt a minuscule number, by choice, (and I sometimes count myself in that number). And I would like to hear about these people.
Streetsblog has a link up to a site highlighting an artist's project in Los Angeles about car-less Angelinos, some -- but not all -- by choice.
There's a New York Times featureon the same subject, and a blogger in my hometown of Cleveland addresses it from the view of a young person who may want an occasional car.
A dedicated transit user, I like to tell people I'm not a car owner. A series of columns featuring my alter ego, DART man, centered on the notion that he was car-less by choice.
Truth be known, there is one car in my household -- my wife's. She takes it to work; I ride the trains to work, and usually the train and a bus home.
That means I don't fit into the Census category of zero cars available in the household (which is about 5 percent of the households in Richardson, where I live, and 10 percent in Dallas.
I'd say the vast majority of these people are elderly, disabled or poor -- not the types who fit into any kind new urbanist car-less-by-choice category. In other words, not the kind that the media get excited doing profiles about.
In writing columns and blogging about about walking and public transit, I've never come across someone who's car-less by choice. Are there any such people out there?
Rodger Jones // October 26, 2009
To be more specific: Who is car-less by choice in this town?
No doubt a minuscule number, by choice, (and I sometimes count myself in that number). And I would like to hear about these people.
Streetsblog has a link up to a site highlighting an artist's project in Los Angeles about car-less Angelinos, some -- but not all -- by choice.
There's a New York Times featureon the same subject, and a blogger in my hometown of Cleveland addresses it from the view of a young person who may want an occasional car.
A dedicated transit user, I like to tell people I'm not a car owner. A series of columns featuring my alter ego, DART man, centered on the notion that he was car-less by choice.
Truth be known, there is one car in my household -- my wife's. She takes it to work; I ride the trains to work, and usually the train and a bus home.
That means I don't fit into the Census category of zero cars available in the household (which is about 5 percent of the households in Richardson, where I live, and 10 percent in Dallas.
I'd say the vast majority of these people are elderly, disabled or poor -- not the types who fit into any kind new urbanist car-less-by-choice category. In other words, not the kind that the media get excited doing profiles about.
In writing columns and blogging about about walking and public transit, I've never come across someone who's car-less by choice. Are there any such people out there?
Development planned for Lewisville commuter-train station
Dallas Morning News
Wendy Hundley // October 23, 2009
The A-train commuter railway is more than a year away from rolling into Lewisville, but plans are already in the works for the city's first transit-oriented development.
Hebron 121 Station will be part of a 427-acre city reinvestment zone on the northeast corner of Interstate 35E and the State Highway 121 bypass. The developer is describing it as the largest transit-oriented development in Texas. Huffines Communities Inc. is the primary developer of the project.
"Most [transit-oriented developments] are in more urbanized areas and are on smaller properties," said Elizabeth Trosper, economic development specialist for Lewisville. The city will pay for infrastructure improvements on the vacant land through a 30-year tax-increment financing plan.
"We don't know of any other projects of this size and scope," said Phillip Huffines, co-owner of the Dallas company that is also developing a mixed-use community in Arlington.
Hebron 121 Station is expected to break ground next spring on a 90-acre tract that will eventually include more than 1,700 apartments and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Huffines said the project will take five to eight years to complete.
MORE
Wendy Hundley // October 23, 2009
The A-train commuter railway is more than a year away from rolling into Lewisville, but plans are already in the works for the city's first transit-oriented development.
Hebron 121 Station will be part of a 427-acre city reinvestment zone on the northeast corner of Interstate 35E and the State Highway 121 bypass. The developer is describing it as the largest transit-oriented development in Texas. Huffines Communities Inc. is the primary developer of the project.
"Most [transit-oriented developments] are in more urbanized areas and are on smaller properties," said Elizabeth Trosper, economic development specialist for Lewisville. The city will pay for infrastructure improvements on the vacant land through a 30-year tax-increment financing plan.
"We don't know of any other projects of this size and scope," said Phillip Huffines, co-owner of the Dallas company that is also developing a mixed-use community in Arlington.
Hebron 121 Station is expected to break ground next spring on a 90-acre tract that will eventually include more than 1,700 apartments and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Huffines said the project will take five to eight years to complete.
MORE
Saturday, October 31, 2009
DART rolls in new era with Green Line opening
From: Dallas Morning News
By: Michael Lindenberger / September 14, 2009
When the trains begin running today on the opening segment of DART's new Green Line, the transit agency will unveil the longest expansion of light rail in North America.
It triggers four years of growth that by 2013 will double daily rail riders and double the length of a DART rail network that has been 26 years in the making. And it finally will begin to deliver on an old promise to make Dallas Area Rapid Transit mean more than just a way for some downtown Dallas commuters to get to work and back.
The new stations that will open just ahead of the State Fair of Texas will attract fewer than 2,000 round-trip riders per day in the first couple of years – and they certainly won't end Dallas' dependence on the automobile.
But over the next 15 months, the four stations east of downtown will be followed by 16 more along the 28-mile Green Line, stringing communities together from as far north as Carrollton to as far south as Pleasant Grove.
DART -- In Dallas, You Don’t Get What You Don’t Pay For
From: DC.StreetsBlog.org
By: Sarah Goodyear // September 16, 2009
On Monday, we featured a post from The Transit Pass that called out Dallas as one of the U.S. cities in which the proportion of transit users to population is sadly anemic.
Today, we'll take a closer look at transit in the Dallas area, from a couple of angles.
First, courtesy of the Dallas Transportation Blog at the Dallas Morning News, a report on passenger frustration with delays on the city's newest light rail route, the DART Green Line. Those delays are causing ripple effects throughout the city's transit system, and it's not clear when they will be resolved. Stories in the paper about the delays have gotten a lot of comments from readers angry that the problems were not better anticipated and planned for.
But reporter Michael Lindenberger says the city's voters need to take some responsibility for the way the system is developing.
For Dallas' Deep Ellum, hopes ride on DART
From: Dallas Morning News
By: Steve Brown / September 11, 2009
Almost two-thirds of a new shopping strip that opened last year in Dallas' Deep Ellum district is still vacant. But leasing agents aren't sweating the project's performance. Starting next week, hundreds of commuters a day will be streaming through the new DART light-rail station right next door.
"This is what we have been waiting for," said Heather Winn of United Commercial Realty, which leases the ground-floor retail space in the Ambrose apartments on Malcolm X Boulevard at Indiana Boulevard. "We already have two retail tenants, and they are ready for the rail line to open, too."
The rail station near Baylor Medical Center is one of two DART stops opening next week in Deep Ellum – a welcome stimulus for an urban district that has seen its share of booms and busts.
After 26 years, has DART been worth it?
From: Dallas Morning News
By: Rodger Jones // September 11, 2009
t's a good question, and you'll find the context and a discussion over on the Transportation Blog. Click over and see what you think.
My blog partner there, transportation writer Michael Lindenberger of the news department, asked the question for an upcoming story on the opening of DART's Green Line next week. He was seeking input from the public to help shape his piece (and we'll have to wait and see what he comes up with).
Meanwhile, on my own track, I've written an editorial expressing the position that rail transit is good for the metro area in a number of ways. Take development. You may have seen the giant mixed-use project at the Park Lane station, or Southside on Lamar, near Cedars. I posted recently about the transit-oriented development (TOD, to experts) in the Red Line's Richardson corridor. Meanwhile, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Irving are busy trying to make the most of transit service heading their way. The new Baylor station has already hatched projects. The MLK and Fair Park areas are hopeful but more skeptical, as reporter Nancy Visser wrote today.
Far as Mayor and DART Prez Are Concerned, the Green Line's All About Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
From: Dallas Observer
By: Kimberly Thorpe // September 11, 2009
Mayor Tom Leppert and other city officials got their first ride on the much-anticipated Dallas Area Rapid Transit Green Line this morning. The first four stops on the $1.8 billion, 20-station, 28-mile line will officially open Monday -- following tomorrow's Super Saturday spectacular at the MLK Jr., Fair Park, Baylor University Medical Center and Deep Ellum stations. The politicos and accompanying media boarded at Victory Station for the quick ride to Fair Park, where U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was the keynote speaker at the official dedication luncheon.
As the train passed through the Baylor University Medical Center Station, Leppert and DART President Gary Thomas cheered; now, they said, Dallas, like Houston, will have "the medical connectivity" between various Dallas hospitals. Indeed, "connectivity" was the buzzword of the short ride.
As the train passed through the Baylor University Medical Center Station, Leppert and DART President Gary Thomas cheered; now, they said, Dallas, like Houston, will have "the medical connectivity" between various Dallas hospitals. Indeed, "connectivity" was the buzzword of the short ride.
Leppert said he would speak during the luncheon, inside the Women's Museum, about the importance of linking north and south Dallas. "It makes it much more convenient for people to have jobs across the city," Leppert told Unfair Park during the ride to Fair Park. (Still, you'll have to wait until at least December 2010 for the rest of the line to open.) "It helps the individual, and it also helps the economy. ... Clearly, we've got much higher unemployment in the south."
Sunday, September 6, 2009
DART Green Line: Very impressed with the MLK station
From: Dallas Morning News
By: Michael Landauer // September 1, 2009
Today we had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new Green Line, which runs out of downtown, toward Deep Ellum, right by Baylor, to the State Fairgrounds and then down to MLK Boulevard. We started our tour at the MLK station, and I'll blog about that today, with thoughts on other stops in the days to come.
MORE
By: Michael Landauer // September 1, 2009
Today we had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the new Green Line, which runs out of downtown, toward Deep Ellum, right by Baylor, to the State Fairgrounds and then down to MLK Boulevard. We started our tour at the MLK station, and I'll blog about that today, with thoughts on other stops in the days to come.
MORE
Saturday, August 22, 2009
DART receives $78.4 million in federal funds for Green Line
From: Fort Worth Star Telegram
By: Gordon Dickson / August 13, 2009
Dallas Area Rapid Transit received $78.4 million in federal stimulus funds to speed up construction of the Green Line, a light-rail corridor from Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch to Pleasant Grove in south Dallas, officials said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the award Thursday. It is part of an effort to infuse $48.1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding into roads, rails, buses, bridges and airports nationwide.
A portion of the DART Green Line is scheduled to open Sept. 14. As a result, Tarrant County residents may find it much easier to ride the Trinity Railway Express and DART light rail to the State Fair of Texas.
The $78.4 million awarded to DART is essentially an advance of federal grant reimbursements the agency was scheduled to get in 2013, DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said. It’s part of a previously announced, $700 million long-term commitment the Federal Transit Administration has made to the DART project.
"By getting the money now, we can shift funds and do other things more quickly," Lyons said. "It’s very good news."
DART was awarded $61 million in federal funds this year for the Orange Line, which is expected to connect to the north end of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport by 2013. The Orange Line is scheduled to be joined by a proposed commuter rail line operated by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority from Grapevine to Fort Worth.
By: Gordon Dickson / August 13, 2009
Dallas Area Rapid Transit received $78.4 million in federal stimulus funds to speed up construction of the Green Line, a light-rail corridor from Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch to Pleasant Grove in south Dallas, officials said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the award Thursday. It is part of an effort to infuse $48.1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding into roads, rails, buses, bridges and airports nationwide.
A portion of the DART Green Line is scheduled to open Sept. 14. As a result, Tarrant County residents may find it much easier to ride the Trinity Railway Express and DART light rail to the State Fair of Texas.
The $78.4 million awarded to DART is essentially an advance of federal grant reimbursements the agency was scheduled to get in 2013, DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said. It’s part of a previously announced, $700 million long-term commitment the Federal Transit Administration has made to the DART project.
"By getting the money now, we can shift funds and do other things more quickly," Lyons said. "It’s very good news."
DART was awarded $61 million in federal funds this year for the Orange Line, which is expected to connect to the north end of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport by 2013. The Orange Line is scheduled to be joined by a proposed commuter rail line operated by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority from Grapevine to Fort Worth.
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