By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 commentator
Dallas, TX – When I was moving here from Chicago in 1995, a friend of mine told me that he knew someone who worked for the Rapid Transit System in Dallas. I wasn't quite sure what his friend did since there wasn't any Rapid Transit System in Dallas. How far we've come in seven years. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Middays.
There is nothing like rapid transit to bring communities together to enhance their economic, cultural, and social environments. It is the catalyst for growth. And every day that I read or hear something new about DART, I feel like a little kid waiting for the circus to come to town.
In Chicago, I took rapid transit for granted. It was there as long as this middle-aged commentator can remember. It took my family and me downtown and as an adult, it took me to work and concerts, and baseball games and fireworks and fairs, and back to work. I could read or meditate or people-watch - the choice was mine.
Now the residents of Dallas and the 13 metropolitan areas can enjoy the same freedoms. Rapid Transit is a surefire way to keep old and attract new businesses. The current aches of having to go through UT Southwestern Medical School are part of the growing pains, necessary for the future development of the Metroplex.
In 1996, the first light rail system in the Southwest was introduced in Dallas. Since then, ridership has doubled. Well over $900 million worth of private economic development has occurred along the 20 miles of DART rail lines. Mockingbird Station and Cedars in South Dallas are two success stories of developers who are making a positive economic impact for these communities.
Though Fort Worth has their own transit system, they too are now reaping the positive effects of rapid transit. Teaming up with DART, the Trinity Railway Express transports anywhere from 6- to 8-thousand people daily between the two cities. The vision is endless - keep it growing. For KERA Marketplace Middays, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 P.M.