Starting Oct. 25, North Texans will be able to travel from East Plano to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and various stops in between on Dallas Area Rapid Transit's new Silver Line commuter rail.
DART announced the start date of the long-awaited route during its State of the Agency Friday.
"By opening this rail line, we will welcome new riders to discover new horizons with DART," said DART President and CEO Nadine Lee. "The Silver Line is proof that this region can dream big, work through our challenges and deliver even bigger on our policies."
The 26-mile regional rail project spans seven cities and three counties from Shiloh Road in Plano to DFW Airport’s Terminal B. The line includes connections to DART’s Orange and Green Lines, as well as various bus routes throughout the region’s northern suburbs.
In a statement, DART board chair Gary Slagel called the Silver Line a "major step forward in building a stronger, more connected region.
"It is an investment in both today’s riders and future generations," he said.
DART's board of directors recently approved service frequency of 30 minutes during early morning and afternoon rush hours. Off-peak frequency will be one hour.
The rail line has been under construction since September 2019, but discussions date back to the 1980s, said DART spokesperson Laura Varela. The agency purchased land for the project in 1990.
Varela added the total cost of the project is $2.1 billion, and operational costs are expected to exceed $25 million in its first year.
She said to celebrate the opening of the Silver Line passengers can ride all of DART for free on Oct. 25, and ride the new rail line for free through Nov. 8.
The start of the Silver Line comes during a challenging time for DART as the agency’s board of directors has had to eliminate bus routes and service frequencies in response to spending cuts.
The agency is directing 5% of its annual revenue for its new General Mobility Program (GMP) to give money back to cities that say they aren’t getting their return on investment. The agency recently approved major service cuts that impact bus and light rail routes throughout its system.
Lee mentioned that the GMP was a result of the agency working with cities to address funding concerns after legislation was filed in the statehouse that would have reduced at least 25% of DART's funding.
"DART is doing our part to address the challenges for the benefit of all cities," Lee said. "In that spirit, we've advanced several items that the DART board committed to in March to address some of the concerns from our member cities."
She added that those efforts include removing barriers for non-member cities to work with DART to expand access to regional transit.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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