The Trinity Railway Express commuter train that links downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas will keep rolling along.
The popular train, launched in 1996, had been threatened by state legislation that sought a 25% decrease in transit funding, but House Bill 3187 and Senate Bill 1557 that targeted Dallas Area Rapid Transit failed during the Texas Legislature. The nearly identical bills would have reduced contributions from member cities by 25%.
“Continued funding for DART is a major win for our region,” said Anette Landeros, chief strategy officer for Trinity Metro. “As a joint owner and operator of Trinity Railway Express, Trinity Metro knows the importance of TRE’s service for commuters, day-trippers, visitors and event-goers who choose public transit as the easy and convenient option for traveling between Fort Worth and Dallas.”
TRE service would have been eliminated if the legislation passed, officials previously told the Fort Worth Report.
Officials at Trinity Metro said they would have been unable to operate the service without financial contributions from DART, which jointly owns the line with the Fort Worth transit agency.
A 25% cut to DART would have resulted in a loss of $7 billion over 20 years.
Richard Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, advocated for the TRE rail line at an April 24 House Transportation Committee meeting in Austin. The line has transported 50 million riders since its debut in 1996.
Its loss would have had “unintended consequences” for Fort Worth and Tarrant County commuters, he told the committee.
“TRE is how they are getting back and forth,” he said.
State Rep. Matt Shaheen, a Plano Republican who co-authored HB 3187, said he was concerned that DART’s financial structure hasn’t changed much in over 40 years, prompting six cities to overpay for services.
“DART has been overcharging their cities by massive amounts,” he previously said.
Nadine Lee, president and CEO of DART, said the legislation also could have affected the new $2 billion, 26-mile Silver Line from Plano to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Officials said the Silver Line will link up with Trinity Metro’s TEXRail line near the airport when that expansion line opens in late 2025 or early 2026. That link will connect Fort Worth-area riders with northern Dallas and Collin counties.
TEXRail, which runs from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Grapevine and DFW Airport, has seen a 90% increase in recent ridership, Andreski told attendees of the 21st annual Southwestern Rail Conference in April.
TRE is an essential transit option as Fort Worth becomes the nation’s 11th largest city, with a population of more than 1 million, said Michael Morris, transportation director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
“The latest U.S. Census data is further evidence of the need for a comprehensive transportation system that provides North Texans a choice of how to travel to work, school, medical appointments and important points of interest,” Morris said in an email to the Report. “Our roadway and transit systems need to complement each other, ensuring safety and efficiency improve as (the) population soars to more than 12 million residents in 2050.”
The Regional Transportation Council, a panel of 45 elected and appointed North Texas public officials, is conducting a strategic review of public transportation as part of the Transit 2.0 initiative, which began in 2024, Morris said.
“This initiative will help us reimagine the role public transportation should play in a metropolitan area home to 4 million more residents,” he said.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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