The Dallas Streetcar is a modern
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
line in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
It is owned by the city of Dallas and operated by
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In , the system had ...
, which also operates Dallas's
DART Light Rail
DART Light Rail is the light rail system serving the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas and is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The DART Light Rail system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, cove ...
system. Construction on the line began in May 2013,
['']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'' magazine, July 2013, p. 311. and it opened for public service on April 13, 2015.
The streetcar line operates between downtown Dallas and
Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, that was formerly a separate town in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1901. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as one of Dallas' older established neighborhoods.
Oak C ...
by way of the Houston Street Viaduct.
The streetcar line originally operated from
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
to
Methodist Dallas Medical Center, but an extension to the
Bishop Arts District
The Bishop Arts District is a shopping and entertainment district in north Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas (USA), near the intersection of Bishop Street and Davis Street. The Bishop Arts District is immediately southwest of Downtown Dallas and south of ...
opened on August 29, 2016.
Background
The Dallas Streetcar project is a collaborative endeavor among DART, the City of Dallas, and the
North Central Texas Council of Governments
The North Central Texas Council of Governments or NCTCOG is a voluntary association of governments in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Its ranks currently include 230 member governments including 16 counties, numerous cities, school districts, ...
(NCTCOG).
The project received $23 million in initial funding via a federal
TIGER grant awarded to DART in December 2010.
An additional $3 million in federal stimulus dollars was later granted to the project.
DART reallocated $22 million in local funds to the streetcar project which were originally scheduled for a proposed people-mover between
Inwood/Love Field station and the
Love Field airport terminal.
In January 2013, NCTCOG approved reallocating $31 million in state funds, which were also earmarked for the proposed Love Field people-mover, to the streetcar project.
The combined funding would allow for construction of both the first and second phases of the streetcar project.
Service
Phase 1 (Union Station to Dallas Methodist Medical Center)
Phase 1 of the Dallas Streetcar line, running from Union Station to Methodist Dallas Medical Center (the line's "Beckley" stop), opened on April 13, 2015.
Service runs at 20-minute intervals on weekdays,
with no cost to ride.
In February 2016, streetcar operating hours will be expanded to between 9:30am and midnight weeknights, and will offer weekend service.
Construction on Phase 1 began in May 2013.
By September 2014, most track construction for Phase 1 had been completed.
['']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'' magazine, October 2014, p. 440. The first of the two streetcars on order from Brookville was delivered on March 20, 2015.
At the time of the phase 1 opening on April 13, 2015, the second streetcar vehicle had yet to be delivered.
It was delivered on May 15, 2015.
["Worldwide Review" (regular news section). '']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'', July 2015, p. 288.
Phase 2 (Dallas Methodist Medical Center to Bishop Arts District)
Phase 2 of the Dallas Streetcar line runs south from the line's original southern terminus at Methodist Dallas Medical Center (Beckley stop), to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff.
On April 28, 2015, the DART board of directors approved a construction contract for the Bishop Arts extension.
On June 17, 2015, the Dallas City Council agreed to fund Phase 2 construction using up to $27.5 million in available grant money.
In preparation for the Phase 2 opening, DART said that the frequency of service would increase from 30 minutes to 20 minutes by introducing a second streetcar on the line. The extension opened on August 29, 2016.
Future expansion plans
Future plans for the streetcar line include extensions from Union Station to the Dallas Convention Center, and a connection to the
McKinney Avenue Trolley via the
Main Street District.
The $96.2-million project, called the "Central Link", will use new tracks on Elm and Commerce to travel east from Union Station to Olive and St. Paul streets, connecting to the McKinney Avenue Trolley tracks. It will be built in conjunction with the
D2 Subway
D2 Subway is a proposed expansion of the DART Light Rail system in metropolitan Dallas, Texas, in the United States. The subway would run from the existing Victory station, tunneling underground through the central business district of downtow ...
light rail project.
Rolling stock
In February 2013, an order was placed with
Brookville Equipment Corporation
Brookville Equipment Corporation, based in Brookville, Pennsylvania, United States, manufactures railroad locomotives for industrial and light capacity switching needs. The company also builds and restores streetcars. The company used to be kn ...
for two
low-floor streetcars to provide the service on the line. The Brookville "
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
" model
articulated
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...
cars
["Dallas signs Liberty deal". '']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'', May 2013, p. 166. are long and have limited capability to operate away from
overhead trolley lines by operating on
battery power.
This battery-powered operation allows the streetcars to travel across the Houston Street viaduct, which does not have overhead lines installed.
The first car (No. 302) was delivered on March 20, 2015,
and at the time of the line's opening in mid-April it was the only car in the fleet.
The second car, No. 301, was delivered on May 15, 2015.
Dallas ordered two more streetcars in July 2015.
The third and fourth cars (Nos. 303–304) were delivered in summer 2016.
["Worldwide Review" (regular news section). '']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'', October 2016, p. 399.
Streetcar stops
''Listed from Downtown Dallas to Oak Cliff''
See also
*
DART Light Rail
DART Light Rail is the light rail system serving the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas and is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The DART Light Rail system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, cove ...
*
McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA), a non-profit organization, operates the M-line Trolley in Dallas, Texas (USA). The offices and car barn are located at 3153 Oak Grove, Dallas, TX 75204. In operation since 1989, it is an example of ...
*
Light rail in the United States
Light rail in the United States is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and ...
*
Streetcars in North America
*
List of tram and light rail transit systems
The following is a list of cities that have current tram, tram/streetcar (including Heritage streetcar, heritage trams/heritage streetcars), or light rail systems as part of their regular public transport, public transit systems. In other word ...
References
External links
*
Dallas Streetcar – official webpage
{{coord missing, Texas
Streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
Streetcars in Texas
Electric railways in Texas
Railway lines opened in 2015
Rail transportation in Dallas
Transportation in Dallas County, Texas
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Passenger rail transportation in Texas
Standard gauge railways in the United States
2015 establishments in Texas
750 V DC railway electrification
Town tramway systems by city