USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Silver Line was launched with a series of celebratory events starting with a ribbon cutting on October 23 and culminating with a day of station parties on October 25. Free travel is being offered until November 8.
The 42 km line has been developed to improve connectivity between employment and population centres in heavily congested areas in the northern suburbs of Dallas.
It starts at Shiloh Rd in Plano and runs through Richardson, Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Coppell and Grapevine to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with 10 stations each designed to reflect local character.
The route makes use of an existing freight alignment which DART acquired from the St Louis Southwestern Railway in 1990 with a view to future passenger use. This has been double-tracked and upgraded to support passenger services running at up to 126 km/h (79 mile/h).
Silver Line passenger services
Services operate from 04.00 to 01.00, running every 30 min during weekday peak hours, every 60 min off-peak and on weekends. There are transfers to DART light rail lines, bus routes, the airport terminals and Trinity Metro’s TexRail services.
‘By connecting key employment centres, neighbourhoods and the world’s third-busiest airport, this project will be a catalyst for economic growth, provide access to opportunity and a seamless mobility experience that helps our region thrive’, said DART President & CEO Nadine Lee ahead of the opening.
‘Our focus is on reliability and convenience’, said DART Chairman Gary Slagel. ‘With predictable schedules, modern trains and seamless connections, the Silver Line is built to meet the needs of both daily riders and occasional travellers. It’s another way DART is making North Texas more connected than ever.’
Project development
The Silver Line was known as Cotton Belt Regional Rail during the development phase.
In January 2019 DART awarded a joint venture of Archer Western and Herzog Contracting a $783m contract to build the line, assisted by lead designer Jacobs Engineering.
Construction of the line officially began in September 2019, when opening was planned by the end of 2022.
Stadler DMUs
In June 2019 Stadler was awarded a $199m contract to supply eight Flirt diesel multiple-units and to advise depot contractor Urban Engineers on the design of the maintenance facility.
The DMUs feature bicycle racks, overhead luggage racks, USB phone chargers and accessible boarding. Stadler also has a $112m 15-year maintenance contract.
