Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

electricron

Interesting tidbit from the latest DART board presentation on D2. The plan for light rail lines downtown from 1988...... It had to take you time to find such an old map, thanks of the effort. But it is a planner's map before those little and large pesky details get in the way. There were probably o...

electricron

October numbers are now available. They are now up 27% over the first full month of regular service: February 2019 ridership: 32,998 March 2019: 39,093 April 2019: 33,589 May 2019: 35,878 June 2019: 39,154 July 2019: 41,818 August 2019: 42,637 September 2019: 43,757 October 2019: 41,943 Monthly num...

electricron

The not-very-ambitious projection was 9,000 daily by the end of year one - at least 4-5 times the number they appear likely to achieve. When seeking FTA funding, FWTA projected back in 2015 the following: https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/TX_Ft_Worth_TEX_Rail_Profile-FINAL.pd...

electricron

I wonder how much of this LED light addition is an ADA-related thing, and how much of it is a I'm-too-distracted-by-my-phone-to-watch-for-the-train thing. I've seen video or pics of inlaid LED strips on sidewalks in other cities (maybe outside the US? Can't remember) that light up red or green so t...

electricron

Thanks for the data!, mine were more back of a napkin calculations, That being said, it's always great to see input from members who have access to more qualified information Is there any info on the load capacity of Silver Line trains? since they are obviously not going to be SLRV's DART's Silver ...

electricron

Prior to the Texas OU fiasco I posted the numbers here. Unfortunately that post was lost in the site crash. But the bottom line was that if you dedicated every piece of rolling stock that DART owned at the time to serving that one event, filled every car to theoretical capacity, and ran them throug...

electricron

Am I really the only one who seems to think an above ground train through Victory Park is a bad idea? I just can't see this working well. I really hope I'm wrong. Maybe there's something I don't understand that hasn't been explained to me yet? The land under Victory Park is fill, made up of small a...

electricron

Glad to see this moving along but still painfull that it will only take you to the perimeter of Houston and not directly downtown. I wonder if there is any chance that there could be a future extension from the perimeter to downtown. I'm sure if it was the other way around, there would many promine...

electricron

By neglecting the inner city mobility, the transit agencies (TXDoT being the biggest perpetrator) fail to serve both populations, commuters and city dwellers. Overlooking inner city mobility is just as bad for the suburban commuter as it would be to omit suburban neighborhood connecting streets for...

electricron

Also, DART isn't ever happy with focusing on Dallas. Having NTCOG take over a commuter line would leave DART confused on what its job is. They only know how to chase the suburban office worker. Plus DARTs current trains are commuter trains. They focus primarily on getting suburbanites into Downtown...

electricron

Come on guys and gals, this thread is suppose to be about Trinity Metro’s TexRail - not DART’s Orange Line.

electricron

Money Questions Pop Up in Dallas’ Bond-Funded Plan to Add a 50-Mile Trail Loop https://assets.dmagstatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Screen-Shot-2019-02-12-at-11.13.34-AM1-677x451.png https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/02/money-questions-pop-up-in-dallas-bond-funded-plan-to-add-a-50-mile...

electricron

So, after the Silver Line is built, what, do you feel, is the next step for DART? This is why I struggle with the Silver Line because it just seems like a short sighted expansion. I get that people live in the suburbs and they all want rail, I'm just not sure how to feasibly provide it to them. Per...

electricron

Southwest dropping nonstop flights from Dallas Love Field to OKC, San Francisco and Jacksonville https://www.dallasnews.com/business/southwest-airlines/2019/08/16/southwest-dropping-nonstop-flights-dallas-love-field-okc-san-francisco-jacksonville One or two stop flights are likely between Love Fiel...

electricron

The same could be said for DART itself... It's fare structure essentially benefits long distance commuters the most, while penalizing the short haul. For example, commuting from cityline to Victory Park would cost the same as commuting from Pearl Arts station to Victory Park. As such, you end up di...

electricron

Our million-dollar bus doesn't add up. We did the math https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2019/07/22/million-dollar-bus-doesnt-add-math The busses are overpriced and we should have done better... but this article is very poorly researched and written. It goes on to factor 'upkeep' of the...

electricron

Sorry, double post.

electricron

It's also a matter of cost of living. Land on the outskirts is cheaper. So long as the city, county and state builds and widens the highway and adds the utility lines, this will continue. Which it will. Other large metropolitan areas in the USA have geological obstacles for outward growth spreads, ...

electricron

cowboyeagle05 wrote:All I remember about the original route is when the Mayor decreed it needed to go by the City Owned Hotel and everyone pointed out how that was a no go but he insisted.

Thankfully, DART is controlled by its own board of directors and not by the mayor of Dallas.

electricron

The fell crane in East Dallas over the weekend was located just two or three blocks away from DART’s Deep Ellum or St. Paul stations. Whether or not this neighborhood would be redeveloping because of DART could be argumentative, but not the mixed used, transit friendly development being built. It ma...

electricron

I can't be the only person that finds it a bit ridiculous that DART's headquarters downtown, right next to akard station, has a private underground parking garage ( https://maps.app.goo.gl/EtZWogQ5mySt5quv5 ). I get it's likely there due to parking minimums; but not only is the irony palpable, it a...

electricron

itsjrd1964 wrote:That auto-cottect, it's a killer....

Whether it is auto-correct or auto-cottect, it also slays me too.

electricron

Redblock wrote:DART has ordered 8 FLIRT Emus from Stadler.
https://www.dart.org/news/news.asp?ID=1402

They will be DMUs, not EMUs.

electricron

^I do not disagree with you, electricron, not in the least. The trains from downtown Plano to Dallas may always be more local than express, only raising the importance of an additional passenger train route from Frisco built to handle local and express trains. How many times do I have to state that...

electricron

I commented just this weekend on how great NCX was looking. Finally, perhaps, we have a landscape that will survive those horrid conditions. Speaking of horrid conditions - I know NorthPark has nothing to do with NCX service roads, but the northbound exit at NorthPark/Park Lane is just disgusting. ...

electricron

Well, when DART was just beginning to plan this system, I guess they could not have anticipated the need for express trains. It's expensive to fix mistakes, and in the case of CitiPlace and potential Knox-Henderson subway stations, the mistake is likely too expensive to be worth it. Should the Dall...

electricron

^word I'm wondering why Southwest doesn't pay for a swift, convenient people mover from their Corporate HQ & Train Station to the airport. SW employees would be the primary users, afterall; the company could easily work out $60-100 million people mover across a few budget cycles and gain the go...

electricron

But possibly more importantly, there's the criminal/homeless element the above-ground stations downtown attract. Spend 30 seconds at West End Station and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'd go as far as to say that's one of the primary reasons the West End died as a major destination in the 90s ...

electricron

While the streetcars can run over DART's light rail tracks, why would you want to do so?Their floor heights are different, so all the platforms' heights will have to be changed again to allow level boarding. The streetcars have a much slower maximum speed, which could affect train scheduling, as the...

electricron

They should have saved the SilverLine designation for a train that ran up US75 to that casino just across the Oklahoma border. While DART owns the railroad corridor paralleling US75 as far north as Sherman, why do you think DART will ever build light rail line up that far? Not one city north of Pla...

electricron

The DART light rail system would work great as a commuter system. However, that would require a transition of infrastructure from light rail to heavy rail such as Tex Rail or DCTA A Train. It would also require removing several stations along the lines in order to speed up the train schedule. DART ...

electricron

Autonomous flying vehicles will never be approved by the FAA which is staffed, funded, and controlled by pilots. Watch some Aviation 101 youtube videos to find out how professional flying is - even for private pilots in small airplanes. The idea that Billy Bob from anywhere Texas is going to be allo...

electricron

White Rock Lake residents might have influence over city staffers, but apparently their power over state staffers is not as high. While I do not have anything at stake and really do not care, it is nice to see for once the iperferred choice following an actual-real traffic study chosen.

electricron

Not unlike the Knox-Henderson station that didn't happen because it was unwanted (until after the dust settled and the light rail proved popular), and the same with Corinth along the DCTA A-Train. Oh well, more transit and trains for the rest of us.... Whether the citizens of Corinth wanted a train...

electricron

John McCain Road @ Colleyville Road? If the community favored the large scale mixed use development, that would be a great eventual location for the next big variation of the corporate processing/training/tech consolidation along the lines of State Farm/Deloitte/Schwab.... tailored to the multinati...

electricron

I still don't understand why Collyville rejected a station. Collyville did not wish to pay for a train station. Where in Collyville would you place it? There was not, is not, will never be a great place for a train station in Collyville! Few streets cross the tracks where potential riders could get...

electricron

FWIW... The DFW Connector project, which completed four and half years ago and links 121, 114, and 635 North of DFW airport, has NEVER had working lights. Perhaps the fact that they couldn't go with their standard high-mast lighting due to airport proximity made the lighting more 'complex' than it ...

electricron

Lol well that took an unexpected turn. But yes, holiday trains are dumb. Particularly if they're thought of as a ridership driver. Real-talk though, the unwillingness of US transit operators to look overseas for best practices (real, operational best practices, not these kind of gimmicks) is a sign...

electricron

Every holiday season, the CTA has a holiday train that runs on different lines up until Christmas that has a Santa car and an elves workshop car. It would be cool to see DART do something similar to help boost some holiday season ridership "Today the cost to the CTA to run the train is minimal...

electricron

gawh The only reasonable answer to this deal is another 20 gates, 12 domestic and 8 international. DFW can at least add another terminal and encourage the development of a dual hub, Love Field can double and add international, and Meacham Field in Fort Worth can get going again --- the regional gro...

electricron

OMG, duh We couldn't possibly collect taxes to pay for what is necessary, could we? It's great that Texans have a very low overall tax burden, but truth be told, it's too low. Top notch infrastructure and public education are requirements for indefinite economic and quality of life growth. State le...

electricron

IMO... The whole "1/4 mile" threshold needs to be reconsidered. DART tries to get service to as many people in the service area based on being within 1/4 mile of a bus stop. Because of how spread out many areas of the service are is, you end up thinning out your service to provide 'more' ...

electricron

One size doesn't fit everywhere, and the multitudes of transit agencies in and around DFW metroplex prove it. Each has its own revenues sources from different taxes, different allocations, and different rates. Each does its' very best to maximize the services provided while retaining a balanced budg...

electricron

Despite Mass Transit Push, Ridership Continues to Lag The amount of people using DCTA trains and buses is lower by 17%. A new CEO is in place as of recent weeks. He wants to find solutions, which may end up including lower fares. https://www.dcta.net/ https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Despite-Mass-...

electricron

Too many NIMBYs in the "rich" area would never allow such an extension. On another hand, the Katy Trail should be re-purposed as a commuter rail route that could serve the neighborhoods. I believe there's a federal clause that says rails to trails can always be returned to rail service if...

electricron

Why do anti-transit people not realized that an EFFECTIVE public transit system will benefit them in their Tahoes and Suburbans too? It seems like Dallas will keep adding people, but there will be a breaking point on how many personal automobiles the city can add. Do you want total gridlock? Anothe...

electricron

Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly are the advantages of heavy rail over light rail? I'm trying to remember how the PR campaign 'illuminated' the light rail advantages back in the day, but that dose of advertising slips my mind. Something along the lines of quieter, more reliable and zippier sta...

electricron

tamtagon wrote:A law that says the state is forbidden from contributing to HSR construction is political maneuvering plain and simple.

Sure it is, but what else do you expect politicians to do but play at politics?

If and when the majority of legislators want TXDOT to invest in HSR, they will change the law.

electricron

Texas has had plenty of laws put in place only to have them removed in the daylight of reality. Every legislature can rewrite the laws of Texas every two years. That's true of every democracy. Nothing is set in stone. Even the US Constitution can be amended as the needs arise, as long as you got a ...

electricron

While the state has studied expanding intercity passenger rail service in Texas, it has yet to commit any funding for them. In fact, in just the last session the Texas Legislature passed laws prohibiting TXDOT funding HSR. Per https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-lawmakers-didn-t-sto...

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