Cbdallas wrote:Last two rides on the train I noticed that ticket checking was happining much more often than usual. I hope DART can keep up this level of verifying tickets to riders.
cowboyeagle05 wrote:I signed up for the Tap Card beta testing program. My card should arrive by the 24th they tell me.
I currently use the app to buy an $80.00 monthly pass. I will be curious if this tap card is better for me than using that. I am always around an electrical outlet so my phone is never running out of juice to show the bus driver my ticket. I ride the same bus to work and home 5 days a week. On weekends I use my car if I need to leave my apartment if my friends aren't driving. I don't know if this will provide me any savings since depending on how you calculate it I could be saving money by buying individual tickets vs the monthly pass but I am willing to help test things out.
Here’s how it works: You will purchase a GoPass Tap Card for any initial amount you choose between $6 and $200 at participating retailers. We encourage you to then register your card at GoPass.org to protect the balance on your card in case you lose it as well as other benefits.
Once you have your card, just touch your GoPass ® Tap card to the electronic reader every time you board or transfer on a bus or train. Your fare will be deducted automatically and you’ll be charged the best fare every time you ride. Once your monthly trips reach the total cost of a monthly pass, your remaining trips in any calendar month are free.
Fare capping also will be available soon in the enhanced GoPass app. If you have any other questions related to this, visit DART.org/farerestructure.
cowboyeagle05 wrote:I signed up for the Tap Card beta testing program. My card should arrive by the 24th they tell me.
I currently use the app to buy an $80.00 monthly pass. I will be curious if this tap card is better for me than using that. I am always around an electrical outlet so my phone is never running out of juice to show the bus driver my ticket. I ride the same bus to work and home 5 days a week. On weekends I use my car if I need to leave my apartment if my friends aren't driving. I don't know if this will provide me any savings since depending on how you calculate it I could be saving money by buying individual tickets vs the monthly pass but I am willing to help test things out.
lakewoodhobo wrote:Very cool to finally see video of the Knox/Henderson station.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... ssAvjXtGDw
lakewoodhobo wrote:Very cool to finally see video of the Knox/Henderson station.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... ssAvjXtGDw
Matt777 wrote:That DMN article says it would only be $15-20 million to finish the station.... so why hasn't this been done when the city has spent money on stupid things like $6 million to build and then remove a river rapid, or wanting to spend $30 million for free welfare money to Angela Hunt and her wealthy developer buddies?
DPatel304 wrote:It's not just a money issue, right? The neighborhood is still against it?
cowboyeagle05 wrote:I have not checked my mail in three days so I might have but DART did email me last week saying it should arrive by the 24th.
lakewoodhobo wrote:DPatel304 wrote:It's not just a money issue, right? The neighborhood is still against it?
I'd like to know which neighborhood associations opposed this station (maybe Vickery Place?) but I have a feeling the most vocal opponents have moved on, gone elsewhere, or have been priced out.
Because of initial Vickery Place neighborhood objections, DART did not complete Knox–Henderson Station as part of its initial phase as planned.[2] The station's shell, considered a ghost station, serves as an emergency exit from the tunnel
By the mid-1990s, attitudes towards the station began to shift with the neighborhood actively petitioning DART to construct the station.[2] However, funding problems related to the deferred construction doomed the station.
Matt777 wrote:That DMN article says it would only be $15-20 million to finish the station.... so why hasn't this been done when the city has spent money on stupid things like $6 million to build and then remove a river rapid, or wanting to spend $30 million for free welfare money to Angela Hunt and her wealthy developer buddies?
By 2006, DART announced it would cost an estimated $100 million to complete and open Knox–Henderson Station.[3] The large price tag was attributed to the high labor and infrastructure costs associated with working underground near actively used tracks. In order to avoid interfering with existing rail service, tunneling and station construction work could only be carried out for four hours per day, between midnight and 4 a.m., when trains are not running.[3] Due to the high costs involved, DART stated that it was deferring construction of the station indefinitely.[3]
In January 2007, DART published the final version of its comprehensive 2030 Transit System Plan. The plan contained no provisions for finishing or opening the station by 2030, and responded to public comments requesting completion of the station by declaring, "There are no plans for a station in the Knox-Henderson area."[4] As of 2013, DART does not list Knox–Henderson Station in its future expansion plans.
muncien wrote:DALLAS is also notorious for going with the most costly, overbuilt, unnecessary, option available... So, the 100m isn't surprising. But the reality of building a simple, functional station is probably half that.
Matt777 wrote:Yeah, if the station truly is already "dug out" and just needs finishing and elevators and such, it shouldn't be too much. There's no need to make it fancy. It it's a concrete shell, commission artists to make it interesting on the cheap. Murals, neon, sculpture, etc. Maybe a water feature. Done.
CTroyMathis wrote:cowboyeagle05 wrote:I have not checked my mail in three days so I might have but DART did email me last week saying it should arrive by the 24th.
I got an email today saying that it will be shipped today after a delay for more internal testing.
flyswatter wrote:Low ridership = higher fares...that'll definitely get more people on!
TNWE wrote:flyswatter wrote:Low ridership = higher fares...that'll definitely get more people on!
For the AM/PM commuter, sure, it goes up a buck. The big change in the fare structure is that people no longer have to decide in advance whether they need a day pass or single ride. Plus, the PM pass (at $3) costs a little more than the current 2 hr pass, but gets you 12+ hours of rides for that $3.
Obviously they still need to work on reliability and on-time buses, but hopefully the new tap cards will give them the data they need to see what sort of connections riders are making and optimize accordingly.
tamtagon wrote:^How long does it take to get from Cityplace to the CC?
Reaching at least a few stations up the line, that's pretty much how the light rail should work. A 30 minute train ride into town from your neighborhood park-n-ride is totally acceptable, longer than that and driving is an easier option. It'll be population density that puts the train to work, and increases the need for express trains from the (further out) suburbs.
itsjrd1964 wrote:It takes me the better part of 2+ hours on DART coming home from work on a trip that probably should take no more than 30 minutes tops. I've had commutes of 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours using DART before. Very frustrating. Add to that escalators and elevators that might work sometimes, but are a roll of the dice way too often. The big east down escalator has been down for *a while* now. One day, I had to go down the steps of the east stairs and the shorter set to the train platform. None of the mechanical versions worked or weren't on. That many steps for someone with bad knees is truly not cute. I've gotten to where I take the bus an extra step to work to get around the Cityplace surprise. If the D2 route becomes a reality, DART is going to have to be better about keeping things repaired when it comes to whisking folks up and down at the future underground stations.
Hannibal Lecter wrote:Actually the limestone in this area is one of the best materials for tunnelling. Soft enough for easy boring, but hard enough to be self supporting without lots of reinforcement. That's why they considered tunnels for the I-635 express lanes -- the price of tunnelling was competitive with other options. You've just got to get under the surface soil, which in most of Dallas doesn't take much. At my parents' place in SW Dallas County that took about one inch.
muncien wrote:The depths of underground stations are known to impact ridership. This is part of the problem with an underground system in Dallas. Our soils (much of of it historic riverbed) are very poor for boring through and we are forced to go deeper to find more solid rock. While looking at a pretty rail transit map won't show the problem, users most certainly do. At such depths, the number of stations gets reduced, and the time it takes to get to/from those stations increases. But hey... at least we can call ourselves a 'big ol city' now. lol
Much of NYC transit success is based on the fact that you typically only have to go down one or two flights of stairs. The new second ave line is the exception as it is going much deeper... and commuters are fired up about it.
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