Home
»
Trains Magazine
»
Forums
»
Transit
»
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Status Article

Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
The following is from an editorial in the Dallas Morning News dated July 3, 2014: "In 30 years, DART has built North America’s longest light-rail system. And unless the transit fairy sneaks into DART headquarters to stuff millions of dollars under board members’ pillows, we have what we’ll have. Staff can tinker around the edges, but don’t expect new lines or significant extensions to the existing Red, Blue, Green or Orange trains anytime soon. Similarly, the tracks go where they go. As DART has learned over the years, this too often means not exactly where the jobs might be. The light-rail network converges in downtown Dallas, still an employment hub but far from the only one. For instance, DART has been unable to tap much of the northern suburban growth, and as far as rail goes, that won’t change. What could change, over time, is if DART could expand its bus offerings and develop more ways to connect its existing system with unserved cities. DART’s service growth the past decade is tied almost exclusively to opening new rail lines; bus ridership is down slightly over that period." Early on I was an enthusiastic believer in the light rail solution.  Not so much today!  As the editorial makes clear, by implication, once the tracks are down, following shifting populations is difficult and expensive.  In many instances, although rail buffs don't like to hear it, buses (local, express, BRT) are better solutions, especially for the cities in the south and southwest that were built out along highways as opposed to railways.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag