DART Battle Continues, TM Reducing Fares, & Annual Luncheon Sept 20

News & Updates

August 16, 2024 Issue

How DART was Formed and Funded

dallasnews.com

On August 13, 1983, 58% of voters in 14 Dallas County cities cast ballots in favor of a regional transportation authority that collected a 1% sales tax from member cities. Seven suburban cities voted against the proposal.

The election marked the end of a three-year, million-dollar campaign to create Dallas Area Regional Transit. DART’s proposal: Double the area’s existing bus service in three years and build a 160-mile rail system during the next 27 years. to the tune of $8.75 billion. It was considered the “largest, most ambitious public works project ever undertaken in the area,” according to The Dallas Morning News archives.

It was the second attempt to form a regional transit authority supported by a one-cent sales tax. A 1980 attempt to create a transit system supported by a one-cent sales tax, the Lone Star Transportation Authority, failed when only 27% of area voters approved the project.

But DART’s campaign paid off. Twenty-three percent of voters in 21 cities cast votes, with most opponents located in Dallas County’s southern suburbs. Perceptions of traffic woes swayed voters, with DART popularity surging in the most congested areas, namely Dallas’ northern precincts and suburbs. Attracting industry and planning for future growth were also themes central to DART’s campaign.

DART began developing its light-rail system in 1987, opening the “first modern light rail system in the Southwest” in 1996. Today DART’s rail network is one of the longest in the U.S., spanning 93 miles. The transit agency operates a fleet of 692 buses across 76 local bus routes, 11 shuttle routes, and five DART Express routes, along with other transit services including on-demand GoLink and its paratransit program.

Additional Article on DART Funding

New Route for High-Speed Train in Dallas Receives Additional Funding to Move Forward

bizjournals.com

The effort to connect Dallas and Fort Worth via high-speed train has taken a step forward.

The Regional Transportation Council on Aug. 8 approved roughly $1.65 million more to study an alternate route for the proposed train that would skirt downtown Dallas, after a previous rail route stirred controversy.

The RTC — an independent transportation policy group of mostly municipal and county government officials — approved the Surface Transportation Block Grant funding for the consultant team to study the route that would run west of downtown Dallas, between the Trinity River and South Riverfront Boulevard. The proposed route would then cut across Houston Street and I-35E to reach a station in the Cedars. About $12.1 million in STBG funds have already been approved for the project.

Next steps will also include bringing the western alignment to the same engineering design and planning level as the prior downtown alignment, advancing and reviewing opportunities in the National Environmental Policy Act process until a final decision is made and responding to an anticipated Amtrak concerns about shifting away from the downtown line option.

"We've heard through our conversation with Amtrak concern about moving away from the downtown option since that did provide pedestrian connections from an Amtrak high-speed rail station in Dallas and Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, two-thirds of a mile to the north," said Brendon Wheeler, program manager with North Central Texas Council of Governments. "We believe they intend to issue a statement or formal response to that effect. This action item is simply to request the ability for us to respond, whatever that statement may be."

Trinity Metro Reducing Some Fares Starting Sept. 15

communityimpact.com

Trinity Metro is streamlining fares for bus, train and On-Demand rides starting Sept. 15.

A single ride for buses, trains and On-Demand trips will be $2 for local service, a reduction between 50 cents and $1. One-day tickets will be $4 and seven-day tickets will be $18, a reduction of $2 and $9, respectively.

Monthly and annual passes will only be available to Easyride partners, according to a news release.

Reduced tickets are available, with valid ID, for seniors 65 or older, persons with disabilities, Medicare card holders, youth ages 5-19 and veterans with proof of status, according to the website. No ticket needed for children ages four and under.

DART Eyes Budget Reductions Amid Talk of Revenue Cuts

dallasnews.com

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is considering potential spending cuts in 2025 to reduce how much its budget will grow as some member cities push to cut revenue to the transportation agency.

Appointees disagreed on how to approach spending next fiscal year during committee meetings this week. While some Committee-of-the-Whole members Tuesday advocated for moving forward with the original budget staff put forward in July, others pointed to the benefits of proactive spending reductions in light of member cities’ desire to reduce sales tax contributions to DART by a quarter.

The original budget proposal represents a 1.6% increase over last year, including a 5.5% increase in the operating budget. At board members’ requests, staff put forward several budget alternatives for discussion. Those included a reduction in the operating budget to 3% growth year-over-year, a no-growth reduction equal to the total 2024 operating budget and changes to the capital improvement program.

Gondolas in Dallas? North Texas Cities Consider Going High in Traffic Fight

bizjournals.com

It is a universally acknowledged truth that roads in Dallas-Fort Worth are a bit congested. And it's likely to get worse, given population projections.

One technology company thinks the solution to traffic may be above ground — way above ground.

An autonomous elevated cable and rail system akin to gondolas, known as Whoosh, could be coming to one of five North Texas cities as part of a pilot program aimed at providing greater local connectivity and alleviating a bit of traffic in the Metroplex.

California-based Swyft Cities Inc. is the company behind the proposed system of on-demand, elevated trams. City leaders from Dallas, Plano, Arlington, Frisco and DeSoto have all expressed interest in getting this technology and are now in discussions with the transportation company to decide on potential locations, timelines and funding models.

North Texas cities have until the end of the 2024 to submit proposals for the gondola system, and Swyft Cities plans to pick its pilot location by mid-2025.

An animated depiction of the system in action resembles a futuristic, sci-fi world — one that could become a reality in North Texas in the coming years. The program also aims to be green: the cable cars, which must be at least 16 feet in the air, are electric, meaning they emit fewer pollutants.

While some have discounted gondolas as a costly, gimmicky solution to the increasingly serious issue of congestion in North Texas, proponents suggest a gondola system could help smaller cities better manage their surging populations and related traffic concerns.

"Whoosh provides the 'perfect Uber' — fast, on-demand, nonstop trips with a great view," Jeral Poskey, CEO of Swyft Cities, said in a statement. "Vehicles are waiting for you at stations, instead of the other way around."

TCNT Annual Luncheon, September 20, 2024

Registration is Open!

The Transit Coalition of North Texas is hosting its annual luncheon on September 20, on the State of Transit. We will hear a report on the TxDOT Multimodal Plan and the results of a TTI economic impact analysis of transit. In addition to individual speakers, the luncheon will feature a panel of our transit CEOs who will discuss what the State's plans and the statewide economic impact analysis mean for North Texas.

Transit Coalition of North Texas

TransitNorthTexas.org