Transit 2.0, Funding for Trail, Free Rides to Polls, & More

News & Updates

February 23, 2024 Issue

Economic Impact of Transit Tool

TCNT is hosting a webinar on a tool that DART uses to determine the economic impact of transit facilities. TTI's Brianne Glover will lead the discussion on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 1:00 PM. This is a Teams Webinar, and you must register by clicking on the "Register Now!" button to receive the link. The event is free of charge.

TRE Has a New Train Stop in Fort Worth. Will it Spur Major Growth on this Side of City?

star-telegram.com

Around noon on Saturday, a few dozen Dallas Stars fans bundled in parkas and victory green jerseys huddled together on the Trinity Railway Express platform in Richland Hills.

The Stars’ 4-3 defeat a few hours later wouldn’t be the only loss they witnessed that day: the shivering fans were among the last commuters to board a TRE train at the station before it permanently shuttered that evening.

Seven years ago, Richland Hills residents voted to remove the city from Trinity Metro’s jurisdiction, ultimately precipitating the station’s closure last weekend. On Monday, its multimillion dollar replacement called Trinity Lakes opened about a five minute’s drive northeast.

Officials hope the long-awaited station will anchor commercial and residential development in a burgeoning section of Fort Worth’s northeast, in ways its predecessor failed to.

Trinity Metro to Offer Free Rides for Voters Even After County Commissioners Pull Funding

nbcdfw.com

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court will no longer pay for free bus and train rides for voters headed to the polls, but that doesn't mean they still can't ride for free.

A day after County Judge Tim O'Hare filed a motion to end a county subsidized program to help pay for free rides on Election Day, Trinity Metro said they'll still offer free rides to polling locations "to remove any transportation barrier that would prevent anyone in our community from voting."

During Wednesday's meeting, O'Hare proposed ending a program helping pay for rides to the polls because he didn't think it was the responsibility of county government to get people to voting locations.

Dallas County Commissioners Approve $5.9M for Cotton Belt Trail Construction

communityimpact.com

The Dallas County Commissioners Court approved about $5.9 million for Cotton Belt Trail construction during a Feb. 20 meeting.

The action authorizes an interlocal agreement with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and secures funds for the second and third phases of Cotton Belt construction. Funds approved by the county will be used for trail construction within Dallas County, according to the court agenda.

The Cotton Belt Trail is a proposed 57-mile trail that will link several cities, including Grapevine, Coppell, Richardson and Plano, according to the NCTCOG’s website. The trail will run along the 26-mile Silver Line Regional Rail, which is under construction.

‘Next Generation’ Transit Planning for North Texas Moves Forward

dallasnews.com

A study exploring crucial transportation investments needed to plan for growth in D-FW is moving ahead, The North Central Texas Council of Governments announced Wednesday.

The council’s executive board approved $2.2 million worth of contracts to consultants McKinsey & Company and InfraStrategies LLC to help design a transit system that serves residents who will live outside existing transit authority service areas in the future. The area population is forecast to grow to more than 11 million by 2045 and bring an additional three million jobs.

DART Employees Find Missing Person, Receive Citizen Hero Award in Plano, Texas

localprofile.com

Plano Police Chief Ed Drain recently presented a City of Plano Outstanding Citizen Hero Award to two Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) employees.

At the ceremony, Chief Drain welcomed DART Assistant Chief Hartgraves and the team to recognize the outstanding contributions of Sharon Paramo and Sharon Curry-Phillips. The two employees were honored for their role in the search.

Transit Coalition of North Texas

TransitNorthTexas.org