 the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - DART 25th Anniversary 2008 |
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Great Milestones in DART History (August 13, 1983) Voters create Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to develop and operate a multimodal regional transit system 1984 - Suburban Express bus service begins between downtown Dallas and the new member cities of Addison, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Glenn Heights, Irving, Richardson, Plano and Rowlett DART Board selects light rail as the mode for the future DART Rail System 1985 - DART inaugurates new local bus routes in suburban cities 1986 - Dallas-area paratransit service for people with disabilities is expanded to DART suburban cities 1988 - Dallas Transit System officially merges with DART North Carrollton and South Irving bus transit centers open DART buys 34.5 miles of existing rail right-of-way for future light rail service Voters reject long-term bonds for light rail construction  DART Board approves new DART Transit System Plan DART acquires almost 80% of needed rail right-of-way for light rail West Plano, Red Bird and Richardson transit centers open 1990 - Light rail construction begins First DART Police officers go on duty DART acquires 54 more miles of rail right-of-way for light rail 1991 - First High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane opens on I-30, east of central Dallas 1992 - East Plano transit center opens 1993 - Garland Central, Hampton, Illinois and North Irving transit centers open DART receives $82.6 million in federal funding for the South Oak Cliff rail 1994 - RAILTRAN agreement clears the way for commuter rail line linking Dallas and Fort Worth  The first light rail vehicle arrives for testing 1996 - DART opens the first phase of its light rail starter system and the first 10 miles of the Trinity Railway Express commuter service linking downtown Dallas and Irving Downtown Dallas West Bus Transfer Center opens 1997 - DART completes its 20-mile light rail starter system with a 3-mile extension of the South Oak Cliff line DART is named Transit Agency of the Year (American Public Transportation Association) DART extends light rail service north to Park Lane with a 3.5-mile subway 10 stories beneath North Central Expressway First HOV lanes open on I-635 1998 - First liquified natural gas and clean-burning diesel vehicles go into service 1999 - DART & the Federal Transit Administration sign $333 million Full Funding Grant Agreement supporting Red Line expansion to Plano Addison Transit Center opens 2000 - Voters approve $2.9 billion in long-term bonds to accelerate light rail expansion Cityplace Station, Rowlett Park & Ride, Cockrell Hill & Bernal/Singleton passenger tranfer locations open.  DART and The T in Fort Worth complete the 34-mile Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail line linking Dallas and Fort Worth Light rail expands northeast with new White Rock Station 2002 - DART achieves 100% accessibility Lake June Transit Center opens Bus patron facility opens at 912 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas DART Rail extends to North Dallas, Garland, Richardson and Plano HOV lanes open on I-35E and U.S. 67 south of downtown Dallas 2004 - Victory Station opens at American Airlines Center for special events service 2005 - J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center opens near Fair Park as a percursor to the future Martin Luther King, Jr. Station 2006 - DART and the Federal Transit Administration sign a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement supporting the Green Line opening between fall 2009 and winter 2010 DART Board approves 2030 Transit System Plan University of North Texas economists estimate DART Rail is generating more than $8.1 billion in economic returns 2007 - DART launches Downtown Transit Study 2008 - Super Light Rail Vehicles debut, offering more passenger room and more convenient level boarding following station platform improvements DART and the Texas Department of Transportation more than double the HOV lane network to 75 miles and open the DalTrans traffic management center Return to the Inmotion front page |
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