DART Inmotion
the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - Spring 2008
Return to www.DART.org

Building a Rail Life
A letter from the DART Chairman of the Board.

Keeping Watch 24 / Seven
Deployed in cars, on motorcycles and bicycles, and on foot, DART Police promote safety and security in one of the largest and busiest "communities" in North Texas.

Moving People While Moving Ahead
As DART's Green Line expansion races ahead, a big part of the project is keeping neighborhoods and businesses up to speed on construction activities.

Staying On Track
With construction costs soaring worldwide, DART is exploring new design and financing strategies to open the next phase of DART Rail on time.

Redefining Community
Carrollton and Farmers Branch are using the arrival of DART’s Green Line to remake their city centers into lively transit villages and regional destinations.

Hassle-free Driving Ahead
With the doubling of high occupancy vehicle lanes, DART is speeding traffic and pollution relief to North Texas commuters.

Short Trips
Mobile website puts trip plans in your hands; new 7-Day Pass lets you roll when you want to; Million Milers go the distance; DalTrans keeps traffic moving; bus racks expand bike & ride trips; DART employees extend customer service.

DART Board of Directors

DART Current and Future Services Map

DART: Live, On Tape and Online

Contact Webmaster at:
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Redefining Community

Restaurants like Agave Azul on the Carrollton square will be joined by other offerings in a few years.
Restaurants like Agave Azul on the Carrollton square will be joined by other offerings in a few years.
It's Friday evening and you hop off the train and hurry down the sidewalk, pausing at a bookstore window before stepping two doors down to feast on shrimp carbonara. After dinner, you purchase that bestseller you saw earlier and then saunter another block, turn the key in the lock and you're home at last.

It could be a scene from downtown Plano or Mockingbird Station - where the transit lifestyle has already taken hold - but instead it's a preview of life in downtown Carrollton and Farmers Branch when DART Rail arrives in 2010.

Turning dirt, building dreams
With chrome-plated shovels shining in the sun, Carrollton and Farmers Branch have launched construction of their DART Rail stations and rolled out their visions for transforming their city centers into dynamic transit villages.

"We're so excited about the arrival of DART Rail in Carrollton," says Mayor Becky Miller. "This station will be the hub for this region, and it will benefit everyone in the Metroplex."

Miller's excitement is infectious, especially among shop owners around the historic Carrollton Square.

Angela Hill Nash and her husband, Jay, have owned Heart of the Home Gallery for the past six years. "We just completed a renovation, and we believe the community has exhibited a lot of foresight by combining the old historic areas and modern forms of transportation."

"We're so excited about the arrival of DART Rail in Carrollton. This station will be the hub for this region, and it will benefit everyone in the Metroplex."
Becky Miller, Mayor of Carrollton

Susan Myers, co-owner of Silver Star American Country, echoes the enthusiasm. "It's the best thing that's ever going to happen to Carrollton. It's going to open up doors we haven't even thought about. It will prompt people to go places they've never thought about driving to."

Creating identity
The City of Carrollton has branded its three stations with logos that set the tone for distinctive transit districts. The Downtown Carrollton Station is identified by a silhouette of the gazebo on the square, and the logo already adorns the landmark grain elevators seen by thousands of motorists daily on I-35.

Downtown Carrollton Station rendering image

Farmers Branch Station rendering image
The Downtown Carrollton Station (top) and the Farmers Branch Station (bottom) will anchor ambitious transit villages.
The logo for Trinity Mills Station shows a speeding train, evocative of the transportation crossroads - with modern, dense, mixed-use development - planned near the intersection of I-35 and President George Bush Turnpike.

North Carrollton Station features a deep blue swirl that hints at the lakes and streams of the adjacent Indian Creek Golf Club. "North Carrollton will have the only TOD golf course in the Metroplex," says Peter Braster, Carrollton's TOD manager. The station site is also flanked by 12.82 acres of greenfield sites and a 2.35-acre redevelopment site for high-density residential projects.

New heart of the city
Farmers Branch is creating a new downtown - a new "heart of the city" - with a dynamic mix of civic, recreational, commercial and residential activities within walking distance of DART Rail.

The vision for the Farmers Branch Station area calls for an urban-style neighborhood where activities are conveniently integrated, encouraging people to walk, bicycle and use transit to conduct their daily business. Valley View Lane will be revived as the prominent main street with on-street parking, wide sidewalks and retail establishments. And a nearby transit plaza will be a gathering spot and a vibrant focus of city life.

Farmers Branch was founded on the railroads of the 19th century, according to Mayor Bob Phelps who says, "It's ironic that we once again look to the railways as the catalyst for growth and development that will further solidify Farmers Branch as a powerful economic, employment and transportation center."

Farmers Branch leaders break ground on the DART Rail station that will bring new life to the downtown core. Farmers Branch leaders break ground on the DART Rail station that will bring new life to the downtown core.






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