Making Great Connections

Gary Thomas (left), U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson and Randall Chrisman tour Fair Park Station.

Anticipation is building as we put the finishing touches on the first phase of the Green Line that opens for full-time service on September 14 to Deep Ellum, Baylor University Medical Center, Fair Park, MLK, Jr. and Victory stations.

DART's executive director, Gary Thomas, and I had the pleasure recently of giving U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson a sneak peak at Fair Park Station, which will swarm with riders when the State Fair opens on September 25. Johnson - along with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison - has been a staunch supporter of DART, and recently helped us obtain $78.4 million from the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This surprise grant is a welcomed advance payment from the Federal Transit Administration for funds already committed to the Green Line under a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement that Johnson helped win in 2006.

"It's a pleasure to work to get funding for the DART System; it's one of the best light rail systems in the country," says Johnson. "It's one of the few that is consistently on time and within budget, and it just keeps on growing."

What's more, she says, DART provides great connections. "This Fair Park section is one of the most important in the whole line. It will serve the community in so many different ways. It reduces the need for car trips; it will be an indispensible asset for the elderly and the mobility impaired; and it's great for the environment. We'll probably see new businesses springing up in the area thanks to the Green Line, too."