Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons

August 20, 2001

For TRE and joint fare structure

DART, Fort Worth Transportation Authority Win TEAM Award

Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) have been named the first-ever group to receive the North Texas Commission's annual Transportation Excellence Award in Mobility (TEAM).

The award was presented August 17. The transportation agencies were selected for their joint commuter rail project, the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), and for creating a fare structure in which tickets and passes from either agency work in the other agency's service area.

The TRE opened service between downtown Dallas and Irving in 1996 and expanded service to Tarrant County last year. It is scheduled to extend to downtown Fort Worth this fall.

"We're very proud of the cooperation that has improved public transportation in the region," said Jesse Oliver, DART Board chairman. "The Trinity Railway Express improves the synergy between our two cities, and having a single fare structure just makes sense for our riders."

"Our North Texas area is one of the fastest-growing markets in the U.S., and the advent of rail service between Fort Worth and Dallas, complete with a joint fare structure, presents a united front that improves our competitive position," added J. R. Kimball, board chairman of the T.

The TRE's significance as a product of joint efforts by Fort Worth and Dallas was noted last month as well, when the North Central Texas Council of Governments gave the two transportation agencies its Regional Cooperation Award.

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