DART News Release
Apr 11, 2008 | General
DART Rail Green Line on schedule, on budget
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Media Relations Contact: April 11, 2008 Next Stop: Deep Ellum, Baylor, and Fair Park! DART Rail Green Line on schedule, on budget
"There is a long tradition of passenger rail service in the communities served by the Green Line, and we're excited to help bring it back," DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas said. Until January 1956 streetcars carried passengers through Deep Ellum and the neighborhoods by Baylor Hospital to Fair Park where up to four sets of tracks were in service in front of the fairgrounds, Thomas explained. "Not coincidentally, the Green Line will follow much the same path, and Fair Park Station will be in the same location as it was when rail service stopped in 1956. We look forward to transporting new generations of North Texans through these communities." DART Rail doubling The first section of the Green Line will extend from Pearl Station on the east side of Downtown Dallas to Deep Ellum Station, Baylor Station, Fair Park Station (at the intersection of Parry and Exposition) and the MLK Station, adjacent to the J. B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center on the southwest side of Fair Park. Daily service to Victory Station also will begin September 2009. The remaining 25 miles of the Green Line, scheduled to open in December 2010, will extend southeast to Pleasant Grove and northwest from Victory Station to the Dallas Market Center, the Southwestern Medical District, Love Field Airport and downtown Farmers Branch and Carrollton. Green Line construction began in Summer 2006 following the award of a $700 million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration. DART's current expansion programs will lead to the doubling of the DART Rail System to 90 miles by 2013. Altogether, the rail extensions are expected to add 60,000 weekday passenger trips, essentially doubling ridership on the DART Rail System. A new Orange Line will branch from the Green Line at Bachman Station to serve Irving and Las Colinas in 2011 and DFW International Airport by 2013. Service also will be extended from Garland to Rowlett in 2012. DART also is conducting the Downtown Dallas Transit Study, which includes a second rail line through the Dallas Central Business District with revenue service scheduled for 2014. And a Blue Line extension from Ledbetter Station to UNT-Dallas is scheduled to open in 2018. Green Line creating local jobs More than 2,000 workers are involved daily in building the Green Line, and approximately 95% of the crews are local residents. The safety record also is strong. DART officials report the agency has experienced workers' compensation and liability insurance expenses significantly below the national average within the construction industry. DART officials credit intensive safety training. "We've conducted more than 250 safety-training classes on this project alone - including more than 120 in Spanish," Thomas explained. "What's more, we keep up with our workers after training. Working with our construction partners, we've developed an innovative mentor program where senior construction workers guide new hires through their first months on the job to make sure they understand how to work as safely and efficiently as possible." Resources for editors
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