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Thanks for Making Us Number 1!

DART WINS NATION'S TOP TRANSIT AWARD

It's like winning the Super Bowl for bus driving.

The Oscar for high occupancy vehicle lanes.

The Tony for rail transit.

Or the Pulitzer Prize for Paratransit Services.

Today, DART's 2,300 employees learned that years of toil, soil -- and sometimes turmoil -- have paid off in the ultimate honor bestowed by the transit industry. DART is the nation's top transit system for 1997.

During it's annual meeting in Chicago, the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Public Transportation presented DART officials with the Outstanding Achievement Award for Large Transit Systems. The prestigious award recognizes the 13-year-old agency accomplishments for establishing the first light rail and commuter rail systems in the Southwestern United States, building new High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to promote ridesharing, as well as major improvements in regional bus and paratransit operations.

"Our employees and contractors are really responsible for winning this award. We couldn't be more pleased to be honored in this fashion by our peers," DART President/Executive Director Roger Snoble said. "Despite many obstacles, DART has done more in the past year or so than almost anyone thought possible. And we've done it with quality and style."

Only one-year-old, DART's 20-mile light rail starter system already carries more than 34,000 passengers each workday. DART introduced its first 11.7 miles of light rail to Dallas June 14, 1996, added 6.3 miles to the system in January 1997, and the final three miles on May 31.

Equally as important, DART Rail attracted fans as it attracted new riders. The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau said, "DART has changed the way we market the city." The Dallas Morning News has written extensively about DART's contribution to local economic development. "All that talk about DART's new passenger rail line being an economic generator is coming true in a hurry," the paper noted in a recent editorial.

DART is drawing praise from out-of-towners as well. "The irrefutable evidence on the ground in Dallas is that light rail works, both for its riders and for the entire community," the Houston Chronicle wrote. DART Rail has also drawn industry-wide attention and awards for passenger station design and the unique futuristic look of the system.

The APTA award also recognizes DART's new Trinity Railway Express commuter rail line which took to the tracks on schedule on December 30, 1996. Today more than 1,300 passengers count on the new business-class service linking Dallas' Union Station, the Medical/Market Center and South Irving. Developed by DART and the Fort Worth T, the Trinity Railway Express represents the first major joint venture undertaken by the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth since the construction of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The service will extend to Fort Worth in 1999 and the airport in 2005.

DART's waning bus business has had an infusion as well, with two new downtown bus transfer centers handling 260 buses per peak hour. Significant route and schedule changes have made bus travel easier and faster. The future is brighter for urban bus customers -- not to mention operators and maintenance personnel -- when the first shipment of new 40-foot NOVA buses arrives in spring 1998. This will ultimately bring 433 new Ultra Low Emission Vehicle-certified buses to the property.

Another plus is that 700,000 mobility-impaired riders used DART in FY97 . And DART now offers the newest, most modern, natural gas-powered paratransit fleet anywhere.

"The best is yet to come," Snoble concluded. "The APTA award is a highlight in the agency's history and I want every member of the DART family -- our customers, our hardworking employees and contractors, and the citizens of our member cities -- to take a bow on this truly outstanding occasion. Together, we've made DART number one in the industry., and together we are taking it to the next level of quality transit service."