Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons, DART
Laurie M. Kunke, City of Irving

March 9, 2009

First Train To Cross New Trinity Railway Express Bridge On March 9

At approximately 5:34 a.m. March 9, Trinity Railway Express (TRE) passenger train No. 2900 will leave the West Irving Station heading for Dallas and will be the first revenue service train to cross a new bridge on the TRE corridor.

This 8,236-foot bridge represents the completion of the first phase of a project that eliminates railroad crossings at Belt Line, Briery and Story Roads and also will result in quiet zone treatment at Irby Lane, Rogers Road and MacArthur Road. Implementation of the quiet zones at these crossings is scheduled to be effective by the end of April.

At the completion of the project, Gilbert Road also will be quiet zoned. A grade crossing is eligible for consideration as a quiet zone through the installation of quad-gates — four gates that block the entire width of the road — or the use of a raised median to keep motorists from driving around the gates once they have closed. In addition to creating a quieter environment, the infrastructure that is installed also provides increased safety to train crews and passengers, as well as motorists.

The project will improve the quality of life for Irving residents and businesses near the TRE corridor and the rail line between Irving and Carrollton by eliminating the requirement to blow horns at grade crossings, except in an emergency. The four crossings that will be quiet zoned as part of this project joins quiet zones already in place in the city at Wildwood Drive, Irving Heights Boulevard, Nursery Road and Britain Road on the TRE corridor, as well as Britain Road, Union Bower Road and Pioneer Drive on the rail corridor between Irving and Carrollton.

A second bridge, duplicating the new bridge, will be completed by December 2010 and will result in a double track corridor between the West Irving Station and Rogers Road. A separate project that is currently under design by DART will run from the West Irving Station across Valley View Lane to the Dallas/Tarrant County line and connect there with an existing track that serves the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station on the TRE. This project also is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2010. The completion of these projects will allow for safer and more reliable TRE passenger service.

The $70 million Belt Line Grade Separation project is funded by a variety of sources, including local bond funds, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.

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