MENU
SEARCHThe daily DART Rail rider, Don Johnson, was greeted by DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas and Michael Melaniphy, president/CEO of APTA.
DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas(left) with the agency's 250 millionth rail rider Don Johnson.
In conjunction with the annual American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) honored its 250 millionth customer on its light rail system earlier this week.
The daily DART Rail rider, Don Johnson, was greeted by DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas and Michael Melaniphy, president/CEO of APTA.
Johnson was randomly selected from Monday morning commuters by DART staff to represent all riders of the 72 mile, 55 station system throughout the past 16 years. DART Rail ridership is calculated on a variety of factors, including statistical sampling. As part of the recognition, DART will award the customer four monthly Regional passes good for use in July, along with tickets to popular destinations such as the Dallas Zoo, Children's Aquarium at Fair Park, Hawaiian Falls, Dallas Summer Musicals, and the Museum of Nature & Science.
"This is a great day and a neat milestone for us," Thomas said. "But, I'm also thinking about the individual trips and special moments that preceded this one. School kids made their first trips to the zoo, or a Mavericks' or Stars' game on DART. People have met, gone on first dates and found their spouses on DART. Our customers plan special outings around our service. We've really become woven into the fabric of the region and that's what's exciting to me."
DART also is offering a special way for all light rail customers to share their transit moments. Customers may post pictures of good times and great trips they've made on DART Rail via Twitter, by adding the hashtag #DART250. The photos also will be posted to a section of the agency's Facebook page.
DART began light rail operations on June 14, 1996, opening the first 11 miles of its 20-mile Light Rail Starter System. Through the years, the agency has expanded to operate the longest electric light rail system in the U.S.
The system is still growing. A five-mile section of the Orange Line, from Bachman Station in northwest Dallas to Irving, opens July 30. A second section of the line, as well as a five-mile extension of the Blue Line from Garland to Rowlett, will open Dec. 2, 2013. DART will have 90 miles in operation when it completes the Orange Line in December 2014 with a station at Terminal A of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
Read More →
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Read More →
The new bridge will begin carrying passenger trains on March 16, replacing a 116-year-old swing bridge that has long caused delays.
Read More →
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
Read More →
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Read More →
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
Read More →
The strategy outlines near- and long-term upgrades to ease congestion, support housing growth, and advance statewide climate goals.
Read More →
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Read More →
The procurement advances the agency's broader efforts to modernize its rail fleet and position Regional Rail for long-term improvement.
Read More →
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
Read More →
