The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors approved an inter-local agreement with Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) for a Joint Rail Operations Facility (JROF) for testing, operations and maintenance of the new Stadler Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train (FLIRT) commuter rail vehicles for the DART Silver Line regional rail project currently under construction.
Located in Lewisville, Texas, the joint facility is an expansion of the DCTA A-train Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF).
“The joint rail operations facility is an example of transit agencies working together to optimize use of public resources for enhanced efficiency across the region,” said Paul Cristina, Denton County Transportation Authority Interim CEO. “Building relationships through projects like this enables the commuter railroads to move more people at lower cost. In short, increased connectivity means increased ridership.”
Scheduled to begin construction in the first quarter of 2023, the facility will be funded by DART, with DCTA providing design, construction, and project management services.
“The JROF partnership between DCTA and DART furthers the region’s goals of collaboration and partnership that leverage infrastructure investments to better support regional mobility across North Texas,” said Deanna Leggett, DART EVP of Growth/Regional Development. “We supported DCTA in launching their A-train service over 10 years ago and they are returning the favor in supporting us in implementing Silver Line service. Our hope is that this partnership advances to include track upgrades that allows DCTA to connect in with our Silver Line service in Downtown Carrolton.”
The 26-mile DART Silver Line project will traverse seven cities between DFW Airport, Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, and Plano. The primary purpose of the Silver Line is to provide passenger rail connections and service that will improve mobility, accessibility, and system linkages to major employment, population, and activity centers in the northern part of the DART Service Area.
