Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is marking the 25th anniversary of the August 13, 1983 election that established the transit agency with a week-long series of customer appreciation events at many of its transit centers and rail stations.

While DART celebrates its past, the opening of the next generation of light rail is just over one year away when the first phase of the $1.8 billion, 28-mile Green Line rail project opens on September 14, 2009. Project construction began in summer 2006 following the award of a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the FTA.

DART's current expansion programs will lead to the doubling of its 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.

The DART bus fleet will undergo a complete transformation starting in 2010 as the agency begins taking delivery of 537 new advanced technology buses. This is the latest step in its clean fuels program, which has led to a 68 percent reduction in transit fleet emissions.