Texas School Book Depository on Dealey Plaza, November 12, 2022
The history of Dallas is linked to its status as a transportation hub. Both Dallas and nearby Fort Worth developed around major railroad lines built to ship cotton, cattle, and oil from northern and eastern Texas to other locales. When the Interstate Highway System was constructed, four routes intersected in Dallas and a fifth forms a beltway around the city. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. And although sprawl and automobile centric planning make using mass transit in the Dallas area difficult, there is no lack of service.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) traces its history back to the Dallas Transit System (DTS), which in turn was formed by the consolidation of various privately owned and operated transit and streetcar lines. As is the case in many American cities, Dallas had a a large streetcar system that was gradually phased out and discontinued in the 1950s. DART was established as a regional replacement for DTS in 1983, with the idea being that DART would serve not just Dallas but other municipalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. DART would formally acquire DTS in 1988. As of 2022, there are 12 cities within DART’s 700 square mile service area in addition to Dallas itself. The first DART light rail line opened in 1996 and today, DART operates the largest light rail system in the United States based on system mileage. DART also operates an extensive network of buses; a redesigned network began operation in early 2022.
In addition to DART’s services, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a heritage streetcar service between Uptown and Downtown Dallas. The Trinity Rail Express is a commuter rail line that connects Dallas with Fort Worth.
DART Light Rail is the largest light rail system in the United States when measured by mileage with a total of 93 miles (149.7 kilometers) of track serving 65 stations on four lines. However, it only ranks fifth in ridership and is one of the most inefficient when measured using a variety of financial statistics. The first section of the system opened in 1996. In Downtown Dallas, service is concentrated on the city's Downtown Transit Mall, a car free street that allows easy pedestrian access and improved train speeds. The system is operated by Kinki Sharyo Super Light Rail Vehicles (SLRV), which are notable for being longer than most other light rail cars (123.5 feet or 37.6 meters in length). Between 2008 and 2010, the cars were modified to add a third section to make them accessible, this option was chosen over ordering a new fleer of railcars.
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Buses account for most of DART's daily ridership. Following a network redesign that took effect in 2022, DART operates 74 fixed bus routes as well as several demand-response routes in microtransit zones. Nearly all the buses in the fleet are powered by compressed natural gas though some Proterra electric buses were procured in 2017.
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The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA) is a non-profit organization that operates the M-Line within Dallas, a heritage streetcar line that operates between Uptown and the edge of Downtown Dallas. Although it is not operated by DART, the McKinney Avenue Trolley is considered to be a part of the regional transit network. Service began in 1989 and was extended further in 2002, 2011, and 2015. Today, the M-Line serves over 600,000 passengers each year using a fleet of seven restored streetcars. The streetcars are restored, maintained, and operated by volunteers.
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