Customers take center stage as Orange Line rolls into Irving

DART will hold special Super Saturday preview events from 5-9 p.m. July 28 at four Orange Line stations. The Orange Line will be open to riders during the Saturday evening events, and customers are encouraged to ride the train to the festivities.

The evening kicks off with a parade down Lake Carolyn Parkway from Las Colinas Boulevard to the Las Colinas Urban Center Station. After the parade, enjoy a block party and street festival near the Urban Center Station, with music, food, games and information booths from local businesses and organizations. There also will be a safety fair at the Bachman Station and tours of the University of Dallas and Irving Convention Center stations.

Open the Possibilities.

New opportunities and adventures await.
The first segment of the Orange Line
to Irving-Las Colinas opens on Monday, July 30.

But first it's time to celebrate!
Join us for Super Saturday on July 28!


Customers shine on opening day

Customer appreciation activities are planned from 5-9 a.m., Monday, July 30, at Bachman and the new Orange Line stations. DART staff will be on hand to answer questions and help customers make their connections.

Information about all of the celebrations as well as trip planning is available on http://www.DART.org/ .

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Bus service shifts to serve rail, circulates the Urban Center

The opening of the Orange Line in Irving isn't the only major change coming to Dallas Area Rapid Transit on July 30. In addition to numerous bus and rail changes, three stations will be renamed and a new Park & Ride lot opens in Northwest Plano.

Twelve bus routes will begin supporting the new Orange Line, most serving the Las Colinas Urban Center Station on Lake Carolyn Parkway. The North Irving Transit Center will no longer be used for bus connections, but remains as a parking facility near the Irving Convention Center Station. Routes 305 and 306 will be modified to serve the new University of Dallas Station as well as the campus to safely transport riders across Highway 114.

DART also introduces a new weekday circulator bus service linking major points of interest near the Las Colinas Urban Center. Route 503 will operate in a counterclockwise loop, beginning at Las Colinas Urban Center Station, traveling north on Lake Carolyn Parkway, stopping at the entrance of Irving Convention Center, and then continuing back to Urban Center Station. Service will operate every 15 minutes during the morning and afternoon rush hours, and every 40 minutes at midday.

Additional details can be found in the service change brochures available on DART vehicles, inside transit centers, by visiting http://www.DART.org/ , or by calling 214-979-1111.

Rail stations rebranded to reflect nearby districts

Rail stations near the Dallas Arts District, Uptown Dallas and Irving's historic downtown Heritage Crossing will take the names of their adjacent destinations during the July 30 service change. This is the first station renaming since rail service began in 1996. Pearl Station becomes Pearl/Arts District Station; Cityplace Station changes to Cityplace/Uptown Station; and the TRE's South Irving Station becomes the Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Station.

Location-specific station names make it easier for riders to navigate DART. And strengthening the relationship between the DART stop and the destination increases the appeal of the community to developers.

Northwest Plano Park & Ride opens

Also on July 30, DART opens the new Northwest Plano Park & Ride, located on Communications Parkway, just west of the North Dallas Tollway between Spring Creek and Tennyson parkways. Seven routes will serve the facility, including a new express, rush-hour service to downtown Dallas. Commuters from West Plano, as well as points north, will enjoy an efficient commute downtown, while reverse commuters, from the southern parts of the DART Service Area, gain a direct link north to this vibrant employment center. Fair Share Parking, DART's paid parking program, will be in operation with spaces for 564 vehicles.

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DART Rail Orange Line opens new possibilities in Irving

Jill Martinez, owner and webmaster of IrvingOnline.com, and husband Robert, a lawyer and chairman of the Irving chamber's Transportation Management Association, are walking the talk when it comes to transportation matters. More than five years ago, the Martinezes downsized from a big house to an upscale loft just a short walk from DART's Las Colinas Urban Center Station, part of the first section of the Orange Line that opens on Monday, July 30.

"We wanted to make sure we got a good location and were willing to wait for light rail to come," Jill Martinez said. "It's been exciting to watch the Orange Line being built and we're proud to be urban pioneers."

Martinez walks or rides her scooter to work in the Urban Center. Meanwhile, her husband takes the Trinity Railway Express to his office in Fort Worth. New bus connections from the Urban Center Station to the TRE's Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Station will let him commute car-free, too.

Living along DART Rail now gives them access to the entire region. They look forward to spending a day at the zoo, dining at favorite restaurants, shopping in the West Village or going to the American Airlines Center for Dallas Mavericks games – all without driving.

New line creates more living and working options

The Orange Line brings new access to employment and educational opportunities, most notably in the master-planned community of Las Colinas. For the thousands of employees who commute in and out of Irving daily, the Orange Line offers fresh alternatives to driving. The highly anticipated arrival of DART Rail has spurred construction of luxury apartment communities throughout the Urban Center, with more than 7,000 units existing or planned, and several transit-oriented developments are in the works.

The first 4.5-mile section of the 14-mile, $1.3 billion project has stops at the University of Dallas, the Las Colinas Urban Center and the Irving Convention Center. The arrival of light rail culminates more than 12 years of land-use planning by DART, the city of Irving, the Las Colinas Association and the Dallas County Utilities Reclamation District.

On Dec. 3, DART opens the second phase to North Lake College and Belt Line Road. At Belt Line Station, buses will meet trains to take passengers to and from DFW International Airport. The DFW Station is scheduled to open in 2014, connecting downtown Dallas to one of the nation's busiest airports.

"With the opening of the Orange Line, thousands of people now can reach one of the region's densest employment centers via public transit," DART President/Executive Director Gary Thomas said. "That makes it easier for people to not only find jobs, but also pursue careers."

Irving is the only city in the service area - other than Dallas - to have both light and commuter rail service. The Trinity Railway Express has operated in South Irving since December 1996 along the right of way of the Rock Island Railway, where the city was founded in the early 1900s.

Federal funds seed economic recovery

DART's massive $3.4 billion light rail expansion, which includes the Orange Line, has provided a much-needed stimulus during the economic downturn. The Irving build-out received $61.2 million in ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) funds because of its employment impact and ability to attract additional development, companies, employees and residents to Irving.

True to expectations, the project produced more than 600 jobs at some 80 contractor companies in 14 states. Federal officials have closely monitored the project's progress and cited the Orange Line as one of the top "Recovery Act Projects Changing America."

Construction of the Orange Line adds to the largest electric light rail system in North America. The DART Rail System will reach nearly 90 miles at the completion of the current expansion in 2014, creating viable transit access to greater housing, employment, educational, medical and entertainment options throughout the Dallas area.

Station art reflects the community

DART's growing collection of public art adds three new displays with the opening of the Orange Line. The award-winning Station Art & Design Program creates site-specific works that both acknowledge the surroundings and assert themselves as a new contribution. As a result, DART stations become vibrant public spaces and not just transit stops.

A local advisory committee works with planners, architects and engineers at the earliest stages of station design, and later gives input to the station artist about themes and materials, to ensure the station reflects the history and culture of the community it serves. Art is then integrated into the design of column claddings, platform pavers, windscreens and landscaping. Information about the entire DART public art collection, along with photos of many of the pieces, is available online at http://www.DART.org/PublicArt .

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DART previews Orange Line service to Irving

DART is celebrating Monday's expansion of light rail service to Irving with a series of "Super Saturday" events.

Orange Line opens; so when does it get to D/FW?

As DART prepares to open the new Orange Line extension of its light rail network, many are looking ahead to the line’s final stop: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

DART's Orange Line opens

Next stop, Irving.

North Texans now have a new way to zip in and out of the North Texas city. Monday morning, DART's new Orange Line rolled into the city for the first time.