The suburbs' confidence in DART was also expressed at the ballot box: four cities held highly publicized pullout elections in 1996 (with the financial assistance of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who wanted DART's half-cent sales tax revenue for Texas Stadium in Irving, the Cowboys' home at the time ), but all four voted to remain in DART (three of them by margins of more than two-to-one). To the surprise of critics, the new light rail system was embraced by Dallasites, with ridership exceeding expectations. Commuter rail service to Irving began in December, after some delays. In June 1996, the light rail system began service on time and on budget inaugurating the first light rail system in Texas. The first sections of track were laid in July 1993. Starter system Īfter years of scandals involving finances, delays in construction of the rail system, a failed bond election, and nine pull-out votes (two of which were successful), October 1990 was a turning point for the agency, when DART first broke ground on its light rail system. A DART Blue Line train enters Pearl/Arts District station. After that vote, the agency again pared down the regional rail system to 84 miles (135.2 km). The plan was pared down again to 93 miles (149.7 km) after a bond vote. DART chose light rail transit as its primary mode of rail transportation. The election plan was pared down to 147 miles (236.6 km) when Duncanville, Grand Prairie and Mesquite, which would have had rail lines, opted out of joining the agency. ( January 2019)ĭART's initial plans called for 160 miles (257.5 km) of commuter rail.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |