How DART is getting ready for high-speed rail in downtown Dallas

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JR Central

The N700 train in Japan is similar to what the Texas Central Railway wants to use to connect Dallas to Houston.

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Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

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If bullet trains zoom into Dallas' Union Station on schedule in 2021, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the city need to be ready for the influx of travelers.

Up to 500 people could get off each train and there could be up to 34 arrivals and departures per day taking the 90-minute trip to and from Houston, according to officials at the Texas Central Railway, the private company proposing the project.

"You look at great high-speed rail stations around the world and they are in the core urban areas," said Gary Thomas, the director of DART. "Why is that? That gives people a choice in how they want to get to their next destination. Transportation's all about choices."

The high-speed rail project is currently in the federal environmental phase. Preliminary routes for the train were recently announced.

Union Station is already home to DART trains, the Trinity Railway Express and Amtrak in addition to the DART bus system.

But more transportation options are coming in time for the anticipated start of the high-speed rail project.

Thomas explained three key projects:

• Lengthen the train platforms so all DART stations can accommodate three-car trains. Each DART train car has 94 seats plus another 60 or so standing passengers. Adding a third car would add capacity for another 150 passengers per train.
• Build another DART train alignment through downtown to give travelers more choices. There would also be an Orange Line train that goes nonstop from Union Station to the Terminal A station at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
• Expand the Dallas Streetcar system to connect to the M-Line Trolley in Uptown. The first phase of the Dallas Streetcar system launches in March from Union Station to Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Colorado Boulevard. Another phase would connect to the Bishop Arts District.

Nicholas covers the energy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation beats for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe the Energy Inc. newsletter