DART Will Open its Long-Awaited DFW Airport Train Station in August

Nicely presented information in this post, I prefer to read this kind of stuff. 

JFK International Airport

Your intern lady missed her hypothetical flight because the route she picked was awful.

this is actually huge for the city of Irving. there will be a TOD explosion along the Orange line at the stations heading towards the airport. the convenience factor of DFW will be a huge selling point for new residential and commercial developments and the city of Irving will benefit the most from it.

Is there an "inside" way to get from the light rail station, to the terminal? Welcome to DFW International, please exit your air conditioned vessels, and proceed through the 105 degree heat, thunderstorms, or snow to the terminal...? I couldn't tell from the photos. 

I want a mayor the pushes for a subway system. Propose a bond package, and lobby for it's passing with the people. A modern, clean, well designed, subway is a trophy of greatness on the world scale, and will allow Dallas to gain a competitive advantage in global development.

Why is there no DART terminal connection to Love Field? Where was our mayor lobbying to convince our neighbors to the north, that a short delay in services would allow the citizens of DFW a direct connection an airport? Where is the leadership?

Decades ago, the citizens of New York realized, that to create and maintain economic supremacy, a subway system is necessary. Their men and women chiseled through rock, laying the foundations for the World Class city it is today.

We sit on top of the some of the best tunneling medium in America. Part of the reason the multi-billion dollar SuperCollider was going to be located just south of us. Our pervious tunnels in the metroplex have come in under budget and on schedule. 

I believe that if the citizens of Dallas today, accepted the responsibility and built a truly modern subway system, Dallas's social and economic systems would flourish, and Dallas finally obtain World Class status. 

I don't like having a train screaming by behind my yard, or through my neighborhood. I think a state of the art, efficient subway is necessary if Dallas wants to compete on the world stage. It's all about density, and a subway is steroids to achieve density. 

Furthermore, I believe a subway would provide the wonderful corporations that call Dallas home, an amazing opportunity to increase their presence in the market, both local and global. Numerous business perks are created. In addition to a decreased cost of transit/efficient transportation for visitors and citizens throughout our city, corporate partnership would be possible. 

Corporate sponsored subway stations could allow exclusive naming and marketing rights to a transportation hub on a system that processes hundreds of thousands of individuals each day. "The At&t, station", "the Dallas Mavericks Station", etc. Modern architecturally designed stations that allow for exclusive or  semi-exclusive showcasings of products, news, and features could be an idea to possibly offset a few costs. 

At the very least, to all the subway haters out there, can we at least agree that highway improvements should be designed in conjunction to our existing light-rail and mass transit systems? 

Why are we "redesigning" IH635 with no space for light-rail? Seems like a perfect "large scale construction" opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. A IH635 light-rail would provide the "cross town" connection desperately needed in DART.. We're already disrupting traffic, moving earth, and pouring concrete, I'd argue they should have tossed the rail in the design, and we should have demanded it. 

Dallas needs some leadership and long term planning. I want a mayor that will call out those folks over at DART, and work in tandem to develop the World Class city we deserve. 

I'm in my late 20's, this will be my generation's city soon. I want a strong mayor system that allows for leadership, accountability, and and long range development from the mayors office.  Otherwise, Dallas will never be able to compete globally. 

According to the DART trip planner, it would take 59 minutes for me to take the bus to my work which is a whopping 6 miles away from my home.  I can only imagine how long the trip will be to DFW for all the Plano, Richardson, N Dallas residents.

All of the passenger terminals at DFW are located within the City of Grapevine, Tarrant County.  DFW Airport constitutes roughly 60% of Grapevine's employment base; Grapevine collects sales taxes from all the retail sales at DFW Airport.  The DFW Orange Line station is located entirely within the City of Grapevine.

Why is Grapevine contributing a grand total of $0 to this project?  What is the City of  Dallas' pro-rata contribution, via DART?

$2.50 for 2 hour pass on DART. 

Will be great option for those living nearby a DART Station or for those who do not have a car.

May not be convenient for others, but at least we have another option.

This same line (Orange) also stops nearby LOVE FIELD (Inwood) where shuttle bus to/from Terminal makes 15-20 rounds.

Lots of time factors to consider.  How long to get from house to the LR, buy ticket, get to DFW, and finally my terminal.  It prob won't be as easy as driving and parking, but I'll give it a shot.   

Might want to talk a little about the interconnection between DART and DFW transport system (s)

Great.....now if I could get the train to get me closer than 2 miles from Love Field. Buses don't count...

@IskanderAlAkbar The Knox-Henderson station underground is already excavated but needs to be finished out.  Then DART will actually serve Central Dallas better.

From your mouth to God's ears, Iskander!  One day it shall come to pass.

@IskanderAlAkbar DART consists of 13 cities. The only one that would benefit from a direct connection to Love Field would have been Dallas. The tunnel would have sucked up such a huge portion of funding that service to Irving, Farmers Branch and Carrollton would have been rolled back several more years.

The only way DART will go along with expensive projects that benefit Dallas is if Dallas comes up with the difference in funds. It's a pity, but Dallas couldn't do that.

@WylieH The Orange line doesn't serve Grapevine. DART just owns the tracks that cut through it. Grapevine gets all of the disadvantage of an easement -- plots of property cut in half, and grade crossings, but none of the benefits. How much do you think the city will ask you to contribute when it exercises its easement to dig up your yard to cut a water main across your lawn?

@davirez101 Some of us live downtown and have monthly and annual passes subsidized by our employers. An airport train will be a free ride for us.

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz  I actually lived in Portland for a while and did this a few times. Still have memories of my first plane trip out soon after 9/11, when the Max stopped suddenly at the edge of the airport and we all watched and felt a fighter jet zoom over our heads and do a touch-and-go on the runway right outside our window. I also remember hearing about a coyote that rode to PDX around that time. If you search for "Tri Met Max coyote PDX" you'll get some pictures and conflicting information (some of the blogs say it was in late 2002 but I think it was 2001 or early 2002).

@bigjondaniel The dirty secret behind the DFW A connection is since AA/US Air handle 85%+ plus of the traffic and AA has big desks at A for carry on plus the 50% of non AA/US Air are carryon, < 5-10% might have to take the Green buses from rail station to E or B.  If you could only afford one station, A was a good choice.

@Apocalypse_91 Buses work fine at Logan in Boston and it is a lot bigger than Love.

@Apocalypse_91  Why don't buses count?

@REDDYFREDDY @IskanderAlAkbar "As of 2013 DART does not list Knox-Henderson in their future expansion plans."


 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox%E2%80%93Henderson_Station

@kduble @IskanderAlAkbar  When the tunnel to Love Field idea went away, for the reasons you mentioned, kduble, DART staff and consultants told the community they'd do the "next best thing" and provide a shuttle service from the Inwood Station to the Love Field Terminal. Well, lo and behold, the $30 million set aside to fulfill that promise was "re-programmed" to pay for the trolley from downtown to Oak Cliff. This was a huge betrayal by the people we trusted, who basically LIED to us, and they've gotten away with it!  Talk about breaking the Social Contract. Why should we ever listen to any of them again?

@bvckvs @WylieH  I don't recall anyone every bringing up the issue, and I'm actually glad that DART is connecting to DART.  It seems reasonable that, at the very least, the sales taxes collected by the City of Grapevine at DFW Airport could be used to pay a portion of the cost of the station at DFW Airport.

The folks in Grapevine will pay fares that will be subsidized primarily by residents of the City of Dallas (and to a lesser extent by other DART members).

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz

"If I'm not mistaken, we received $61 million in appropriated taxpayer funds for this project."

Corrected.

@ScottsMerkin That's my understanding also. That, plus the checked bag fees, will sure incentivize traveling light!

But, in all fairness, any other airport with a monorail between terminals works the same way. They're always behind security clearance.

@MikeWestEast @Apocalypse_91  And La Guardia.

@TheRuddSki  Agree.  If you are DARTing to the Airport, a short(er) hop to the train station makes sense.  I have taken the TRE to the Airport from downtown Dallas.  I walked to Pearl from my house, but a bus would have worked too...

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz The trouble with a spur is it backtracks. This adds travel time for those not bound for the airport. It makes the service less practical for other riders on the train. The only thing that really makes sense is to pass a tunnel under the terminal, but this was the most expensive option.

@WylieH Folks in Grapevine won't be riding. The Orange line doesn't stop in Grapevine except at the terminal of an airport Dallas and Fort Worth own.

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz If you take that list and pull of the things that are not articulated as a role of national government and quit doing them, we could afford the taxes at the local level to do the things that should be local matters.

@bvckvs @Myrna.Minkoff-Katz  The value of a use fee that isn't anywhere enough to cover the operating cost is psychological. If people have to pay for something they value it and vandalism goes way down. If it's free it gets torn up much more. So the bulk of the actual funding is taxes and the use fee is just enough to make people feel like they paid to ride DART so it has value. 

@WylieH  I live in Grapevine, and I doubt I'll take DART to the airport :)   I am interested in taking it downtown though, and I'll be sure to spend lots of $$$ in Dallas when I do.   Having used BART to get into the city from SFO, I have to say this is a great extension..

@WylieH Grapevine residents getting subsidized fares to where?  You cannot get to Grapevine other than the airport via DART.  The connection is not going to improve retail sales at DFW so no incremental revenue there.  If anything, Grapevine's take from the parking garages will drop.  The sole purpose of the station is to improve connectivity to the rest of the DART network.  Grapevine ate the parking loss and said Dallas, you want it, go for it.  The Plano situation had stations in Plano, not locked down by TSA.

@PlanoDave @Myrna.Minkoff-Katz  Typical Tea Bagger..

@PlanoDave @Myrna.Minkoff-Katz  Typical 

@Montemalone  Are you saying that you see all roadways as a non-depreciating asset with no associated costs?  You seem smarter than that.  Somebody has to pay the cost for roadways.  Surely you can concede that in some cases, it is better to sell the asset to avoid the ongoing costs?  Or is the government-provided, taxpayer-funded solution always the best solution?

@MikeWestEast @The_triplefake_Brandon_Eley 

I don't use DART for work but my employer should get involved, because I want to take DART to DFW?  I have to quit asking questions because the more I do, the more difficult this becomes.

@The_triplefake_Brandon_Eley Savings can build if you already have a monthly or annual pass subsidized by your firm.  Then you compare zero to 2 $60 trips.  DART use in general is always a trade off of time vs. money.  It works best for people that have 0$ marginal cost of time or can leverage time in transit.  Traffic is too good in Dallas for DART to ever win the race if measure is getting there first..

@bvckvs 

Understood.  But when I'm about to embark on a mutli-week trip, schlepping numerous pieces of luggage over Dallas' shoddy infrastructure to the nearest DART stop is a considerable pain in the ass, and it makes me question if the savings is worth the hassle.      

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz @The_triplefake_Brandon_Eley .  You can get anywhere in Dallas on a bus except the "Dark Territory" a la Steven Seagal  immediately west of Park Cities.   We have buses to Beverly Drive and Pleasant Grove, but no buses to that area.  It is not an income, ethnic or crime thing.  People there just do not uses buses.  Everywhere else $2.50 gets you where you want to go.

@Myrna.Minkoff-Katz @bvckvs 

Those little costs, combined with the hassle of using DART (as opposed to driving and parking) may be a non-start for a lot of people.  If the savings aren't considerable, it won't be worth it.