Dallas — Extension Funding Sought

January 2013

Funding has been secured to extend the downtown Dallas to Oak Cliff modern streetcar line, Dallas Morning News reported. Dallas Area Rapid Transit [DART] has ordered two "Liberty" model streetcars from Brookville Equipment Corp. of Pennsylvania to operate the car line and has an option for two more which will be exercised because of the additional $30.87 in local funding. The money will be reallocated from a fund that was to build a people mover at Love Field airport.

The extension would allow the streetcar to serve the Bishop Arts District with its restaurants, bars, and retail stores. Construction on the 1.5-mile initial segment from Union Station over the Houston Bridge to the Methodist Dallas Medical Center is scheduled to begin in February and open in October 2014.

The new funding would provide for a 0.7-mile extension on Beckley to Zang and continuing to Davis and would be ready in 2015.

Configuration of the tracks and stops along with other details have yet to be worked out for the extension and funding for operations is not yet secure, but the project is expected to go forward.

The $30.87 million would provide $8 million for the two additional streetcars, $15 million for the extension described above, and $8 million which could be used for a downtown extension from Union Station to the convention center on Young. Detailed planning for the downtown part will begin soon.