Dallas — Streetcar Turntable Dedicated

Rail Transit Online, December 2011

The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority's new streetcar turntable at the Cityplace DART light rail station was dedicated on Dec. 15.

The $668,000 project includes an LED illuminated pergola over the turntable that is programmable to create displays marking various holidays, seasons and sporting events.

The facility, funded by a neighborhood taxing district, is part of an expansion of historic trolley service into northern downtown via a new loop; heavy construction using $4.9 million in federal funds is set to begin in late January and be completed in mid-2013.

The turntable, located in a park area, will allow MATA to offer more service using its two single-end ex-Toronto PCCs, which have been in storage for years. The turntable was created from a surplus Southern Pacific Railroad bridge that once crossed the long-abandoned Texas Electric Railway interurban line.